Meanwhile…
In a secret laboratory located somewhere deep beneath the Hollywood Hills, a brilliant mastermind has concocted the formula for the Perfect Popcorn Flick. Call him Master of the Marvel Universe!!
Or you can call him by his real name: Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios!! I think the Master one is better but whatever. And while I doubt he really works out of a secret lab (hell, I don’t even know if he lives in the Hollywood Hills) I am positive that the man has worked with some alien race to create the Marvel Movie Formula. How else to you explain the fact that he has been the creative force behind 7 (!) of these Superhero Movies in a 5 year (!) span that have done nothing but gotten better and better? I’m asking you. What is going on here?
Last year’s Mega-Gigantro Blockbuster Tent Pole Motion Picture Event “The Avengers” marked the culmination of 5 previous films that introduced us to our many heroes: Captain America, Thor, The Hulk…etc. That film was an expert blend, a near-flawlessly executed Action-Adventure that served as the final chapter of what is known as the “Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One”.
As turning these things out in Super Quick Time has been part of the Marvel Miracle, one year has passed and we are commencing Phase Two with “Iron Man 3”. Seems fitting as the original “Iron Man” was the picture that started the entire thing and, if box office receipts are any indication, Mr. Stark is the most popular to the Superhero Crew.
The miraculous news is that “Iron Man 3” is the best of the trilogy; a rare feat as the third in a franchise tends to be the dying gasp (“The Godfather Part III,” “Spiderman 3” “Superman 3”). I will give you “Toy Story 3” as an exception but this is surprising news.
This go-around takes the dynamic character development from the first film and mixes it with the last 20 minutes of action from the lackluster second film and gives us the “Best of” remix in this third chapter. Let’s place the blame on writer/director Shane Black who took the reins from Jon Favrau (who still sticks around as Stark’s bodyguard, Happy Hogan. His role is bigger here but then Black literally blows him up and makes the dethroned director spend much of the film lying in a hospital bed). Black has worked with Robert Downey Jr. before in the trippy flick “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and is the best at concocting dialogue for him. Here Downey Jr. is at his snarky peak here, zipping off rapid fire thoughts unfiltered.
We find the billionaire Industrialist a little shaken from his journey through universe that ended “The Avengers”. Tony can’t sleep and is suffering from panic attacks (who doesn’t like their hero flawed?) Like in all “Iron Man” films, at least one Tony’s nemesis is a leader of Giant Corporation. This time its Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), founder of A.I.M. and proprietor of a Mystery Something called Extremis. But Killian is not Stark’s only villain to handle as there is The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), a long-bearded terrorist who threatens the American public through well-edited videos.
As you may know, I hate providing too much synopsis and I will leave this one here as “Iron Man 3” plays out like a gumshoe mystery (much like “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”). With a near-two and a half hour running time, the film still is able to move along at a nice clip. In fact, one of my only issues with the story is that the final ten minutes are too rushed and important information is simply brushed over. Also, why is the story told with the Christmas setting? Seems out of place and for a summer release and distracting.
Following “The Avengers,” it is safe to predict that “Iron Man 3” will bring in Billion Dollars in box office receipts worldwide. In fact I’m sure that all of the follow-ups to come (and there are many) will bring huge receipts and this crazy Marvel Cinematic Universe thing should be able to go on for at least another decade. As long as The Master keeps cranking out high quality fare like this, I’ll take one every three months please.
