Movie Review: Iron Man 3 (English)

Much of my inclination towards Marvel's Iron Man franchise can be attributed to its unexpected humour and it being effortlessly smart; something of a change from the other sombre superhero comics. And Iron Man 3, starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley in principal roles, is no exception, only this time it's bigger, better and packs in bucket loads of thrills and wit to make it the perfect summer extravaganza.

The film opens from where The Avengers left off, while connecting it with an unrelated episode back that transpired in 1999. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), shaken after his epic encounter with aliens, gets into making several Iron Man suits that borderlines on obsession. What's more, a Bin Laden'esque villain who calls himself 'The Mandarin' (Ben Kingsley) is threatening to blow up the United States. But who is he? What exactly is his motive? It's up to Iron Man to find it out and boy does he do it and how!

Boasting of visually stunning production values and impressive action pieces (especially the mid-air rescue sequence), Iron Man 3 leaves no room for second thought as it hurtles towards to a thrilling finale. Yet you can't help but feel strangely disconnected from the whole setup, like as if it was being played out in a far-off land. Aside an obvious attempt at milking the series for what it's worth, director Shane Black does brings his own touch by playing down Stark's irreverent, self-centered disposition while showing a more human side to the man behind the armour. Not to be missed!