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LTTP: Iron Man 3 (Spoilers)

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Qurupeke

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I just finished watching Iron Man 3 because of my MCU marathon. I enjoyed every other movie and I liked the first Iron Man a lot. Even Iron Man 2 was way better than expected. And then I watched the third one...

First of all, the good things. It expanded the Tony Stark character and emphasized that he's actually a normal human unlike Thor or Hulk. The movie was also a bit darker but it retained the usual jokes and the fun style of the first two movies. There were nice explosions too... And that's about it...

They completely ruined the Mandarin character. The mandarin is a modified human that can breathe fire? And he hated Tony because he never appeared on their meeting? I really liked that the marvel movies were like the comics but this one wasn't at all. I hated the actor twist and I hated this Killian guy a lot more. I'm not sure if he even appeared to the comics. Oh and why were these extremis people so powerful? I mean Iron Man could handle Thor with just one suit and he used 5 or so to defeat Killian, only for Pepper to deal the final blow...

Other than that, I really didn't like the fact that Stark barely was Iron Man. They wanted the man under the suit to be the center of the film but I wanted to see an Iron Man film not a Tony Stark one... The scene that he infiltrates the actor's hideout like Batman was awful. There were a ton of moments that he could just be in his suit, but no... Also, I thought that the first two films established that Stark enjoyed the Iron Man identity, unlike Banner for example. Why did he remove his power source and why the heck did he destroy every suit? Judging by the fact he appears in Avengers 2 or that he shouts "I am Iron Man" at the end of the film, Iron Man isn't over, making these scenes feel even more unnecessary.

Two days ago I was hyped for an Iron Man 4, now I just hate the idea. :(
 
Pathetic movie. Made Iron Man 2 look fantastic in comparison. REALLY HOPE they retire the character, but hey, 1 billion dollars.
 
Just watched it last night for the first time.

It was exactly what I expected it to be. Also, Rebecca Hall can do whatever she wants on screen, including oddly written characters. Still trying to figure out why her role was even needed, but I'm not exactly mad about it.
 
Next time they should hire a director who actually wants to direct an Iron Man movie starring an actor that wants to be Iron Man.
 
I thought 3 was just a tad better than the awful-in-every-way 2, and "The Mandarin" was the least of 3's problems. Shame after the first film, which still completely holds up.
 
I liked it but didn't love it. Your complaints are pretty valid as the Mandarin plot twist, while funny because of Trevor, ruined the rest of the movie because Killian was a completely shit villain.

In regards to the suits it's generally accepted that Tony's mass-produced armors aren't as strong as the ones he was using previously, which is why the Extremist goons were able to tear through them like that. They never really explain it though, so who knows. The entire movie just kinda said fuck it when it comes to explaining the technical stuff, aside from the prehensile concept.

I really liked the moments of Tony having to improvise with parts of the suit to beat people but yeah, there really wasn't enough screen time of Iron Man doing Iron Man things. I was fine with it at the time because we had just come off of Avengers and that had plenty of badass Iron Man action, but Iron Man 4 is nowhere on the horizon which makes the movie feel like a bit of a wasted opportunity.

If they had built up the real Mandarin behind the scenes while playing up the Trevor plot twist I would have been fine, but man. I'll never get why they decided to play up the Killian character so much. He and Maya should have died near the beginning of the movie and left the Extremis/Mandarin problem run rampant.
 
Was my favourite Iron Man movie, personally. I enjoyed seeing a more vulnerable Stark after seeing him blow everything away in IM1/2/Avengers. That was the entire point of the film, really, that Tony wasn't just defined by his armour, he is Iron Man.

Thought it was especially great how they flipped the 'cute kid' trope and just had Stark be a knob to him.
 
Killian was such a shitty villain, the entire movie was doomed from the start. They basically ruined Mandarin just to give us another cliched business villain.

Also, considering Iron Man probably has one of the worst rogue gallery in comic history, ruining one of his better villains wasn't so bright.
 
Since we've had every other kind of opinion weigh in so far, I'll pop in as the guy who loves Iron Man 3. I like how it handles Tony's character, I like the action scenes, I like Killian and the way that he's a twisted reflection of Tony (yes the previous movies explored this space, but neither of them did it very well). The Mandarin twist was just fine. It deviated from the comics, but it was interesting enough that I don't care
 
I loved it. It's really weird seeing a tremendous amount of hate on it here. (Wasn't it generally liked when it debuted?) I can understand the Mandarin/Killian objections, but when people start saying it's worse than Iron Man 2, I don't get it. Outside of one action scene and Sam Rockwell, IM2 was pretty bad.
 
Thought it was a terrible film.
For an Iron Man film it had hardly any Iron Man in it, they ruined the Mandarin, the jokes were not funny and they were all over the place, Killian was a terrible uninspiring villians with terrible motives (Hating a guy because he didn't show up for a meeting one time? seriously?), the kid was annoying.
Why would he destroy all of the suits and remove that power core thing? Why didn't he activate any defences when he gave his address away to "The Mandarin"? What happened to all of his suits and why didn't he activate them when his house was getting wrecked? Why was his suit so weak in this movie?

I mean I'd be pretty mad too if in TDK the Joker was actually just some random drunk and the actual villain was some random cop ignored by Batman that one time some million years ago.
 
I'm always surprised about how many people disliked it. I thought it was quite enjoyable and on par with the first one.

Kingsley looked like he was about to play a rather boring, standard villain so I actually welcomed the twist.

I guess what's a bit of a fair continuity complaint is how fragile the armors are towards the end, but it obviously made for a more interesting, dramatic fight.
 
How can someone who cares so much about the comics have waited 6 years to watch Iron Man?

Also, Killian is not the Mandarin.

Also, watch All Hail the King.
 
I was never a big fan of the Iron Man movies outside of Downey's portrayal, but I expected much better from Shane Black. I really didn't like Iron Man 3
 
Kinyou said:
I'm always surprised about how many people disliked it. I thought it was quite enjoyable and on par with the first one.

Kingsley looked like he was about to play a rather boring, standard villain so I actually welcomed the twist.

I guess what's a bit of a fair continuity complaint is how fragile the armors are towards the end, but it obviously made for a more interesting, dramatic fight.
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This. I found the twist nicely subversive, especially coming off of The Dark Knight Rise's sooper-serious "da world musht be ehducated about the anarchy of the humahn spirit" terrorism-demagoguery nonsense.
 
fallengorn said:
I loved it. It's really weird seeing a tremendous amount of hate on it here. (Wasn't it generally liked when it debuted?) I can understand the Mandarin/Killian objections, but when people start saying it's worse than Iron Man 2, I don't get it. Outside of one action scene and Sam Rockwell, IM2 was pretty bad.
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It was liked among general audiences but it always seemed divisive with the more invested viewers.
 
Firstly, watch 'All Hail the King'.


Compares with Iron Man 1 to me. I loved it. Loved the twist, loved the action scenes, and I love that the character actually had some growth.


And I'm not sure how the ending is so confusing... When he says "My suits were never a distraction or a hobby. It was a caccoon." I take that as implying he may be done with suiting up. Or feeling that that's all he can do or all he can offer. He's the Iron Man - not the suits - and while I fully expect him to fight atleast ONCE in Avengers 2, he'll probably focus on building Vision, or Ultron or whatever now, and suit up at the end to fix his mistake.

Also your note about Iron Man vs. Thor... Thor shoots Tony with lightning which "boosts him up to 300% power". Because that's how science works, apparently, but I digress.

And frankly, fuck The Mandarin. He's a shitty villain to begin with. Them taking their own artistic liberties with him is no big loss. None of Iron Man's villains are special, frankly. Killian isn't the Mandarin either - he was just obsessed with the idea.

My only disappointment is no indication we'll ever see Modok, just for sheer ridiculousness.
 
I loved the twist. I don't care if it's not true to the comics; I've always thought the Mandarin sucks anyway. He's just another silver age "megalomanic" who wants to take over the world. Kingsly's twist made an entertaining and interesting story, and yeah, Killian was a bit too much like Justin Hammer from IM2, but I thought he (Killian) was far better. I liked Pepper getting involved in the action, I liked the emphasis on suit-less Tony, and I liked his PTSD issues from Avengers... something these movies never acknowledge. And generally speaking, it broke away from the formulaic outline of the first two.

In short, I liked it.
 
I might actually be the only person on this earth that likes Iron Man 2 the most, despite its crummy deus ex machina and Vanko being as boring a villain as Stane and Killian.
 
Sigh.

Tony Stark being in the suit isn't a necessity for a good movie.

The Mandarin being the same as in the comics isn't a necessity for a good movie.

Iron Man 3 is one of the best marvel movies, but only if you come into it with an open mind. The script is easily one of, if not the best script out of marvel so far if you pardon the rushed epilogue. Funny as hell and has some of the best fight choreography of any marvel film to date.
 
Duane Cunningham said:
I loved the twist. I don't care if it's not true to the comics; I've always thought the Mandarin sucks anyway. He's just another silver age "megalomanic" who wants to take over the world. Kingsly's twist made an entertaining and interesting story, and yeah, Killian was a bit too much like Justin Hammer from IM2, but I thought he was far better. I liked Pepper getting involved in the action, I liked the emphasis on suit-less Tony, and I liked his PTSD issues from Avengers... something these movies never acknowledge. And generally speaking, it broke away from the formulaic outline of the first two.

In short, I liked it.
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Killian was a fixed version of Hammer, in that his being another businessman actually has a thematic point. Like I said, twisted reflection of Tony: both using the power of technology to overcome their disabilities, but one then going on to use it for the greater good while the other exploits it for personal gain
 
I love that Marvel let Shane Black do his thing. It was not at all what I expected from an Iron Man movie, but I really enjoyed it. I don't know if I would have enjoyed a more traditional approach more, but I applaud Marvel for trying something different with the franchise.
 
Echoenigma said:
Sigh.

Tony Stark being in the suit isn't a necessity for a good movie.

The Mandarin being the same as in the comics isn't a necessity for a good movie.

Iron Man 3 is one of the best marvel movies, but only if you come into it with an open mind. The script is easily one of, if not the best script out of marvel so far if you pardon the rushed epilogue. Funny as hell and has some of the best fight choreography of any marvel film to date.
Click to expand...

The Technomancer said:
Killian was a fixed version of Hammer, in that his being another businessman actually has a thematic point. Like I said, twisted reflection of Tony: both using the power of technology to overcome their disabilities, but one then going on to use it for the greater good while the other exploits it for personal gain
Click to expand...

The Outsider said:
I love that Marvel let Shane Black do his thing. It was not at all what I expected from an Iron Man movie, but I really enjoyed it. I don't know if I would have enjoyed a more traditional approach more, but I applaud Marvel for trying something different with the franchise.
Click to expand...

Can't wait to see the rest of the Phase 2 films, now each director is doing his style and it shows. Just 3 weeks for the Winter Soldier...... can't.......... wait..........
 
Qurupeke said:
Why did he remove his power source....?
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Because he only had it implanted in his chest to keep him alive, and medical advancements (possibly based on the Extremis research) made it no longer necessary? If he wants to put on a suit, he can put on a suit with its own reactor in it. Presumably all his suits already have additional power supplies anyway (hence being able to operate with Rhodey or autonomously). And recall that the main suit was "recharging" for much of the movie, meaning Tony's chest reactor obviously was not only not necessary but also not sufficient for powering the suit.

The chest-implanted arc reactor was a cool way to kick the character off, but it made no technical sense to keep his life-support system and his super suit so closely intertwined.

Anyway, I'm joining the I3 Defense Force: I really loved the movie. I loved the Home Depot Iron Man suit, I loved the Tony/kid interactions (after inwardly groaning when the kid showed up, I was pleasantly surprised by their bidirectional snarkiness). I loved the Mandarin twist (although despite some decent Marvel comic chops I'd never experienced the real Mandarin so I didn't have any real expectations to dash). And while I agree that there was some nonsense (blowing the suits up at the end for no apparent reason), on the whole it was a really fun film.

'Course, I also thought I2 was better than most seem to think. Loved Hammer as the evil-but-hilariously-incompetent version of Tony Stark. When he dances his way onto the tech conference stage looking like a complete tool, all I could think was "That's exactly the sort of thing Tony would do, but he'd make it look good."
 
-Pyromaniac- said:
I thought it was fun. Not bad but not great.
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Definitely not one of my favorites of our films. I thought it was better on a rewatch though.

Ri'Orius said:
B

'Course, I also thought I2 was better than most seem to think. Loved Hammer as the evil-but-hilariously-incompetent version of Tony Stark. When he dances his way onto the tech conference stage looking like a complete tool, all I could think was "That's exactly the sort of thing Tony would do, but he'd make it look good."
Click to expand...
Hammer was trying WAAAAYYYYY to hard but that's what made it great.
 
Loved it but I can see why some poeple disliked it, still, I think that the backlash is just too much... it's one of the best movies made by Marvel Studios, who cares about the humor when EVERY Iron Man was actually a comedy?
 
I've been thinking, and maybe it's just me, but if they had made Aldrich Killian Asian I think I could have went along with what happens a little bit more. First off, it would make sense for at least one person in Tony's realm of intelligence to be an ethnicity other than white. Secondly, I think I could buy the insecure nerd -> hunk transformation if it wasn't already Guy Pierce, and third I'd be much happier with that character eventually assuming the role of the villain. Heck, you could make the Extremis grow his hair out, and we might get a glimpse of the actual Mandarin before he exits stage right.
 
Echoenigma said:
Sigh.

Tony Stark being in the suit isn't a necessity for a good movie.

The Mandarin being the same as in the comics isn't a necessity for a good movie.

Iron Man 3 is one of the best marvel movies, but only if you come into it with an open mind. The script is easily one of, if not the best script out of marvel so far if you pardon the rushed epilogue. Funny as hell and has some of the best fight choreography of any marvel film to date.
Click to expand...

Agreed, I don't understand the need for everything to be exactly the same as the comics. The Mandarin was a great twist that I don't think ANYONE saw coming... how often do you get that in a superhero movie?
 
Echoenigma said:
Sigh.

Tony Stark being in the suit isn't a necessity for a good movie.

The Mandarin being the same as in the comics isn't a necessity for a good movie.

Iron Man 3 is one of the best marvel movies, but only if you come into it with an open mind. The script is easily one of, if not the best script out of marvel so far if you pardon the rushed epilogue. Funny as hell and has some of the best fight choreography of any marvel film to date.
Click to expand...

Hits the nail on the head.
 
"Waaah I wanted to see an Iron Man movie!"

Go watch Avengers again. No, I'm serious.

The point of IM3 was for Tony to unshackle himself from his suit(s), culminating in removing his arc reactor. And from a character perspective it absolutely worked, post-Avengers trauma.

I'm glad Shane Black didn't cave to satisfying everyone's suit action boners, because he went for quality over quantity. The mansion attack and the air force one sequence were both far better and more inventive than the action in IM2.
 
I thought it was about 12 times better than Iron Man 2. The hate for it was completely OTT. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The original Iron Man is still the king though. Second to the Avengers.
 
Echoenigma said:
Sigh.

Tony Stark being in the suit isn't a necessity for a good movie.

The Mandarin being the same as in the comics isn't a necessity for a good movie.

Iron Man 3 is one of the best marvel movies, but only if you come into it with an open mind. The script is easily one of, if not the best script out of marvel so far if you pardon the rushed epilogue. Funny as hell and has some of the best fight choreography of any marvel film to date.
Click to expand...

This is the worst fucking opinion I've ever seen in writing.
 
I liked the twist with the Mandarin and thought that it was unique if not necessarily like the comics. However I agree that there wasn't enough Iron Man, and the rest of the movie just seemed okay and didn't really stand out to me. I like Tony Stark as a character a lot but I don't know if they did enough interesting things with him for three movies + the Avengers.
 
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