Should I Check This Out - Iron Man 3

Some time over a year after its release, and having seen both Iron Man and Iron Man 2 in cinemas, I finally caught up with the conclusion(?) to the Iron Man series with Iron Man 3. (I guess no one liked the idea of having a subtitle). Upon its release, critics were generally favourable with four star reviews thrown into trailers here and there, but when watching the first trailer go online, I felt a bit meh; nothing really stood out apart from Sir Ben Kingsley. Why I felt this? Well there had been, and still is, a glut of Marvel superhero films, but is this one worth watching? 

Having fended off bad business partners, a crazy Russian and saved New York in The Avengers, Iron Man 3 sees Tony catching up with two familiar faces; former fling and scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and handicapped geek turned mysterious suave businessman, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). Meanwhile, America is under attack again but this time by a terrorist leader known as The Mandarin (Sir Ben). It's then not long before these attacks collide with Tony and it is up to him - and only him, there's no sign of the Avengers when he's presumed dead and everything is falling apart - to stop this new force. Combined with panic attacks from when entering the wormhole in The Avengers (a very lousy plot device) and a crumbling relationship with Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow, which felt a little strange to watch), director Shane Black manages to keep the sharp-witted humour up but leaves something to be desired. 

Namely, and with other Marvel films before, the villain is particularly weak and uninteresting. Comparable with The Avengers, the villains seem like a plot device for creating another Iron Man film as opposed to the writers having time to invent a new and engaging story. That said, by this point, the Marvel films are a brand with limitations regarding the ability for the filmmakers to truly be creative. We knew none of the Avengers were going to die, and the same can be said here, but Robert Downey Jr. delivers another strong and charismatic performance as Tony Stark. Supporting cast members are decent but this really is his show, and he carries the film ensuring that there's never a dull moment. 

While fans of the comics stormed to the internet about a particular scene, Iron Man 3 improves over the second but falls short of matching the first. Nonetheless, it is still entertaining, if a little formulaic, but Black and Downey Jr. keep things light and fast-moving. Hopefully future Marvel films will take a note from Nolan's DC outings and develop their villains for a stronger story next time around.