Twisty Iron Man 3 has a subversive streak

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      Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle. Rated PG.

      In his latest turn as Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. combines just the right portions of charisma, physical intensity, and insouciant wit to make us buy this improbably Marvel-ous hero.

      It doesn’t hurt that Iron Man 3, despite that numeral in the title, has the strongest direction and script of the non-Avenging trilogy, courtesy of Shane Black. His only previous feature, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, also featured Downey, and Black wrote the Lethal Weapon series, so it’s no surprise to find extra crackle in Stark’s buddy-cop banter with Don Cheadle’s fellow “man in a can”, Col. Rhodes.

      Our weaponeer-turned-weapon’s rocky relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is better developed than in the poorly constructed Iron Man 2—perhaps because scientist Rebecca Hall proves less distracting than Scarlett Johansson. The villainous component is stronger, too, with the primary focus on Ben Kingsley, superb as the Mandarin, an America hater who dresses like an Afghan warlord but talks like a Baptist preacher. As in 2, there’s a science-exploiting rival (Guy Pearce), with menace provided by his weirdly glowing security guy (James Badge Dale).

      Even if the twisty plot doesn’t always make sense, and 3-D doesn’t bring much to the already deluxe production, there’s a neat subversive streak suggesting that the so-called war on terror is, well, kind of a scam. Most enjoyable, though, is the amusing downtime, with plenty of great throwaway lines. Some are aimed at a fatherless boy (Ty Simpkins) who becomes Tony’s sidekick without things turning sentimental.

      Fans who survive 3’s lengthy end credits may be puzzled by the many Chinese names; apparently, sequences were shot for Asian consumption but unseen here. But they’ll be rewarded by a coda that, although not exactly setting up the next Avengers movie, reminds us why some franchises are more fun than others.

      Watch the trailer for Iron Man 3.

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