The summer movie season officially kicked off with the eagerly anticipated release of "Iron Man 3" which took in a staggering $175 million in it's opening weekend. Not bad for a superhero that the general public had zero interest in six years ago. You've gotta hand it to the powers that be at Marvel. They're arguably the most powerful force in Hollywood and they've shown no signs of slowing down. They appear to have a lock on that crucial early May release date("The Amazing Spiderman 2" swings into theaters on May 2, 2014) and rack up box office totals that puts sweat on James Cameron's brow. Monetary earnings aside, how do Tony Stark's adventures stack up pound for pound against the mighty franchises of yesteryear? Does it bother Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy- the universally accepted barometer of comic book movie greatness? Let's find out.
"Iron Man"(2008)
Looking back, it's hard to believe that the original was hardly a guaranteed smash. Iron Man was what you'd call a second-string superhero, director John Favreau had never sat at the helm of a big budget production and a pre-2008 Robert Downey Jr. was more famous for multiple drug arrests than anything he had done onscreen. But his talents were never in question and Downey brought a charm, likability, and sense of humor to the role of Tony Stark that the wealthy industrialist playboy wouldn't have had otherwise. Marvel took a huge risk that paid off big time, and Gwyneth Paltrow is a good match as his assistant and budding love interest Pepper Potts. Jeff Bridges has long been one of the finest actors in Hollywood, but the focus is squarely on Stark which makes his mentor-turned-nemesis the weak link. Underwhelming villains have been a problem throughout the series which may be more a fault in the mythology. The special effects are top of the line, with Tony's first appearance in the red and gold suit being the real standout. "IM" unexpectedly became the second biggest movie of the summer, trailing "The Dark Knight" and topping "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", while Sam Jackson's post-credits cameo as Nick Fury hinted that there were much larger plans at the Marvel brain trust.
"Iron Man 2"(2010)
Superhero franchises often peak with their second installment(see "Superman II" and "Spiderman 2"). That didn't happen with Tony Stark's sophomore outing. There's still fun to be had, thanks mainly to RDJ, but Favreau never swings for the fences which is perhaps why he wasn't asked to wrap things up in "3". Mickey Rourke's critically-lauded turn in "The Wrestler" afforded the aging bad-boy a fair amount of screen time as a rogue Russian scientist, and my inner 13 year old had no objections to Scarlet Johansson coming aboard. Terence Howard failed to make a strong impression the first time around, and found himself replaced in the sidekick role by Don Cheadle, while Jackson's Nick Fury reappears to elaborate on that Avengers initiative. That's the real story here. As everyone in the civilized world knows, "The Avengers" destroyed everything in it's path in 2012 to become the highest grossing superhero movie of all time and the THIRD highest grosser ever(behind "Avatar" and "Titanic"), with Downey front and center, which basically made his third solo adventure the surest of sure things.
"Iron Man 3"(2013)
The Marvel machine rolls on in what is likely to be the biggest movie of the summer. "Lethal Weapon" scribe Shane Black replaces John Favreau in the director's chair, but don't expect any significant changes to the winning formula. What we get is more of the same. If you enjoyed the first two "IM" films, there's no reason why you won't enjoy this supposed curtain call. It's another loud, flashy, above-average blockbuster with the requisite amount of over-the-top action and pyrotechnics and Robert Downey Jr.'s noble attempts to be the grounded center of it all. There's a twist involving Ben Kingsley's terrorist villain The Mandarin that leads to the reveal of the REAL heavy played by Guy Pearce. I spoiled that surprise for two reasons and that's a) everyone that wants to see the movie, already has and b) it's not that good. I guess that sums up my feelings about this film and the franchise in general. None of them are bad, but none of them are great, either. Now will Downey suit up for the fifth time in "The Avengers 2" in 2015 even though he's fulfilled his contractual obligations to Marvel? Probably. Money is no object and if it ain't broke...
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