IRON MAN 3

Iron Man 3

Let me start by saying that I can understand why there are a lot of split opinions about IRON MAN 3. It's a film full of misdirection and deceptions, and I was a little distressed by a couple of them - which would give away too much to detail here. Suffice it to say that there were a couple of moments I felt somewhat cheated; and though I'll be vague about it I can say it involved Mandarin. Still, read on; while I gave the movie four stars, I believe down the road I might very well revise this to a five. I'll explain...

First of all, rest assured there is A LOT of action. And there are a lot of the Iron Suits, too...it's just that Tony Stark isn't often the one IN the suit. I found myself often frustrated by that fact: Iron Man interruptus, if you will. Either the suits were off on their own, or they were on other people, or they weren't working properly...something that seemed to occur almost constantly.

I saw it in Imax 3D, and it was well worth the extra $$ to do so (given the fact that $17 is a RIDICULOUS price for a movie ticket in the first place). The movie was lush, packed with detail, and continuously drew me "inside" it. The scenes of (don't panic about spoilers - these are in ALL the promos) Stark's house exploding and falling into the sea are meticulously crafted and extremely inclusive...I really felt the dimensional layers as the house was blown apart: I could feel the force of the detonation, and house collapsing, and the impact of the sea as the house AND Iron Man tumbled into it. Similarly, the moments where his suit fly through the air and "find" him, or the death-defying scenes aboard (and outside) Air Force One, and so many others throughout the film really do feel like you're there.

When it comes to the action you'd expect from a movie such as this, IRON MAN 3 is a rollicking, smash-mouth treat. Director Shane Black - whose only previous directorial role was on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (which ironically served as Robert Downey, Jr.'s comeback film) - does a more-than-capable job, and the characters and events are big and loud. You'll feel like you are on a roller-coaster; while there are of course moments of crazy adrenaline rushes, there are also emotional ups and down. But Tony Stark is just as glib as always, causing almost as much damage with his mouth as he does as with his armor. I laughed a lot during the movie ... for those who care, Tony's mechanical manservant JARVIS (the voice of Paul Bettany) gets a good deal of air play here, and he's just as lovably bumbling as always.

Yet - and remember my dichotomy about this - the movie really focuses on Tony Stark OUTSIDE the suit. I wish the promos had clued me into this: our man Tony is experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because of what happened in The Avengers. Had I been informed of that I wouldn't have felt slighted, and I think it would have better prepared me for this movie. I found myself constantly disappointed, even cheated, by the absence of Tony WITHIN the suit. I realize now that was the only way I felt Iron man was indeed Iron Man. Yet I will declare that now, looking back, I feel good about the movie, and I'm glad to have seen Tony as a more "real" person, as a more human man, a man undergoing a metamorphosis.

There are other things about this movie that surprised me - and I'm sure will surprise you - that I will NOT tell you. Just realize that while this is a very action-packed movie, it is also a personal one. It's this kind of writing that has typified the action movies of today, making them stand out above their "super-hero" predecessors. Like the The Dark Knight movies of Chris Nolan, these new, and better, powerhouse films are focusing on their heroes' moments of personal growth, warts and all. It's a trend I'm really happy to see.