Movie Monday - Ironman 3

Of all the Marvel superheroes, the least I expected to love was Ironman. I was more of a Hulk kinda gal, until the Edward Norton movies ruined it for me. He was just too... wishy-washy, too emotive. A lot of people disagree with me, and at this particular point, I am not trying to dissuade them. But something was off and I couldn't put a finger on it. That is, until they got Mark Ruffalo, of course. Now I could just say, Hulk is more Mark Ruffalo than Edward Norton and let's leave it at that.


But Ironman? Whoever was the casting director is a visionary because Robert Downey, Jr. IS Ironman. He has the grits, the slick, the brass and the vulnerability down to a pat. Downey's life hadn't been easy. He had his moments of slip-ups --- a whole decade of it. So it's this guy who has been so down, but managed to rise up again who could bring a love-to-hate character to life.

Anyways, please don't expect this to be an unbiased review. I'm a fan, so of course Ironman 3 is worth my time. Just go watch it already! But if I really have to explain why, perhaps I could tell you a little about why this installment is where I feel Ironman 3 was at his vulnerable best.

It's not just his sudden onset acute anxiety attacks. It's the fact that as he travels through the madness he emerges on the other side with enough power to finally overcome his identity crisis. His hi-tech suits doesn't an Ironman make. It's who's inside the suit which makes a difference. Here we see a man hounded by fears for the safety of all that he loves and keeps trying to take control of the situation by building bigger and more powerful robots. He thinks, maybe if I make the suit strong enough, responsive enough, intelligent enough, I can save the world and the girl too. But then, in the end, he has to come into terms that the real avenger is not the Can, but the Man in the can.



Please also just Forgive and Forget all the deus ex machina scenes, or the fact that The Mandarin was turned into a comic relief character. (Ian tells me this bit was flabbergasting because the comic version isn't at all funny).

This movie is more sober than the first 2, although Tony Stark's theatrics hasn't wavered. I guess you could just try to view the movie from the perspective of a friend watching Stark grow up. We who are privileged to watch him evolve not just into a stronger superhero, but a better human being too. :D

Happy Viewing!