Iron Man 3: Is This the Last One?

What a great movie this is. I saw it and truly before it began my expectations were many. One in particular was if IM3 would be capable to stand out beyond The Avengers. I was also curious about The Mandarin, a character that ever since the beginning, at least in the comics, was Iron Man’s nemesis. He was really powerful but also politically incorrect since it was Chinese and thus considered an expression of racial prejudice. How come were they using it now? Perhaps not the way many, me one of those, expected. In fact this is really not the Mandarin that should be and for those who expect the opposite seeing the truth behind him will be a bit of disappointment. I have to say that at first I felt that way but then it all made sense and for one reason only: this Iron Man is our Iron Man, one that is more realistic, more believable and much more in tune with the realities of our time. After all we cannot forget that having a genius businessman building a fighting techno-armor to defend the weak is by itself quite far-fetched.  Besides watching Ben Kingsley in practically two diametrically opposite performances is a delight. He is outstanding: overpowering in the scenes when he has to be and something else as well.

Now on the story: this is the story of Tony Stark after his meeting with the Avengers. He is now suffering anxiety attacks since he feels defenseless again extraterrestrial threats, but he will have reason to be afraid when The Mandarin, a man who came out of nowhere, invades the TV broadcast of the U.S. to issue cruel threats against the U.S. government. Terrorist attacks happen everywhere and in one of them one of the facilities of Stark industries is also attacked. Enraged Tony Stark challenges The Mandarin who in return destroys Stark’s mansion in Malibu with Tony and his girlfriend still inside.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Far from Stark to know that the Mandarin is not his real adversary which came to me as a surprise because as I said before the Mandarin was in the comics his most terrible opponent, but not here. In fact, mistakes Stark made in the past have come to haunt him in the form of AIM, an organization made up only of criminal scientists.  

I expected some other hero to make his appearance but aside the War Machine, now Iron Patriot, that did not happen in the movie.  Instead of that we get to see the appearance of the Radioactive Man, or Men (though they are never called like that in the film) because there is more than one thanks to the genetic experiments on humans conducted by AIM.

Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle) appears as well, not as the War Machine but reformed to serve the U.S. government as Iron Patriot. And also all of the Iron Man armors show up working together under J.A.R.V.I.S.’s control (Jarvis is the computer that Stark talks to when he in his suit or in his lab). The armors gather under Jarvis's command to serve his master in his battle against the Radioactive Men.

Of course Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance as it is traditional.

Pepper Potts gets to wear the armor but for a very good reason.

Also, Stark removes all the traces of shrapnel that used to threaten his heart and is no longer dependent on his technology to survive.

In the end there is a sense of finality when all the armors are destroyed and Stark’s final words in the final scenes (he begins the movie telling the story of the events in the movie to an unseen listener).

After the ten minute credit sequence in the bonus scene we get to see who Stark has been talking to and that is none other than Doctor D.B.

(End of SPOILERS)

The most relevant thing about the Iron Man movies is that this character looks much better in his cinematic form than in comics and it is all due to Robert Downey Jr. who conferred the hero a much needed dose of humor and also made him multidimensional.  But to all good things and end they say. This film served perfectly as a good way to wrap up things though at the end of the credits and the bonus sequence there is an announcement saying Iron Man will come back.

But, in what capacity?

Only time and the Marvel people know.
In the meantime...five stars out of five for this one.