Mandarin play

I am waaaaay behind on my reviews, but I'm hoping to correct that starting now with my review of the first summer blockbuster of 2013.

How do you top dealing with an invading race of evil aliens? Well if you're Tony Stark, you take on an even tougher opponent - anxiety attacks. That's right, in Iron Man 3 we see the seemingly unflappable Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) struggle with internal stress after the events that took place in last summer's The Avengers. Of course, there's still evil elsewhere in the world that he has to deal with, but we'll get to that in a moment.

Perhaps realizing that there was no way to top the out-of-this-world story of The Avengers, this film takes a closer look at the man in the metal suit. This is as much a Tony Stark film as it is an Iron Man film and that's not a bad thing. In this third outing, we dig deeper into Stark's growing realization of his responsibilities whether that's to his devoted assistant/girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his close friend Rhodey (Don Cheadle), or the American population. That onus weighs heavily on Stark who can't sleep and avoids talking to anyone about his problems. Thankfully for the audience, Stark has too much of an ego to pull a Bruce Wayne recluse act, so instead he opts to hide his fears through sarcasm and wit. Once again, Downey shines here, delivering a number of hilarious one-liners.

Downey's performance stands out here, even moreso than normal, thanks to Shane Black, who took over directing duties from Jon Favreau. Black, who also co-wrote the film, has worked with Downey before and knows how to get the most out of him. Black, who's previous credits include Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and writing the original Lethal Weapon, really makes this film his own. Aside from knowing how to write for Downey, some of the other elements in the film including the Christmas setting and the buddy cop vibe are representative of Black's style as well. While I had no problems with Favreau's work, I really liked what Black brought to the franchise.

Some Iron Man fans, however, may take umbrage with some of the decisions he made. The biggest one of all will deal with the film's central villain, The Mandarin. While this villain does not have the same pop culture recognition as other comic book villains, he is considered by many to be Iron Man's greatest foe. In the film, he's an enigmatic character with a flare for the dramatic. Played by Sir Ben Kingsley, this is one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen in a film like this. While the role isn't as meaty as say Heath Ledger's Joker, there's a lot more going on with the character than just menace. As someone who was not a reader of the comics, the creative liberties that the film takes with the character's origins did not bother me, but I can understand why some would not embrace this interpretation.

This revised Mandarin works for me because there seems to be a concentrated effort to make a character that has been in existence for several decades relevant in today's society. The villains have been a weakness to this point in the franchise, but that changes here and elevates the movie as result. This is particularly true when it comes to the film's climax. In the first two films, particularly in the second, the final battle was underwhelming and perfunctory. This time, the audience gets more bang for their buck as good vs. evil clashes in grand fashion on an oil tanker. I would probably say that the film's final act is still its weakest, but in comparison to what we got earlier in the franchise, this is a vast improvement.

If I had a complaint about the film, it's that I would have liked for the story to build more toward future films, since we know more Avengers adventures are to come. Instead, this is very much a stand-alone film. Yes, the film makes a few references to the greater Marvel universe but nothing that really gets you excited for the future or provides you a sense of what's to come. Still, as summer blockbuster fare this does nothing but deliver. You have some fine performances, a nice balance of comedy and drama, and a few exhilarating action sequences (I particularly enjoyed the Air Force One rescue scene). What more could you ask for?

At the film's end, there's the promise that "Iron Man will return" and let's hope that means for more than just another go-round with the Avengers. While I recognize that Downey Jr. isn't getting any younger and may also get tired of putting on the big metal suit, there's no one else I could ever see playing this role. He brings Iron Man to life in more ways than one. Grade: A-