It’s been a week or so since I saw Iron Man 3 and since the new Star Trek film is coming out tomorrow, I figured this would be a good time to finally get the review out for Iron Man 3. It took me a long time to work on writing this review because it has taken a long time for me to really figure out what I think about the movie.

Iron Man 3 was a great film when I saw it in the late 80s. When I saw Last Boy Scout, Lethal Weapon 1 and 2 and even The Good Kiss Goodnight, the script for Iron Man was fresh, cheeky and a great ride. Yes, I know I’m being a little bit confusing, but really, having Shane Black co-write and direct Iron Man 3 seemed like a great idea. Comic book inspired blockbuster movies are the high concept 80s action movies from back in the day. If I were in my late 30 or younger today, I might have been more apt to like the film because the script would have been new to me. At the very least, if I were in my late 30s or younger the films I mentioned would have been seen on TV. I saw those and many other big budget 80s films on the big screen. I was excited about Shane Black directing Iron Man 3 because I thought I was looking for that same visceral feel I got when watching his earlier work.

Instead of a fresh idea, instead of an interesting feast from a renowned artist I got leftovers. There was a lot of bang, pop and sizzle but there was nothing else for me. I guess the best complement I can give the film is that it was a great popcorn movie, but I think I was expecting something more to be brought to the table.

The Extremis story that the Iron Man 3 plot was based on is a very compelling story. We only got a few nods to it in the plot. It was like someone said the name was cool, some characters seem interesting so let’s use them but rewrite the whole thing so we can fit it for explosions and snarky dialog. Yes, the plot had more meat to it than a regular action movie and I’m sure that helped make a lot of people enjoy the movie. I just think the expectation was low to begin with (this is a superhero movie) so putting in some sense of thinking into the script among the explosions would cause a good many people to feel like this was a great movie.

My two biggest problems with the film was the change in The Mandarin and the role of kid as psychotherapist. Was the kid put in as a marketing tool? What person goes babbling to a kid about PTSD issues? I thought only in 80s movies that you had kids who could be talking as smart as an adult yet be ignorant as to why father left? Only in a movie can a villain with superpowers be sidetracked by a kid throwing a snowball. And the Mandarin. You have a villain that was a big part of Iron Man lore and he is reduced to a drunk British actor played for laughs? It felt like a cheap stunt and it was.

When I went into Iron Man 3, I was still grooving with the show for the first third of the movie, until he met the kid. I was feeling a bit let down but hopeful until the reveal of what the Mandarin really was. By the last third of the movie the film lost me. There is something that happens near the end of the film, and I don’t want to give too much away about this for people who haven’t seen it, but the Iron Man suits fighting and what happens to one character near the end just cut my heart out because it was so stupid. The crowd cheered when it happened but I was not moved. I was incredibly disappointed with the last few minutes of the film where they actually address the Extremis plot from the comics.

I wasn’t happy with Iron Man 3. I tried to like it but it failed for me. Maybe if I hadn’t grown up with earlier films I could have enjoyed it a lot more.