Iron Man 3 has undoubtedly been one of the most heavily anticipated films of the year. With fanboys clamoring over the barest glimpses of Tony Stark's new toys, armor, suits, weapons and Shane Black-infused catch phrases, we at iTech Post were particularly delighted to check out an advanced screening of this installment from the epic series.
For the first time in the Iron Man franchise, Jon Favreau was not behind the driver's seat, with Black coming in not only as co-writer but also helmer. It's been a while since Black directed a film - his last (and first) being 2005's sadly under-viewed but spectacular genre-bender Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
What would a sophomore director with writing credits that include the likes of the Lethal Weapon franchise and The Monster Squad alike? Here's what our two reporters at the advanced screening thought.
*WARNING: CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS!
DMITRY SHEYNIN: So, Matt, what did you think of Iron Man 3?
MATTHEW KLICKSTEIN: I was definitely impressed with the film but it also had its fair share of problems.
DS: Agreed. I was totally thrilled with the first two acts, but the last third of Iron Man 3 was somewhat of a mess.
MK: Absolutely. It almost seemed like it was two or even three movies at once all combined in an unholy mess. At times an exciting and even beautiful mess, but a sloppy one, too. Too much at once. You had the whole silly Mandarin subplot mixed with Tony's existential journey and finally a slew of fire-breathing Universal Soldiers that just didn't belong in the Iron Man universe.
DS: In fairness, they took a lot of pains to give some semblance of a scientific explanation to the fire-breathing soldiers. The dragon breath scene probably went a little overboard, but it did yield one of the funniest lines in the movie, which again begs the question of if Iron Man 3 focused too much on the humor. They almost pulled off the Mandarin storyline, but I don't understand why they had to make him comically stupid. It would have worked better if he at least seemed evil or something.
MK: Again this comes down to whether it belonged in the film. I liked Kingsley as always even in his double role of sorts but it just didn't gel with the film. So too with the demon characters. I liked it but not in Iron Man. Reminded me of the alien subplot in the last Indiana Jones installment. Probably had a bit to do with the studio likely stepping in to "guide" Shane Black, whom I adore and think did a literal bang-up job, but did clearly get led a bit.
DS: You're being harsh. Okay, they looked like demons. But they were genetically modified soldiers and at the end of the day, I don't think their storyline was any less plausible than Tony Stark's Arc Reactor or the Iron Man suit itself. Yeah, Iron Man is a tech-based hero, but it's still a comic book movie, so we have to suspend some disbelief.
MK: Genetically-modified soldiers or no, it didn't work for me. What makes Iron Man special is its similarity to Batman in being more "realistic" than the prototypical comic book movie. The humor was great thanks to the winning teamwork again of Downey and Black. Though, I couldn't help feeling Stark seemed a bit like Downey's Harry from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. As much I loved that movie.
DS: What didn't work for me was how little Iron Man actually appears in the film. For a pretty large part of the movie, it felt like I was watching a very good installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise. I love Robert Downey Jr., but I go to an Iron Man movie to watch his stunt double and the CGI. I can forgive the demon soldiers, but I needed more Iron Man.
MK: Fair enough. That actually goes back to my initial complaint about Iron Man 3's being too many movies at once. What did you think of the love story?
DS: Okay. Full disclosure: I don't like Gwyneth Paltrow or Pepper Potts. But when Tony's California mansion was falling into the ocean and he projected the Iron Man armor onto Pepper, it was one of the most endearing "love scenes" I've ever seen.
MK: True. And I wasn't expecting it. I really liked the way they used all the armor effects in that way. Paltrow is Paltrow (I couldn't stop thinking about her ridiculous rich bitch cookbooks) but there was a chemistry I believed in and even coveted a bit between Pepper and Stark. I wish I could protect my girlfriend like that. But that is good filmmaking. Chalk up another one for Black.
DS: Totally. It was so adorable when Potts couldn't figure out how to work the repulsor. Another part of the movie that was very "Shane Black" was the dynamic between Tony and his little kid sidekick. Did you feel the dialogue went a bit too far?
MK: Yes. But it was hilarious and only a few people, Black being one of them working today, can pull off "excessive" with "hilarious" ... and a twist of endearing. I knew some kids back in LA who would hang out his place late-night and sounds like he's a load of laughs. Along with a few other things... Overall, how did you feel he did versus Favreau in the first two?
DS: I don't think anyone besides Favreau could have made Iron Man 1. But I think Iron Man 2 was probably the worst film Marvel has put out. As far as Iron Man 1 versus Iron Man 3? They're both very different films. At the end of the day, I'd have to say Iron Man 1 is the more complete movie. But again, Iron Man 1 didn't need to grapple with the collective mythology of every film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that transpired between Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 3.
MK: I'm not gonna lie, that part confused me and added to my complaint about it being too much at once. Yes, Iron Man 1 remains the clear winner. But 3 was definitely better than the joke that was 2. Can we agree on that?
DS: Most definitely.
MK: Would you recommend to friends?
DS: Oh my god, yes! Let's be clear: We're judging it against other very good films. Iron Man 3 is a great movie.
MK: I don't know if I would say very good, but it was certainly good. Glad I saw it. Though even more glad it was free.
DS: Hear, hear.
Iron Man 3 rockets into theaters everywhere on Friday, May 3.
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