Iron Man 3
I went to the midnight showing of Iron Man 3 on Thursday night and before I get into the meat of the review/things I liked about it, I have to mention something. Shane Black, one of my favorite people and director of my favorite movie ever, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, seems to like to set his movies during Christmas. He wrote Lethal Weapon (which is set during Christmas) and, duh, KKBB is set during Christmas as well. And so is Iron Man 3. Just something I thought about while the movie played out. Anyway, here's my short opinion on the movie:
I liked it. More so than the first and second movies. I liked the fact that the villain was more of a threat. Extremis was my favorite comic-mainly for Adi Granov's gorgeous artwork-and seeing elements of the story (and some of the artwork come to life) on screen was pretty damn cool. So, yeah, this movie is worth the $19.25 ticket to the IMAX 3D showing. I'm seeing it again tomorrow morning with my parents.
Strong scenes for me include one where Tony and Rhodey are talking in a restaurant and Tony is approached by a little girl who did an adorable crayon drawing of him flying the nuclear missile into the wormhole over New York. He has an anxiety attack (a rather believable one-having been prone to them myself) and runs outside to his suit to try and find out what the hell is wrong with him. It wasn't just that I liked the believability of his attack, but I also liked how Tony has grown as a man and treats the little girl with respect and not condescension.
I loved that Rhodey had a stronger presence. He had great lines and kicked ass. I am so glad that Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard. With Don, his scenes with Robert felt more like a couple of long-time friends. They have better chemistry and I believe their friendship.
I also loved how Pepper was the one who took out our villain in the final fight. It took her sudden "damsel" status and flipped it around.
And Pepper in the suit was something I'd been wanting since Iron Man 2. She wasn't Rescue, but it was a great image. And she did rescue someone, so…
The twist about the Mandarin put me in two minds. It strays from the comic and that kind of annoyed me, but the way they handled the twist was well done. And I actually liked it.
I also liked the scene where Tony ends up in Tennessee in some kid's garage where he ends up returning to his "make shit out of anything" roots. And the banter he has with that kid was fantastic.
If you want to hear more opinions about it (with spoilers), check out Brad Jones/The Cinema Snob and friends talk about it. Side note: I love those guys. Out of all the guys on the That Guy With The Glasses site, Brad Jones is my favorite person.
Long story short, I liked it much more than I liked Dark Knight Rises. Much more. I was never bored, I was never distracted, and I was never irritated. It's up there with Last Crusade as one of the best "third movie in a trilogy" movies, I think.
And stay during the credits. There's an excellent scene at the end of it all. Hilarious. Better than the shawarma scene, IMHO.
Final words: Thank God for Shane Black.
I liked it. More so than the first and second movies. I liked the fact that the villain was more of a threat. Extremis was my favorite comic-mainly for Adi Granov's gorgeous artwork-and seeing elements of the story (and some of the artwork come to life) on screen was pretty damn cool. So, yeah, this movie is worth the $19.25 ticket to the IMAX 3D showing. I'm seeing it again tomorrow morning with my parents.
Strong scenes for me include one where Tony and Rhodey are talking in a restaurant and Tony is approached by a little girl who did an adorable crayon drawing of him flying the nuclear missile into the wormhole over New York. He has an anxiety attack (a rather believable one-having been prone to them myself) and runs outside to his suit to try and find out what the hell is wrong with him. It wasn't just that I liked the believability of his attack, but I also liked how Tony has grown as a man and treats the little girl with respect and not condescension.
I loved that Rhodey had a stronger presence. He had great lines and kicked ass. I am so glad that Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard. With Don, his scenes with Robert felt more like a couple of long-time friends. They have better chemistry and I believe their friendship.
I also loved how Pepper was the one who took out our villain in the final fight. It took her sudden "damsel" status and flipped it around.
And Pepper in the suit was something I'd been wanting since Iron Man 2. She wasn't Rescue, but it was a great image. And she did rescue someone, so…
The twist about the Mandarin put me in two minds. It strays from the comic and that kind of annoyed me, but the way they handled the twist was well done. And I actually liked it.
I also liked the scene where Tony ends up in Tennessee in some kid's garage where he ends up returning to his "make shit out of anything" roots. And the banter he has with that kid was fantastic.
If you want to hear more opinions about it (with spoilers), check out Brad Jones/The Cinema Snob and friends talk about it. Side note: I love those guys. Out of all the guys on the That Guy With The Glasses site, Brad Jones is my favorite person.
Long story short, I liked it much more than I liked Dark Knight Rises. Much more. I was never bored, I was never distracted, and I was never irritated. It's up there with Last Crusade as one of the best "third movie in a trilogy" movies, I think.
And stay during the credits. There's an excellent scene at the end of it all. Hilarious. Better than the shawarma scene, IMHO.
Final words: Thank God for Shane Black.