Tony Stark will return

It would be safe to assume that after the events of Avengers Assemble, our Iron Man Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is quite capable of handling almost anything that comes his way. He fought alien robots, flew off a nuclear bomb out of the earth’s atmosphere, and quite literally came back from the dead. And yet here is another sequel in which Stark is really, really about to meet his match. Every superhero film promises somewhat of an upgrade when it comes to antagonists, inventing one badass villain after another. Here the billionaire playboy philanthropist squares off against an army of fire-breathing (yes, really), explosive human bombs who also have the ability to regenerate.

Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after saving the world by rescuing New York City, Stark is solely focused on his work, ie making more and more Iron Man suits (these all come in very handy later), an unhealthy obsessive behaviour that hashis loyal girlfriend Pepper Potts (Paltrow) worried. But soon they’re both given something to worry about as Stark’s arrogant, philandering past catches up with him. Both international terrorist the Mandarin (Kingsley) and genius inventor Aldrich Killian (Pearce) seem to be gunning for his downfall, and in a spectacular scene that really does hit the screen quite suddenly, Tony Stark’s coast-house is no more.

Stuck at a complete loss both in terms of resources (Stark puts together his very own low-budget suit using supplies from a convenience store, which contributes to one of the film’s best scenes) and spirits, we see Stark reach rock bottom which sets things up nicely for chronicling how he gets back up on his feet. But instead we become stuck with a clumsily written jargon-full script that would have suited a police procedural more than anything else, of how Stark puts the conspiracy pieces together. The trouble is, the overall plot is no way near as complex as it thinks it is, and instead of focusing on Stark himself, the film is too preoccupied in juggling the large ensemble cast that really could have lost a couple of characters.

Among the wasted are Cheadle, as Tony’s trusted friend inside the Pentagon, who only sporadically shines towards the end; Hall, Stark’s ex-conquest who has troubling information on her boss Killian, although ultimately serving very little purpose, which is almost an insult to just ohow talented Hall is as an actress; Dale seems to have fun with his pure-evil, psychotic villain’s sidekick role, even though he too, is given a quick, anti-climatic write-off.

Part of what made Iron Man so popular in the first place was down to Downey Jr. himself and that he’s still in the central role is still worth the entrance price alone. He’s still got the cool, suave and intelligent sides intact, as are his lighter, humourous quips. He is given more explore here, most notably the superhero’s obvious vulnerability that surfaces. And whilst in the previous two installments he had Paltrow’s sassy CEO to exchange banter with, here he spends most of his time paired up with a kid (Simpkins) who likes to invent a few things of his own. The dynamic and chemistry aren’t quite as fun as when Downey Jr. was with Paltrow, but the boy opens up an interesting angle for Tony Stark to relate to, and who doesn’t like seeing his snarky comments aimed at an innocent boy?

The two main villains have plenty of time to shine, with Pearce and Kingsley more than apt for their roles. Pearce, having a strange knack for playing over the top villainous roles (Lawless, Prometheus) and still coming off rather well with very little or no embarrassment at all, once again repeats his forte here as a man with a personal vendetta against Stark himself. But the real highlight is no doubt Kingsley: and to reveal too much of his character would be to ruin him role altogether - but all that can safely be said is that he’s not at all who you think he is. And it’s Kingsley with his mighty talent that actually provides the most laugh with his hysterical character. Never before have we seen someone like this in a superhero movie wanting to be taken semi-seriously, but his involvement certainly elevates the enjoyment factor of the film in the most unexpected way.

As with any “Part Threes”, the director does go overboard with all the action scenes - they have to be bigger, louder and more bombastic than they were. The explosions here are certainly those things, but doesn’t make them any more enjoyable in any sense. They appear more chaotic, and in shambles, which is why no longer how much they stretch on for, there is little fun to be had overall. But as a finale bonus, a certain actress is given a rare chance to shine in a brief action flash, only to have her entire scene undermined by how quickly everything wraps up with a lazy voiceover.

Having already amassed an amazing total of almost $200 million in a single weekend in the international market, audiences are clearly still interested in whatever story Stark has to tell. He has fared well even before the rest of the Avengers entered the picture, although the quality of his latest outing shows otherwise. Downey Jr.’s contract is reportedly up after this third film. Let’s pray, for the sake of Tony Stark’s future, that he signs up for as many sequels as possible - as whatever the film’s quality is, we can be sure of one thing: Downey Jr. will always be on top of his game.