It was great. A shane black film through and through. If you guys have seen kiss kiss bang bang, it is reminiscent of that in a lot of aspects. tony's voice over at the start of the movie being the example that sticks out the most.
The script. Or should i say, dat script, is amazing. Seriously have to give props to drew pearce and shane black; it is constantly engaging and moving forward. no lulls. *stan smith voice* "NO LULL!" plus it is just ridiculously clever and finely tuned. bloody good job.
i am so impressed that it didn't suffer by technically being a disney movie. you could just tell that the studio did not interfere with shane's vision. it was the right amount of violent and, given the nature of the story, the movie would have suffered from pulling too many punches, so to speak.
all the performances are great. weakest performance? gweneth i guess. this is nitpicking, however.
the action is really good! i was impressed with shane black, a guy who has not directed an action movie before, even though KKBB had some action elements i guess. great cinematography too.
as an end to the trilogy, it also works very well. it is subtle too. more subtle than TDKR re. how that film brought back the league of shadows and how it was essentially the same plan (destroy gotham) etc.
the humour. a lot of great jokes in this one. i agree that this is the funniest marvel movie to date.
iron man 2s humour is relatively self indulgent, and comes about via improvisation with the actors, something that Jon F. really liked doing. iron man 3 however has quick snappy jokes that feel much more tightly scripted. they're pretty much all funny too, with many laughs in the theatre.
the film, as a film, not as an adaptation of comic book arcs, is a triumph. it is a intricate plot told with such confidence and ablomb that you almost have to watch it twice to fully appreciate all the moving parts. luckily i am seeing it again in 26 hrs (the official australian release date)
i had to see it in 3d given the nature of the premiere screening. i dont like 3d. i can't wait to see it in 2d, i will be able to appreciate the stunning visuals all the more. (3d isnt as sharp as 2d, i hate the blur it gives certain shots)
i have kept spoilers from my review. i hope you guys haven't spoiled yourselves too much. i stopped all spoilers as much as i could from the 2nd tv spot onwards. and im very glad i did.
my brother, who i saw it with, likes marvel movies but isnt a mega fan like me, and he came away very happy. so i predict it will be a hit with general audiences.
just a tidbit spoiler for those of you who may doubt that i saw it:
Tony suits up in the silver centurion armour at one point yay
I loved it, 4.5 stars out of 5 from me, which may go higher once i see it in glorious 2d.
oh and the score was very good. i missed the classic rock, however, although i guess it reflects how tony has grown as a character/person.
oh and the special effects were great. damn, the extremis effects were perfect. some seriously well done cgi. i was worried cos ILM didnt do much this time round i believe.
also, the very last thing i read before the final marvel logo came up in the cinema was:
^ isn't really a spoiler but i tagged it just in case.