Here's my IM3 review, spoiler-free:
Easily my favorite MCU film. If Avengers didn't blow your mind away, like it didn't mine, then it could very well be yours, too. Solid 8/10
Music: Iron Man finally has a theme. Mandarin's theme and associated music is also inspired, it really works for the mystique of the character. It's not one of the best pieces of music I've heard, but it sounds epic, and it has a place in a good Conan movie. Which is a very big compliment, imo.
Story: It's a big wtf. Easily the worst of the Iron Man movies. However...
Screenplay: ...the screenplay helps make it something else. The dialogue is sharp (because Shane Black) and the story arcs are very well fleshed out. It's hilarious, really. If you like Shane's style, it's 99% certain you'll like this one.
Direction: Which brings me to Shane. He was the right choice for this. He takes tons of risks, something the MCU never did, imo, and most pay off big time. He's also not afraid to give us plenty of action. Good man. He also knew EXACTLY what to bring out of each actor/actress. Bravo.
Tone: Definitely different than IM2, fairly different than IM1, but somehow it all fits. It's better, though, I hope they go on with this kind of tone in future sequels, if there are any.
FX: Solid. Not always consistent, but that's the name of the game, so...
Cinematography: Solid. Nothing to write home about, though.
Acting: One of the movie's strong points, along with the screenplay. The movie rests on RDJ's shoulders and he's at the top of his game, easily his best performance. Cheadle proves why he's the right choice for Rhodes. Gwyn chews on what she's given (and she's given some stuff to do). Rebecca has a small role, but that's not a complaint, I'm glad they got such a talent for this part, it needed humanity. Pearce was f**kin' awesome! Ben was a scene-stopper... from a point on. You'll see. Badge was very threatening in a non-chalant way, he really stood out to me. And Favreau was having SO much damn fun! The kid was also very, first cinematic kid in ages that doesn't get on my nerves. The other sidekick Tony finds in a van was also hilarious.
Characters: Well, I enjoyed all of them. Some of them didn't have to be in the movie (like Maya Hansen), but even so they made them work well. Happy, Mandarin and Savin are the ones that stood out to me. Also, there's a [BLACKOUT]Coulson-like subplot going on with Happy in this movie, which is Shane schooling Whedon how it's done.[/BLACKOUT]
Action: Top notch. Better than the Avengers. I'm serious. The scale is smaller, but it features some of the most inventive action scenes I've ever seen in my life. Trumps every other MCU film EASILY and it ranks among my favorites ever. Because Shane.
MCU-ness: Several well-placed references, it stands on its own very well and it doesn't REALLY set anything up (at least not in an obvious way, unless we haven't seen the last of Extremis). I'm glad they didn't go the exact opposite route of IM2, ie. not have ANY references to Avengers at all. Very good balance.
After credits: Best yet. Then again, I love the stuff and characters involved.
Overall: I'm sure comic IM fans will hate the twist, but I'm not sure all of them will. I found that it REALLY worked and it was a very clever commentary on what the character represents. There are some TDKR similarities, I think comparisons will be inevitable, but, tbh, it's not a bad thing at all. This is a Shane Black movie. This is Shane's view of Marvel. And it's golden, it's inspired, it's the epitome of what the MCU is trying to achieve. Not Avengers. Iron Man 3. Yes, I'm biased, I did love the movie because of Shane, it's true. I hope they keep him around. Or not, maybe this character needs different directors, Bond style. I don't care about Phase 2 or Avengers 2, but I do care about Iron Man again. Highly recommended.
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t:
hopefully Radiohead as well, but I doubt it.
