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Iron Man 3 - The Movie

MOVIE REVIEW By Mark Dorman What seems to be America's (and much of the world's) favorite Marvel Comic Super Hero returns to the big screen once again. Iron Man 3, the supposed last movie in this blockbuster moneymaker has a lot to live up to. With Iron Man 1 & 2 both grossing over half a billion dollars it’s no surprise Marvel decided a third movie is a good idea. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), Billionaire playboy who inherited his father's tech company is a mastermind inventor and quite the character. The story left off at the end of the last episode with Stark saving his own life through the innovative help of his deceased father while handing the control of his company over to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his personal assistant who he finds to be the love of his life. So what's left for Iron Man to do now that he has perfected the power source for his suit and stabilized his life?

After having saved the world from invading aliens with the Avengers squad, Stark is now left mentally traumatized and will be facing these inner demons throughout this film. The movie begins with an inner monolog of Stark bringing up past events in his life that will play a significant roll throughout the film. Potential spoiler alert: Set in present day America, the threat of terrorism is just as present in the film as it is our everyday lives. A new terrorist who identifies himself as the Mandarin seeks to “teach” the United States and the world a lesson through its acts of shock and fear, pitting Iron Man against an enemy who's reach and brutality know no bounds. Stark finds his entire world utterly destroyed and must turn to his ingenuity and desperate resourcefulness to fight an enemy that seems to always have the upper hand. Iron Man is seen in a whole new light as the lines between Tony Stark and Iron Man become blurred. For the first time Stark really plays a hero's role without always relying on brute force and his suits to get the job done. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? Although not quite the starring roles of the previous two movies, Audi makes sure to showcase its best for Tony Stark's garage. The main car seen throughout the film is Pepper's Audi S7 (a viable option for the wealthy when it comes to luxury and style). Also, the Audi R8 is on-hand early in the film, clearly this is Tony Stark's go to sports car. The white R8 has a few subtle differences from your standard R8. The R8 is actually an “e-tron” version of the R8, which is equipped with Audi's new electric drive system. Showing that Stark is moving forward with the times, it really fits his character, as he’s always trying to improve the power and efficiency of his suits and other toys. In the same way, Audi is conveying that it follows advanced thinking too, moving forward to the future.

As seen in the trailers, Stark's house and subsequently his garage/workshop with all of his cars, toys, tools, and gadgets are sadly destroyed. For any gearhead that would be one of the biggest blows to their way of life. This signals the beginning of the end of Stark's perfect world that has remained mostly untouched until now. This is the catalyst for what takes place in the rest of the film. At the end of the movie the film, Marvel obviously gives us a tangible glimpse of the future as we see the e-tron badge on a red R8. Now the R8 e-tron is not in production yet, but test mules have been recorded going around the Nurburgring in 8:09 minutes, making it the fastest production vehicle with an electric drive system to lap the famous track. It is exciting for us to see these types of sports cars making the leap into production. What does this mean for us? The future holds the hope of fast, sexy, enjoyable sports cars that can be eco friendly and still keep up with the our classic and modern petrol powered icons (which grows more important as we all feel the pressure of increasing gas prices and stricter emissions regulations). The R8 e-tron hasn't been officially launched, but don’t be surprised to see it in Audi showrooms in the next couple years. Robert Downey Jr describes the R8 e-tron as “Eclectic and Electric”. And who’s going to argue with Iron Man? The film in some ways is the best combination of the Iron Man series in regards to emotional satisfaction, technology packed, imaginative science, and overall action of all three movies. This is a must see for any comic book fanatic, Iron Man fan, or just plan action movie enthusiast. Iron Man is setting the new gold standard in action and adventure movies. And, having cool cars playing a supporting role is the icing on the cake.

Iron Man 3 Produced by Kevin Feige Screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black Based on “Iron Man” by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby, and “Extremis” by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov Starring Robert Downey, Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow Don Cheadle Guy Pearce Rebecca Hall Stephanie Szostak James Badge Dale Jon Favreau Ben Kingsley Music by Brian Tyler Cinematography John Toll Editing by Jeffrey Ford Peter S. Elliot Studio Marvel Studios DMG Entertainment Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Release date: May 3, 2013 (United States) Ru Country United States Language English For more information, go to marvel.com/ironman3 [nggallery id=ironman3]