I hope I can protect the one thing I can’t live without –Tony Stark
Sometimes, I’ll walk away from a film moved…inspired…compelled to go out and do something. Other times, I’ll walk away wowed, thrilled, or simply entertained. Regardless of why someone goes to the movies, that 2 to 2 1/2 hour chunk of time is designed to take audiences away from the reality of their life situation and transport them to another place and time. Sometimes that place is familiar…other times it’s other-worldy and exhilarating, as is characteristic of Marvel’s latest 3D superhero film Iron Man 3.
The story is really good…the twists are really good – Robert Downey
The film boasts on-the-edge-of-your-seat action, a compelling story, and surprisingly, quite a bit of wit. During a recent press conference, we heard from Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sir Ben Kingsley as they shared their insights and experiences working on and shooting the long-anticipated sequel.
Three years has lapsed since Tony Stark revealed his identity as Iron Man, and despite their popularity and broad appeal, the cast and filmmakers faced challenges during the making of a sequel. “These movies are only ever as good as their bad guys, “(Robert Downey, Jr. ), and bad he (The Mandarin) is. “I tried to give the Mandarin a rather unnerving sense of righteousness, and make him almost paternalistic, patriarchal” (Kingsley).
Beyond the villain, Robert Downey, Jr. plays an integral role in the success of these films. Always striving to tell the story in the most creative and authentic way possible, he continually asks “What is the big picture here? How can we make it feel real? How can we make it feel like something we care about and we want to watch?” Paltrow. Surprisingly, the film has a wide appeal, and even children will respond to the sincerity they see depicted onscreen (Kingsley).
According to Paltrow, families who bring their children to see Iron Man 3 can utilize this opportunity to talk about the imperfections they are exposed to in our world. “We can’t lie to our children and pretend that the world is perfect and everybody is happy…out there to do good.”
One of the many things that surprised me as I watched the film, was the transformation of Paltrow’s character. It is only in Iron Man 3 that we see her step into power…sometimes it is in a figurative sense and other times (when she steps into Stark’s suit) it is more literal.
Set sometime after The Avengers, Tony Stark faces an enemy with no limits. As his personal world is destroyed he sets out to find the culpable villain and through his journey, answers the question…does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
As the film closed, there was a sense of finality that was not prominent in previous films. When asked whether discussion had ensued regarding a subsequent sequel, Robert Downey, Jr. stated “the future as usual is uncertain, and I think the great thing is that, we never could have known what and who was going to come together for the third Iron Man.”
Marvel’s Iron Man 3 opens in theaters nationwide this Friday, May 3rd, 2013. You can keep up-to-date with Marvel via their social accounts:
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to a press conference which helped faciliate the writing of this post.
Images: Marvel/Disney
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