Iron Man: C-
Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
In 2008 the world was given the first ever Iron Man movie. It was big, it was bold, it was a solid film that had great success. Then, like most smart studios do, they released a sequel two years later to build the franchise and maximise it’s profitability.
Iron Man 2 drew big money at the box office, broke records, and shipped a lot of merchandise worldwide. Everything was great. But was it really? Iron Man 2 was, to put it politely, a bit of a damp squid. It felt rushed. Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Tony Stark had now become an over-the-top, pompous idiot you loathe. Yes, I know, Tony Stark is a show-off but when he turns up at the Monaco Grand Prix five minutes before the race starts and he’s on pole position, this is a guy is now a pretty big tool.
So, it goes without saying I was hardly brimming with excitement when Iron Man 3 hit cinemas in 2013. I waited quite a few months, eventually bringing myself to watch it. It was better than the second instalment but thats hardly a compliment nor a hard thing to do. Iron Man 3 seemed tired and out of ideas. Thankfully, Tony Stark’s ego was deflated somewhat but Don Cheadle’s character (Col. James Rhodes) takes over the mantel of being the films biggest annoyance. I hope and pray they leave Iron Man alone in terms of singular films.
One good film, one mediocre-at-best film and one nauseating film isn’t a bad effort by today’s money orientated Hollywood. Can we now leave Robert Downey Jr. to go off and do something worthwhile?
