Bucket List mishap and Iron Man 3

Anyone who is following my Bucket List will notice that I still have not reviewed GI Joe: Retaliation. When I added this title to my list, I was actually really excited to see it because I did enjoy the first movie (especially Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance). I thought that this installment of the franchise would be even bigger and more action-packed with the addition of actors Bruce Willis and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Unfortunately due to lack of funds, my movie going has been coming later and later from the release dates, and when May 3 rolled around, I only had enough money to watch one movie. I decided to go see Iron Man 3. This does not mean that I will never see GI Joe 2; it just may take me a while. Luckily one of my favorite theatres - The Rave in Columbus - keeps movies in rotation for quite a while, so I may have an opportunity to see it in the next few weeks (although if you look at the Bucket List, there is a movie on it for every weekend in May and almost all weekends in June so it may be a long shot). If I am not able to see it before it leaves regular theatres, then I may pick it up at a "dollar" theatre. If that doesn't happen either, then I apologize to any readers who were looking forward to it. That being said, let's move on to Iron Man 3.

At the risk of sounding like a fangirl, let me just say ... Oh. My. Gosh! Was it awesome! I loved every minute of it. I am such a fan of Robert Downey Jr.'s take on Iron Man - the snarky, irreverent, billionaire playboy who, through a mishap, stumbles on his true calling - techie genius hero. And in this movie, we are not lacking in any more of that charm. Downey Jr. has such a great report with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and newcomer Harley played by child actor Ty Simpkins. I found myself laughing so often when Tony Stark and Harley were trying to unravel the riddle of the bomb blasts. I also thought that Downey Jr. did an excellent job on the more emotionally meaty parts in the film.

While this movie is the third installment of its franchise, it feels more like a sequel to The Avengers. Tony Stark is dealing with post-traumatic-stress disorder and panic attacks that come out of nowhere from the encounter with Loki, the Chitauri army, and the very real possibility that he was going to die when our government launched a nuclear warhead at the battle to try to take out the Chitauri (along with everyone else in the vicinity). The question through most of the early action sequences is will Tony Stark be able to keep it together to actually save the day this time?

*Spoiler Alert*
One of my favorite parts of the movie is the ending when Pepper Potts (for lack of better phrasing) kicks ass! :) I love the new trend of the self-rescuing "princess" or "damsel in distress." We've seen it in Disney movies Tangled and Brave recently, and now we are seeing it in our superhero setting. I love it. I can't wait to see how Pepper's new abilities play out in subsequent movies.

My only dislike throughout the whole movie, and many may not see it the same way that I did, was the Mandarin. I thought that Ben Kingsley did an amazing job with the antagonist. His take on the Mandarin was very realistic and truly scary. I thought to myself, "How is Iron Man going to defeat this guy without any casualties?" When we find out that the Mandarin is fake, that he's merely an invented figurehead of sorts for the true villain, I was so disappointed. While I also thought that the reveal was comical and added more depth to the conflict, I was let down that I wasn't going to get to see the Iron Man vs. Mandarin showdown.

All in all, I think the movie was excellent. I give it 4.75 stars out of 5. A must see. :)

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