Heavy Metal

We know that Bruce Wayne is Batman and Clarke Kent is Superman; but three films into the series, it is safe to say that the real Iron Man is Robert Downey Jr. In Iron Man 3, we pick up from where we left it in Avengers, when Tony Stark escapes from the worm hole and returns to the our world sans aliens and gods. A timely shot in the arm for those who were craving for a good super hero film, the film is nothing more than the comic book being played out on screen.

What works for Shane Black, the director, is his absence from the narrative. Running at a brisk pace, Iron Man 3 sees the egotistical Tony Stark pitted against an enemy that knows no limits. Mandarin, the face of terror, finds Tony Stark standing between him and total domination and has to take him out. When his personal world is destroyed by this enemy, Stark embarks on a journey of salvation, and does so in style. The film arranges the plot elements very well and surprises you brilliantly at certain points in the story. Apart from that, a few impressive and overwhelming action sequences are enough to drive the film home.

Downey's aura carries the personality of a billionaire superhero with ease and is assisted by clever dialogues and one-liners that tend to avoid repetition. But Downey's persona is a given even as you walk into the film; the real surprise is Ben Kingsley. Even if you are not a fan of the superhero phenomenon, it is worth watching the film for Kingsley's performance as Mandarin.

As a film, Iron Man 3 is an entertaining sequel that matches the standards of the first film and makes up for the shoddy narrative of Iron Man 2. Often kept on a pedestal, superheroes tend to lack the ability to gain some empathy from the audience, but Shane Black has managed to take care of that. On an emotional level, the film gets you involved more than any other film based on a character from Stan Lee's marvel universe and brings you a sweet mixture of dynamism and vulnerability.

To sum up, Iron Man 3, thanks to Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr, has managed to stand up as an exception to the mindless two-dimensional world that comic book inspired superhero films usually create.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Published in DNA (Pune) on April 27, 2013