IRON MAN 3

Epic. Awesome. Fantastic. Fun. Action-packed.

These are just a few of the words that come to mind as I think about Iron Man 3. There are very few movies that live up to the hype they generate, but I felt that Iron Man 3 really managed it. The movie just did so many things very well. The characters have been allowed to grow, change, and yet remain fundamentally true to themselves. The stakes have been raised. The scene has been set. The script-writers were obviously very aware of the fact that it was going to be hard to follow the Avengers act... but they managed it with grace and humor.

All your favorite characters are back: Tony, Pepper, Rhodes. As well as a few new ones that will join our heroes in your heart. Also joining us is an all-new villain who does a fantastic job in his role as Tony's nemesis: Guy Pierce (who always just does a great job as a bad guy) really hits a homer with his performance and the script writers did a bang-up job creating this villain.

But more to the point, what is this movie about? Well, without spoilers or giving too much away.. remember this question from The Avengers:

"Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?"

This is the question (from the Avengers movie) that gets answered in Iron Man three. It felt very much as though the writers took that question to heart and decided to write a movie about it. Yes, Tony quip-ally answers the question in that moment, but this movie seeks to answer it even further.

This is not the movie where you get to see Tony flying around in a shiny new suit. This is not the movie about cool toys (though there are a few of those, too). This story does not really feel like it's all that much about "Iron Man" as it is about "Tony Stark" ... and the discovery of the answer to that question.

I loved this movie. I loved the way they showed Tony dealing with anxiety attacks (hinting even at a sort of PTSD from the alien attack in The Avengers)... and, yet, they let him remain TONY. In this, I felt that these writers did a far better job than the writers of Dark Knight Rises - which I have yet to review - they made his anxiety/post-Avengers psychological trauma very real... without having to spend 45 minutes forcing the audience to watch him as he hobbles around his mansion in a state of defeat and inability to ever be Iron Man again. (Hmmm, I should review Dark Knight Rises... I obviously have some stuff to get off my chest in regards to that one....)

I have really enjoyed watching the progression through these movies of Tony Stark "growing up" - from the partying jerk of the first few scenes in Iron Man 1 to the far more responsible, in a steady relationship, willing to swallow his pride and take responsibility for his actions, and yet still very irrepressible Tony Stark of the subsequent movies, this particular installment really takes you into the story of the hero Tony Stark has become. He doesn't need the suit, the mansion, the tech, the computers, or the gadgets. Give him a box of bolts and a mission and he's going to get the job done. Take away the suit... the support.... who is he?

He's still Iron Man.

And that is just awesome.

Oh... and when you go see the movie... wait through the ending credits! There's a scene at the end (as there is with all the Marvel movies), and it's worth waiting for!!!