Iron Man 3

Movie Name: Iron Man 3
Year of Release: 2013

Director: Shane Black

Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, James Badge Dale, Stephanie Szostak, William Sadler, Dale Dickey, Ty Simpkins, Miguel Ferrer

Genre: Action, Adventure

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

The "Iron Man" franchise is back, this time under the direction of Shane Black. Shane Black made his name as a screenwriter of such well know films as "Lethal Weapon", "Last Action Hero" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight". His directorial debut was the underrated "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", which featured Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan.
"Iron Man 3" finds Tony Stark recovering from the events that occurred in the film "The Avengers". Tony feels very much like a war veteran, filled with traumas which progressively make him more distant and alienated from everyone. A new menace comes in the form of the Mandarin, an international terrorist, that is detonating bombs all over the world. In parallel, a figure from the past, Aldrich Killian, a renown scientist, makes his presence known to Pepper Potts, and ends up having a sinister purpose behind all his intentions.
Shane Black is a very intelligent director - he understands the action/adventure genre thoroughly. He builds momentum in his screenplays, with well outlined characters. There's the concern of building an overall arc that allows for humor, drama and suspense to fill the story, and to actually give the characters the sense of a journey. In Iron Man, there's the journey of Tony Stark surpassing his traumas and aiding his loved one and simultaneously ensuring that the world is a safe place. There's an excellent balance in this film, one that is achieved between action set pieces and the moments where the characters are given time to simply interact and make the film flow. The film also benefits from a great group of actors, in particular Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley, all of whom carry this film effortlessly. The special effects are astounding and simply superb. A very good action film worth watching.