Iron Man 3

[mf_luder_xf]

Things I liked:

• Tony's anxiety attacks


• That kid!


• Tony's dancing at the beginning


• Dum-E was saved!!


• I Spy Vancouver actors (Papa Stilinski, the sheriff)


• It was a well-paced movie (though it probably all happened within a week - particularly once the Malibu house was destroyed - suggesting Tony didn't sleep for way too long, but that's usually how these movies go)


• I enjoyed the constant references to the Avengers. While no one was like "hey where did Thor go?" it was good to see some consistency.


• Science Bros!


• Pepper Potts getting to be awesome - sometimes she was the damsel in distress and other times she saved Tony. That was a perfect, realistic balance for me.


• The snark was on fire


• Inclusion of AIM - love


• Living armor! (sort of)


• Pepper in the suit - nice hint of "Rescue"


• Rhodey got to be pretty kickass at the end


• Jarvis was flawless as usual


• Hey, no one died! Well, no one we care about.

Things I am not so sure of:

• So, I guess this is what happens when you read the comics and get involved in the many aspects (i.e. comics, cartoons, etc) of a franchise like this. But, I love the extremis plotline in the comics. Particularly the part where Tony injects himself because he feels he isn't good enough (among other more logical reasons). I love that in Extremis, Tony and the armor truly become one. I found it interesting that Pepper was the one to be injected, that the effects were different (though it did match the extremis subject in the comics) and that Tony does not get the armor via nanites into his bones. I really missed that emotional plotline - it was what I'd been looking forward to the most with extremis being part of this movie.


• See again, my status as a comic reader...but I was disappointed by the Mandarin. While it worked very well for the movie, the Mandarin is such a HUGE part of Iron Man comics, to see him revealed as a sham just didn't sit right with me, even if it played well for laughs.


• Still not digging how Iron Patriot was War Machine instead of saving that for a possible Civil War/Secret Invasion plotline later (that's probably out since Osbourne belongs to Sony currently, but I still like the original comics Iron Patriot version over this one)


• I didn't like how Tony seemed like a bumbling idiot with the gun near the end when he and Rhodey were infiltrating the oil ship - we know from IM1 that Tony can shoot a gun/cover fire and no doubt understands what "on my six" means


• That the president/anyone else didn't think it was odd Iron Patriot never lifted his visor. Shouldn't that be a general security check?

Thoughts:

• So, I am slightly confused by the end. Tony magically solves extremis - did he just solve the "kink" or is Pepper now back to normal? And why was he suddenly able to take the shrapnel out now when he couldn't before?


• Did anyone else get a brother/sister vibe from Tony and Pepper? It felt more like RDJ and Gwyneth than the characters.


• So I know RDJ is in contract renegotiation and there's talk there might not be more movies, but the way they ended and even the credits that used scenes from all three movies felt very much final to me. Anyone else? I mean, I'd be okay if it was the last solo movie he did, I just really hope he sticks around for Avengers 2 (3?).


• I get it was a "gesture" but why would he blow up all his suits? That seemed like a total waste to me. Are we supposed to conclude he's retiring? That doesn't make sense given his last "I am Iron Man" statement, but at the same time, if he's not retiring, he's only going to make more suits and thus, again, it was pointless for him to blow up all that tech.


• How was Tony Stark able to go around with no one recognizing him? I get he had a hat and it was Tennessee, but come on.

Conclusion:

Currently - and I know I'm in the minority here - IM2 is still my favorite. Now, it wasn't to begin with when I first saw it, so after some viewings, IM3 may become my new fav. But even with the anxiety attacks, I still feel like alcoholic/suicidal/dying!Tony was more emotionally stirring and the Tony Stark I love because he's so flawed. He was flawed here, but it was more subtle? I'm not sure what it is exactly, but something felt like it was missing from the movie. Definitely need to see it again, though!

Also, 48 year old RDJ shames me. I am just over half his age and I certainly can't leap over walls!

Comments

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

When you explained what Extremis was to me it sounded really comic book corny. I guess as it's explored in the comics it makes more sense, but in the short space of the movie it seemed better to do it this way than nanites. IMO. Of course, I think this movie is better suited to those of us who didn't read the comics. I do know of the Mandarin, and I bet the comic book fans are going to be annoyed at the version of him here. I thought it was still kinda cool though, because it wasn't expected.

I didn't like how Tony seemed like a bumbling idiot with the gun near the end when he and Rhodey were infiltrating the oil ship

Taking into consideration the fact that he went all super kung fu on those henchman when the Mark 47 flew in and released him from the bed springs, I agree. I bet if you looked up the production notes that ending scene was shot early on. That's the only way it makes sense.

And why was he suddenly able to take the shrapnel out now when he couldn't before?

I thought the same thing. I guess the dangling thread of the Pepper issue may be resolved in a future movie, but the shrapnel thing was a big WTF.

Did anyone else get a brother/sister vibe from Tony and Pepper?

As we discussed that afternoon in Panera, it's the casting. I told you I thought she was miscast. I still maintain that.

I get it was a "gesture" but why would he blow up all his suits?

Agreed on this point as well. I know he did it for Pepper, but c'mon. That shit is valuable.

Blowing up the suits, taking out the shrapnel, getting rid of the heart-reactor thingy, the closing credits with scenes from all the movies...yeah, feels final to me.

I agree with you that I enjoyed reckless/suicidal/hopeless Tony in IM2, although I didn't like the movie overall as much as this one. If they took more hopelessness from 2 and mixed it with this one, it would have been better. I did like how they did the anxiety attacks. You have to imagine how it must feel to be super intelligent and knowing your every move, and then suddenly realizing you don't know what to do. I liked the scene where he had to pull over while talking to Harley the best.

My plot issue: when Tony pushes the Mark 47 onto, uh, Bad Guy, I immediately wondered how it could encapsulate him when Tony just had gotten through telling Rhodey that suits are programmed only to him. I guess it's because it's a new model? Same question about the suit goes to how it encapsulated Pepper in the house destruction scene.

After the Science Bros scene, did you notice they flashed "Iron Man will return" (or was it Tony Stark, I can't remember) on the screen? I guess they wanted to remind people that Disney doesn't want to give up on a lucrative franchise yet. My prediction: because they just acquired Lucasfilm, they'll source the next movie's effects to ILM, cutting down on price, and they'll pay RDJ through the nose to keep him around.

[siberian-skys.livejournal.com]

I just saw RDJ on The Daily Show the other night and he mentioned that he was in re -negotiations, but he grinned and winked, which I took as he wants to play ball. And there is that bit at the end that says that Tony Stark will be back. Please, god, don't recast that part. Ugh. That would break my heart.

I really have to write a coda for that after the credits scene.

I think I have an answer for you in regards to Tony and the gun thing. Knowing how to shoot one is different than knowing how to back someone up with one in a combat situation. That's just how I took it.

I was wondering about the shrapnel thing, too, but it makes sense since it wasn't traditional surgery. They were using the reactor to pull out the shrapnel once he was cut open. The shrapnel stuck right to it where it was suspended above the operating table. Not bad, for science fiction science.

RDJ is three years older than I am. He puts me to shame as well. I think his wife should write a book. If she can get him into shape, she could certainly whip the rest of us into in no time.

I forgot to mention I loved the kid, too. He was awesome. I need to write a Bruce and Tony adopt Harley fic, too. This movie is just giving me all sorts of plot bunnies.

[kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com]

I just saw it and posted my reaction! :D

Extremis was one of the big things I was looking forward to in this movie, though I was both looking forward to it and dreading it. Overall, though, I like the way it was adapted for the movie and the potential it gives us for future canon. And the twist with Mandarin was...surprising. This is a character with 39 years of history. He's Tony's archenemy--big, bad, and...fake? I mean, it played into those of us with comic knowledge because we were expecting Mandarin and I was dreading each step in his plan, but then to have it be Killian pulling the strings all along was an interesting twist. As always, comic canon and movie canon live separately in my mind and I like both for their strengths.

Still not digging how Iron Patriot was War Machine instead of saving that for a possible Civil War/Secret Invasion plotline later

I understand why they did it, but I would have rather Iron Patriot and War Machine be separate. Would have been interesting to see Civil War play out onscreen.

So, I am slightly confused by the end. Tony magically solves extremis - did he just solve the "kink" or is Pepper now back to normal? And why was he suddenly able to take the shrapnel out now when he couldn't before?

I think he cured Pepper all the way, but for Tony it gave him the opportunity to heal himself. With the aid of Extremis, his body can continually repair itself as the shrapnel is being removed, whereas before it would have killed him.