FEEDBACK: Iron Man 3 (2013)

Leave your feedback below for our review of the very first Phase 2 MCU film, Iron Man 3.

Matthew from Essex, England

Hi guys. Long time listener and first time poster. Finally took the plunge and joined the Cafe so started working through your excellent film reviews. Have recently started watching the whole MCU in preparation for Captain Marvel and Avengers Endgame and forgot how much of a disappointment this film was. Out of all the MCU films this is probably my least favourite alongside The Incredible Hulk. The Mandarin reveal was awful although if you look past that Ben Kingsley was quite amusing as Trevor. Think by this point with 3 Iron Man films and The Avengers in a 5 year period I was suffering from a bit of burnout from the character. Overall pretty forgettable so I give Iron Man 3 5/10

Eric from Sudbury,

Iron Man 3 is a film that tries to juggle a lot of heavy themes and plot-lines into a single film. This movie tries to be a social commentary on terrorism, mental illness and existentialism, all while promoting the movie around Iron Mans greatest enemy, the Mandarin. This led to perhaps the most divisive film Marvel has released thus far. Some despised this movie, feeling as though they were cheated out of the film that was advertised to them, and others loved it, finding Tony’s journey to a sense-of-self relatable, and the political themes interesting.

Personally, I feel rather indifferent to Iron Man 3. It’s a fine follow up to Tony’s development in The Avengers, but unfortunately finds most of its content and consequences dropped in future films. I do appreciate some of the themes that Shane Black incorporates into this movie, however it feels like none of them are fully explored, and it leaves me short on anything particularly insightful to say about this movie. It feels like Tony already completed his initial character arc in The Avengers, and this movie is almost filler, before he begins his next one in Age of Ultron.

Question: Now that you have watched all three installments of the Ironman franchise in relatively short order, did you find a noticeable difference in chemistry between Downey and Paltrow by the third film? I’ve always felt as though they never quite recaptured that magic that was there in Iron Man 1.

I think Pepper will wear the suit again in Avengers 4.

"The last words she said to Tony in Infinity War before she’s cut off was “I’m going to-”
What if what she really said was “I’m going too”

1 Like

So full transparency among early marvel films, this is my favourite movie and feels like the most complete. Avengers may be more fun, but this i enjoyed more. A perfect epilogue to phase one, prologue to phase 2.

Reuniting Shane black and RDJ (after kiss kiss bang bang) felt like the real start of allowing directors to make their own films in the MCU (way more pronounced now with Ryan coogler, James Gunn, and Scott derrickson) bringing us the best iron man movie, and such a huge improvement over iron man 2

Tony’s battle for the PTSD was well focussed on here, something I wish they showed more of with falcon and Cap in other films, and hopefully one day do, you can a straight line from this Tony stark to the one in AoU and Civil War right down to Infinity War

A lot of criticism is based on the final twist regarding the mandarin and the bait and switch; this was a character created in the 60s who has no place in today’s stories and the I found it very refreshing for them to find a creative way out

Extremis was fine, bleeding edge is way cooler, though this is also my least favourite of the iron man costumes

One of the best end credit stingers, overall a 10/10 and among my top 5 fave marvel movies (in no order, this, winter soldier, black panther, guardians, and ragnorok)

In all honesty I can’t stand this film,I pretend it doesn’t count along with Thor, Dark whatever and
Avengers Age of whoever
2 out of 10 don’t watch again.