Movie Review: Iron Man 3

On Sunday, Brig and I went to see the spring spectacle known as Iron Man 3. This was a big deal because it was opening weekend and we never have the urge to rush out and see something right away (e.g. The Dark Knight Rises four weeks after its premiere.) But Robert Downey, Jr. has that kind of a hold over us and he most certainly did not disappoint.

Iron Man 3 is the first of the series not to be directed by Jon Favreau. This time, Shane Black was at the helm and, if you were like me, you read a lot about him in the weeks leading up to the film's release. So when the movie opened with Tony Stark narrating, I wasn't surprised but I didn't like it. "This isn't how you make an Iron Man movie! There is no narration!" That resided quickly though as it was just for the introduction and didn't come back until the last scene.

I'd say Black did a great job. Obviously, there was a lot of pressure being the first solo film released after last summer's game changer (another we were late to the party theater for) but as we've already seen by all the huge numbers, it's a great success. Downey was on top of his game (as always) and the dialogue was exceptionally funny. The only thing I wish there had been more of was Don Cheadle, who was fantastic.

Iron Man 4? The Avengers 2? Downey isn't under contract after this film and you could almost sense it all ending as the movie closed. We stayed until the post-credits scene and then Marvel pulled a 007 move and put up "Tony Stark will return." But will he return as Downey??? The Avengers 2 already has a Spring 2015 release date and negotiations will be fierce. Here's hoping RDJ gives us one more adventure.