Five Reasons Why Iron Man 3 Sucks As A Superhero Movie

Iron Man 3 - This Saga finally ends.

Let me start by saying that this is my personal take on Iron Man 3 and I am not a critic. Just a comic/superhero fan with no favorites. Well, I like Hulk the most. But then who doesn't.

Most superhero movies, now a days, have a lot of action, special effects and 3D tossed in to save it from a bad plot. That was not the case for iron man 3. Not for I-3, for sure. Here are 5 reasons I could come up with, which I felt were responsible for the mess that I experienced. And a total disappointment the say the least. Even the charisma of Robert Downey Jr. could not help salvage the repeat view for this movie.

So, here goes ...

No. 5: Am I watching a Disney movie?
The movie starts off at such a promising note with chaos and danger engulfing the world with the Mandrin on the loose. Iron man seems to be having his own problems. You expect thing to trun worst. Just when you are bracing for the impact, the movie changes gear to something else. When you get a kid to help Iron man to get on his feet, you know where the plot if heading. The second half was so damn clear that making a prediction was like giving direction for something in your line of sight.

No. 4: Non of the characters were well-established
A superhero movie should have the main character's personality explored. Its a great opportunity to start liking the character or at least understanding them so that you have the ability to react to or feel for them. But nothing of that sort happened in this movie. It was designed around an event and all characters played for that event. There is nothing wrong in doing that. Even situations can reveal human personalities, context and past. But here, that was not the case. Mandarin had that potential, but they blew it.



No. 3: Things taken for granted
One thing I definitely felt was wrong with the story was that it was going too fast. As if they were in a hurry to say a lot more than was needed. There were characters added that need not be there to start with as they had no relevance to the larger story nor did they bring in any change to the situation or people that were central to the movie. The movie's story is told through the voice of Tony Stark. Nothing wrong with that, but it was used as a convenient way of patching up a badly cooked dish. Its like Tony Stark adding fillers by saying, 'Shit happened but I managed to figure it out by myself and and sort it.'.

No. 2: Disappointing villain
Villains are the key to any good superhero story. They are the negative that balances the positive of our hero. And when the balance is disrupted, you want to know how it can get restored for everlasting peace. Their evil has to be overcome by our protagonist  against all odds, and win a moral victory for us and brings us relief, first, and then the joy. Just as a delightful dessert.

Mandrain was a potential villain that blew my mind at the beginning  He was the comic version of Bin Ladin. Menacing, merciless and relentless at his goal. He gave the plot a purpose and did so for our hero. But the big reveal was like 'WTF'. Now, it could be said that this can be an interesting twist and a great way to tell unfold deception and symbolism in today's world. Who was the real Mandrain? Well, the one who was, just could not justify it at the end. I must admit though, that Ben Kingsley is a superb actor of class. He convinced us with two different personalities onscreen so distinctly and with such ironic contrast that it is ridiculous to watch it as part of this risky gamble of a plot.

No. 1: Where is Iron Man's retribution in this
We create our own demons. Tony had some of his own. He was challenged and he was put on his knees helpless. You expected him to loose something in this path to retribution. Tony Stark looses his house. That's it? At least that's what I came out thinking. He was the same person as he started off. My expectations as an audience disappear as I become part of the journey of the protagonist. I feel his pain, losses, struggle and fears. I want to root for him and want him to win desperately. This is what gets me off my seat when every step taken towards retribution shakes the foundation of evil to its ultimate demise.

The story (telling) if flawed can bring down big icons. Being a cinematic 3D movie makes no difference.

Do watch and judge for your self. This piece is just my expression.