Ironman 3 - Your thoughts

[OutOfTheCube]

Does anyone else notice that Gwyneth Paltrow has almost no chemistry with anyone else in the cast? Drove me crazy in the second movie and again here. She just seems awkward, tries to ad-lib lines and ends up stepping on other actors' lines and ruining scenes.

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Does anyone else notice that Gwyneth Paltrow has almost no chemistry with anyone else in the cast? Drove me crazy in the second movie and again here. She just seems awkward, tries to ad-lib lines and ends up stepping on other actors' lines and ruining scenes.

I noticed her every time she was on screen.. but that might not be related to her acting :P

[Coach]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Does anyone else notice that Gwyneth Paltrow has almost no chemistry with anyone else in the cast? Drove me crazy in the second movie and again here. She just seems awkward, tries to ad-lib lines and ends up stepping on other actors' lines and ruining scenes.

I thought about this too, but then I watched a few animated Iron Man series and realized that it's kind of just her character. Her character is intelligent, but ditzy and has zero social skills.

[TurnedTheCorner]

It was very strange. Some great parts, some bad parts, some funny parts, some dumb parts. I don't really know what to think about it.

[3 Justin 3]

I'm glad CP seems to have some sense about this movie (basically how I feel).

What a letdown. For all the hype about getting Shane Black to write the script then direct it, that script was f***ing terrible. I thought the first movie's villain was weak, but my god was the Mandarin dumb. The twist that revealed him to be an actor was not only stupid, but it pissed me off because of how utterly ######ed it was. That whole scene was absolutely ridiculous.

Do I even have to mention the mind boggling huge amount of plot holes and just dumb story segments. Some of the stuff has already been mentioned, but I'll name some of the big ones that had me scratching my head:

- When the house goes down and Iron Man eventually escapes, no one saw it?? There was a media circus around his house, Pepper went back in to look outside, the suit leaves a smoke trail behind

Never mind, I'll only list that one because I just don't want to bother.

I think I'd rather watch Prometheus over Iron Man 3.

[theinfinitejar]

Just once I want a movie or TV Show to play with the "VP trying to take out the President" plot-line. Play with it and then reveal that the VP really isn't trying to murder the president. As soon as they showed the VP on-screen I knew he was in on it, the VP's always in on it.

I hope the Secret Service keeps a real close eye on Biden.

[ComixZone]

I enjoyed the movie...but it wasn't stellar.

I actually enjoyed the Kingsley/Mandarin twist.

The whole finale was utter !@#$ though. How the hell does becoming a lava touting whacko make Pepper a trained combat badass all of a sudden? The stupid wink and nod to the whole "I fell 200 feet and don't care, blew up and hey - my tank top is still pristine" bugged me too.

Cheadle, Kingsley and Downey Jr. were great - was disappointed with pretty much all the scenes that didn't focus directly on those characters.

[3 Justin 3]

The way they killed Killian was stupid as well.

They blew him up in the Iron Man suit, among other things, but that doesn't kill him. Yet when Pepper throws a little bomb at him (I assume the entire Iron Man suit would have more than 1 of the bombs) he dies? Lazy lazy writing.

I was reading the IGN after-thought article about this movie and I just don't get how anyone can say this movie was layered with comedy, multiple plot lines, twists, etc. in a good way. It did have some good funny moments, but some of the "funny scenes" were cringe worthy, ie. the Mandarin reveal and the scene where Tony gets the MK.42 back in the base and he is talking to the two guards. It seems as though it was directed towards 8 year old children because it was so lowest common denominator.

The plot wasn't layered at all, it was just littered with plot holes and dumb story elements. I thought the Prometheus script was bad, but no, this was a bad script. Prometheus's script was bad because it left out too much info and didn't make sense. This script was littered with moments of just plain idiocy and laziness.




Edit: holy crap and I forgot about the tech in the van with Tony scene. What the **** was that?

Edit 2: And I just remembered the thing that pissed me off the most, when Tony used a ice-container door as a shield from a bomb that destroyed an entire diner. The fridge scene in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull was more realistic than that.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

The way they killed Killian was stupid as well.

They blew him up in the Iron Man suit, among other things, but that doesn't kill him. Yet when Pepper throws a little bomb at him (I assume the entire Iron Man suit would have more than 1 of the bombs) he dies? Lazy lazy writing.

I was reading the IGN after-thought article about this movie and I just don't get how anyone can say this movie was layered with comedy, multiple plot lines, twists, etc. in a good way. It did have some good funny moments, but some of the "funny scenes" were cringe worthy, ie. the Mandarin reveal and the scene where Tony gets the MK.42 back in the base and he is talking to the two guards. It seems as though it was directed towards 8 year old children because it was so lowest common denominator.

The plot wasn't layered at all, it was just littered with plot holes and dumb story elements. I thought the Prometheus script was bad, but no, this was a bad script. Prometheus's script was bad because it left out too much info and didn't make sense. This script was littered with moments of just plain idiocy and laziness.




Edit: holy crap and I forgot about the tech in the van with Tony scene. What the **** was that?

Edit 2: And I just remembered the thing that pissed me off the most, when Tony used a ice-container door as a shield from a bomb that destroyed an entire diner. The fridge scene in Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull was more realistic than that.

1. The van scene is exactly what would happen if a fanboy in a hick town with nothing going on in his life met a superhero.

2. He opens the fridge door to defend against possible shrapnel if anything, he's hiding behind the full fridge. The explosion is relatively small, given the amount of time he has to rig it up, and takes place in the next room. Third, it's a bloody comic book movie, the laws of reality sorta Need to be suspended as the main character has a nuclear reactor in his chest. But you think that's less believable than surviving a nuclear blast because the fridge is lined with lead?

3. You could argue that as Guy Pearce Takes more damage, he becomes weaker/more unstable. He's very clearly not fully healed after the suit blows up, so the final rocket was enough to finish him off.

On to the movie. It's an 8/10. Tony Stark's arc is compelling and connects with the audience. The plot is fantastical, but the solutions are practical within the rules of the universe. Tony uses his mechanical aptitude and wits to advance his situation, and we understand why what he does works. As opposed to iron man 2,where the solution is 'he builds a small particle accelerator in his living room, invents a new element, and throws it in his chest.' That's a mid season TNG episode, not an Iron Man movie.

The Iron Man movies have always been about placing a man who appears to be invincible in positions of vulnerability; this is what adds the depth to the character, and what makes him popular. Because if he was just a guy who flew around in a suit and beat ass, nobody would care. And in this movie, he's at his most vulnerable since his trip to Afghanistan.

Having tony deal with the constant glitching of his armour, the destruction of his house, his separation from Jarvis, all while investigating these bombings and dealing with the lava people, makes for an interesting story. Even when all of his suits show up, it's not too deus ex machina because they don't really 'save' anything, they just sort of act as a part of a larger scene that, while a bit too long, is very entertaining.

There are some scenes that are a little long, some are redundant. The VP subplot doesnt work as it's never really addressed, and while ultimately I'm okay with the Ben Kingsley twist, I was disappointed that such a wonderfully menacing bad guy didnt get to chew up more scenery.

To wrap up, this is an excellent start to the summer movie season. The story is fun and the action is well done; since we care about everyone involved, and the sequences are very creative, the movie never feels boring. RDJ is terrific, as usual, and a little less hammy than he was in Iron Man 2 and the Avengers. Best post credits scene to date. Go see it.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Guess I'm the only one who really liked the movie..

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Teh_Bandwagoner

Guess I'm the only one who really liked the movie..

Nope. Loved it.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

1. The van scene is exactly what would happen if a fanboy in a hick town with nothing going on in his life met a superhero.

2. He opens the fridge door to defend against possible shrapnel if anything, he's hiding behind the full fridge. The explosion is relatively small, given the amount of time he has to rig it up, and takes place in the next room. Third, it's a bloody comic book movie, the laws of reality sorta Need to be suspended as the main character has a nuclear reactor in his chest. But you think that's less believable than surviving a nuclear blast because the fridge is lined with lead?

3. You could argue that as Guy Pearce Takes more damage, he becomes weaker/more unstable. He's very clearly not fully healed after the suit blows up, so the final rocket was enough to finish him off.

Just because point 1 may happen doesn't mean it has to be in this movie. Same with the scene with the bodyguards. Just needless scenes that were shoe horned in for "comedy" which was just terrible and unnecessary.

And no, if the explosion destroyed the diner then a little metal door isn't going to save your life.

And I'm sorry, you can't defend the end boss not dying after 3 explosions, but then dying on the 4th, that is just stupid writing.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

Just because point 1 may happen doesn't mean it has to be in this movie. Same with the scene with the bodyguards. Just needless scenes that were shoe horned in for "comedy" which was just terrible and unnecessary.

And no, if the explosion destroyed the diner then a little metal door isn't going to save your life

And I'm sorry, you can't defend the end boss not dying after 3 explosions, but then dying on the 4th, that is just stupid writing.

You mean like how Borormir didn't die from 2 arrows but the third one did him in. Or how countless movie deaths are cause by the fourth bullet and not the first 3? There's a lot of nitpicky stuff going on in here considering the content.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by MattyC

You mean like how Borormir didn't die from 2 arrows but the third one did him in. Or how countless movie deaths are cause by the fourth bullet and not the first 3? There's a lot of nitpicky stuff going on in here considering the content.

This isn't nit picky at all. Just because it is a comic book movie it doesn't mean it has to be completely stupid in everything it tries to do. 1 unrealistic stupid thing I can deal with, but when the movie has a stupid moment every 20 minutes then that stuff needs to be called out.

Boromir taking arrows to the body where vital organs may not be is different than a lava man being exploded 4 times and then miraculously the 4th one does him in.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

This isn't nit picky at all. Just because it is a comic book movie it doesn't mean it has to be completely stupid in everything it tries to do. 1 unrealistic stupid thing I can deal with, but when the movie has a stupid moment every 20 minutes then that stuff needs to be called out.

Boromir taking arrows to the body where vital organs may not be is different than a lava man being exploded 4 times and then miraculously the 4th one does him in.

Why? You have experience with lava men and how they react to explosions or what kills them?

He's a freaking lava man. Fighting a guy in an impossible suit of armour powered by a nuclear reactor in his chest which he originally built in a GD cave. But wait! Now his suit can fly on its own?! No, that's where we draw the realism line.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

This isn't nit picky at all. Just because it is a comic book movie it doesn't mean it has to be completely stupid in everything it tries to do. 1 unrealistic stupid thing I can deal with, but when the movie has a stupid moment every 20 minutes then that stuff needs to be called out.

Boromir taking arrows to the body where vital organs may not be is different than a lava man being exploded 4 times and then miraculously the 4th one does him in.

you really want to play this game? The first five minutes of iron man should've killed Tony; a rocket exploded six feet away from him with no cover. To say nothing of the eighty other explosions or traumas that should have at least severely concussed him.

what are you actually complaining about?

[Rhettzky]

I thought that the whole thing was a big let down. A decent summer flick but did not live up to the lofty standards that the original set. The best part of the original flick is seeing lots of Iron Man in it. The original suit, the prototype test drive, the attack on the missile sites and then the final battle with Iron Monger. Just awesome. The only time he appears in this one is with remote suits or when the suit has issues. They played out the whole "my suit has no power" arc in the first movie so to have it again in this one was lame. The Mandarin twist was a huge let-down. The small town scenes with the kid felt disjointed. And the whole MacGyver part was lame.

I'd probably rate it a 5.5/10 and have no real interest in seeing it again.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

you really want to play this game? The first five minutes of iron man should've killed Tony; a rocket exploded six feet away from him with no cover. To say nothing of the eighty other explosions or traumas that should have at least severely concussed him.

what are you actually complaining about?

Lets not forget the explosion on the roof of Stark industries that fried Stane but left Tony, who was closer to the blast, completely fine.

[Inglewood Jack]

the fantasy aspect does mean you have to let go of a lot of regular logic for sure. I think one of the issues though is we're never really told what the rules are supposed to be. like what exactly does it take to kill an extremis soldier? they grow their limbs back with ease and the one who was standing right next to another that exploded walked away fine. but then the explosion in the bar seemed to have killed the chick. the henchman on the plane got his chest blown through, so I'll accept that he can't grow another heart. but during the fight with the suits, how are they all getting taken down for good? they're getting fired upon, but we never really quite see what's happening because it's such a clusterfrick. so I'll have to assume that Jarvis is targeting energy weapons at the chests of all enemies.

on that note, I can't figure out how strong the suits are in relation to lava dude power. Iron Patriot gets grabbed by the arm and for some reason is immediately disabled, not sure why. and in the final fight with Killian, he's punching and chopping through Tony's armors like they were no-name tinfoil. I'd always thought he made the suits out of exotic materials that were tremendously sturdy, but I guess the boss's fire hands are just that powerful.

[TurnedTheCorner]

After thinking on it, I think I liked the Mandarin twist. It was still weird as hell, but I liked it more than I didn't. I liked that AIM was thrown in. I was OK with all of the suit variants - I'm sure some 10 year-old could tell me the names of all of them, what they do, and which one is better than which other one, as he proudly displays the action figures he has for all of them. That's OK. The Malibu house destruction was an impressive set piece. I liked the banter between Tony and the kid in Tennessee.

I think I didn't like the Home Depot fueled 007 invasion of the Miami compound that led up to the Mandarin twist. I also don't think I liked the buddy cop rescue of the president sequence. I didn't really understand what Extremis was or why it blew up some people and made other people simply hot. I didn't like the armor not working whenever it was convenient for it not to work. Pepper in Iron Man armor was weird. I didn't get what the botanist chick's deal was. I didn't really like the whole "Yeah and then my shrapnel was fine so I threw the arc reactor in the ocean" thing either.

I dunno, there was just a whole lot of weirdness in this one. It's OK that it was different in tone than the movies that led up to The Avengers, but different doesn't have to be weird. This was too weird for me to say it was good as the other movies.