Iron Man 3: Muted Moments with Tony Stark

There was a common criticism leveled at The Dark Knight Rises last summer—ok, the movie had a LOT of criticisms, most of which were accurate—but the one I’m referencing mentioned that the titular superhero was barely in his own movie. And it's true, Batman himself only appeared three times in the film and it was clear that Bruce Wayne was the main character. Many viewers found themselves disappointed by that—I mean, they didn't pay good money to see Bruce Wayne Rises.

Now, the first film in the trilogy, Batman Begins, also didn't show Batman until halfway through but that was the origin story where one would expect to wait a while to see the hero. The first Spidey took ages to reveal himself in costume, and that was fine…origin story. But when Spider-Man 3 rolled around and we didn't see the hero swinging around until 45 minutes in, we began to realize the contempt for the audience certain filmmakers have.

Iron Man 3 is possibly worse than all of those films for the cardinal sin of not showing the superhero we paid good money to see. I actually found myself deeply frustrated and annoyed with the flick—this isn't called Tony Stark 3, damn it! In fact, the funniest part is that half the time we actually DO see the suit, Tony himself isn't even in it! Most of the time the suits are remote controlled, which proves that the filmmakers do not understand why so few of us are emotionally invested in Transformers films.

We don't care about seeing the robot suit—we care about the man inside it. But the key words are "inside it", not "outside the suit, running around with Home Alone-style weaponry."

Iron Man 3 is the darkest of the Iron Man films so far. It has a more restrained and serious performance from Robert Downey, Jr. (because that's what we all wanted, right?) and the stakes are often higher and more personal. Opening with a voice over monologue reminiscent of the last time Downey, Jr. and writer/director Shane Black got together with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 pits Tony Stark against a mysterious terrorist named “The Mandarin.”

He also faces personal crises with his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow) and the occasional panic attack/insomnia brought about by the alien invasion seen in The Avengers. Don Cheadle reprises his role of War Machine, and Guy Pierce joins the party as a scientist/entrepreneur with an agenda.

I guess the first question on people's minds is—does this compare to The Avengers? I mean, that movie was kind of a game changer, as well as one of the most successful films of all time. Shane Black wisely dials down (well, as much as you can with a summer blockbuster like this) from Avengers, so that the audience can limit the comparisons. I thought it was a nice touch to show Stark developing a nervous disorder over the experience—it mirrors the alcoholism he faced in the comics, except more "kid friendly."

But unfortunately, the Avengers aspect looms over Iron Man 3, and makes many plot points confusing (why aren’t Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D helping to save the President from a terrorist?). And the anticipation of the obvious sequel dilutes whatever emotional component there is in the finale.

The action, when it happens, is fantastic. The scene where Iron Man must save passengers flying out of a plane is absolutely brilliant, and the final climax is exciting and wonderfully choreographed. But you know what? I think that's it for action. Two scenes. There's a couple other sequences where Tony is running from some lava-face-monsters, but it's never with the suit on, so…what makes it special?

I'm sorry to sound like a curmudgeon, but what's more exciting: Spider-Man defeating The Green Goblin or Peter Parker beating up the school bully? That's what I thought.

There's another problem I had with the film, and it will be difficult to explain without spoiling anything but don't worry, I'll tread lightly. Let's just say that I'm gonna have to contradict myself slightly by always complaining that comic book movies rarely "go for broke" and "try something new" and "completely surprise us." There's actually a twist in Iron Man 3 that really does surprise us. And boy, did I hate it. In terms of the story, it's not a logical cheat, and perhaps the sheer shock of it makes up for the fact that it's basically a big middle-finger to the lovers of a particular comic book character. I'll say no more, except for that the feeling of deflation in the audience was palpable, and I could see most people slide back in their seats with a feeling of "Oh….that's….kinda clever…."

But at the end of the day, I just couldn't get past the issue of "lack of superhero" to see the rest of the great stuff within Iron Man 3. The dialogue is still snappy and witty, and Downey, Jr. takes what could have been a very lame sub-plot involving an 8 year old boy and makes it hilarious. The music by Brian Tyler is the best of the series. The special effects are damn near perfect, and this is coming from someone who hates CGI with a passion.

It's just that, as a whole, it doesn't quite deliver. The film is better than the aggressively-average second installment, true. But it's not as good or surprising as the first movie (which itself was a little over-praised, in my opinion), and it never reaches the sheer fun of Avengers, or even Thor.

At the end of the day, it's a decent time at the movies. Nothing more, nothing less. People who say they love it—and there will be many—are probably saying that because they mostly remember the wonderful final 20 minutes and forgot all about the middle hour where almost nothing happens.