Iron Man 3 MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -4

Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley. Fantasy Adventure. Written by Drew Pearce & Shane Black. Directed by Shane Black.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Marvel’s Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

PREVIEW REVIEW: The studio and filmmakers have to ignore the recent Boston bombings, because their film also has a public act of terrorism, with tourists being blown up at Hollywood’s famed Chinese Theater. Bad timing, but acts of villainy can’t prevent the opening of a studio-needed potential blockbuster. There are other incidents in the film that also cause us to sit uncomfortably, as we digest acts of terrorism in the name of entertainment.

Understand, such deeds against our country should be examined by the different media, but should acts of violence against our nation’s citizens merely be used as fodder for our entertainment?

I also noticed that the actor playing the President of the United States was a white man (very white, plump and white). For five years now, we’ve had a black man as our country’s leader. So, why have recent films portrayed our fearless leader as a white man? Well, the Prez in this movie is a friend to the oil industry. In other words, he’s not so innocent. The producers must have feared that a black man playing the President might be perceived as a negative reflection of the Big O. Now, can you imagine the land of Hollywood presenting President Obama in a bad light? That’s not going to happen. Not because he’s a black man so much, as the fact that he’s a Democrat. Hollywood portraying a Democrat in a bad light? That’ll be the day. Now, I’m not being political. I’m just pointing out that Hollywood always is.

I freely admit that my perception of this film has more to do with our cultural leanings than the movie itself. The protagonist is conflicted and has life lessons to learn. The villain is a cartoon who bests the good guys right up until the closing credits. And three-fourths of the film is loud and explosive. So, can you blame me for getting bored with the same old same old? Amid the tedium, I began to look around at my fellow cinema captives.

This brings me to the amount of children in attendance. Since the content of the comic book superhero action thriller is no surprise by now, I’m assuming parents don’t think there’s a problem with taking little ones to very violent films. A steady diet of screen rampage and savagery can’t possibly hurt their psyche, right? And the bombardment of carnage in every entertainment medium couldn’t possibly lend to the condition of our culture, right?

Well, back to the movie, itself. I was a fan of the first Iron Man. Aside from the usual amount of copious calamity, I found that story, the characters and the writing in general to be witty and engaging. It was a mesmerizing action adventure as well as a morality tale. Whereas, whatever lessons Iron Man 3 attempts are swallowed up in the excessive brutality and by the blatant blabbering of the film’s villainous brutes.

It’s all action, and the special effects are eye-catching. What more could the movie-going public want from a screen adaptation of a comic book about superheroes? Because the film industry meets with financial success by doing the same thing with their superhero movies, except for changing the color of the lead’s cape, I again assume we moviegoers want nothing new – except for more of the same.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Paramount Pictures