Simon Dillon reviews this stripped down, back to basics Iron Man

Iron Man Three

The great strength of Marvel's cinematic superhero mega-franchise is the way the studio carefully selects directors that put their own individual stamp on each film whilst remaining true to the ideals of the comics. That isn't to say we can expect David Lynch's Hulk anytime soon, but consider a few examples: Kenneth Branagh added Shakespearean gravitas to Thor, Joe Johnson's passion for the 1940s (previously seen in The Rocketeer) made him the ideal choice for Captain America, and Joss Whedon's Buffy credentials more than qualified him for the plate spinning exercise that was Avengers Assemble.

With Iron Man Three, writer/director Shane Black proves an offbeat but inspired choice. His trademark Lethal Weapon/Kiss Kiss Bang Bang style is present and correct - the protagonist commenting on events in voiceover, sharp buddy movie banter, and of course a Christmas setting. The good news is the film works really, really well. So well in fact that this is easily the best of the three Iron Man pictures.

Following events in Avengers Assemble, Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) has post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his near death experience. Plagued by bad dreams and fear that he cannot protect his beloved Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), he faces a new threat in the form of the mysterious Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) - an adversary he foolishly challenges following an attack on a friend. The result is a devastating reprisal which cuts Tony off from his resources, forcing him to go underground and essentially start from scratch.

This stripped down, back to basics approach to the story is very pleasing, as it brings some genuine jeopardy as well as surprising twists and turns. The whole cast are good, not just the leads but also the support from the likes of Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle and Rebecca Hall. Special effects are, needless to say, spectacular, and there are plenty of exciting action set pieces (the highlights being an aerial attack on Tony's home and another airborne sequence involving Air Force One). To be fair, it does go on a bit. Certain elements of the finale feel more like The Terminator, and there is also a confusing subplot involving the Vice President that appears to have mostly ended on the cutting room floor.

On the moral menu we have a main course of overcoming pride and fear, with an appetiser of past foolish mistakes coming home to roost, a dessert of the dangers of playing God, and a coffee/after dinner mint of accepting who you are. Nothing particularly new or profound, but all good stuff and always worth reiterating.

Iron Man Three isn't groundbreaking, but it is very solid entertainment. My eight-year-old reckoned it was on a par with Avengers Assemble but I didn't think it was quite that good. Look out for the usual Stan Lee cameo and hilarious post-credits scene. CR

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