Five Reasons To Love Iron Man 3:

Of course I saw a preview of Iron Man 3 last night.  Like I’m gonna miss that!  Here’s the shortest review over, starting with reasons to love it:

1.  Gwyneth finally gets to kick some ass.  Say what you will about how she seems to think she farts rainbows all over the internet; she knows how to act, and it’s great to see her finally kick some butt.

2.  Actually, all of the actors are great.  We already know we like the leads, but special points for bringing fresh charisma to the franchise go to Rebecca Hall, Guy Ritchie, and Ben Kingsley.  It doesn’t feel over-stuffed with characters and those three actors look really happy to be here.

3.  It’s subversive as hell.  I find it fascinating that all of the Iron Man movies, but especially the first and third, start off as exploiting our fears of terrorism and serve as wish-fulfillment, as Iron Man races off to defeat those bad Middle Easterners…until the movie(s) start telling a different story, one about how we “create our own demons”.  Also, most of the action takes place without the armor, which makes the movie less about tech and more about psychology.  I find this to be much more interesting.

4.  The stakes feel high.  There’s a sense that anyone could die; that this could be a franchise changer.  Note that I’m not telling you that anyone does or doesn’t die – I’m simply conveying the general mood.

One Reason Not To:

It’s too long.  It comes up with plot devices and then it uses them over and over.  At some point I’m gonna have to go to the bathroom, guys, so one or two uses of each device per movie will suffice, OK?

Tips:

1.  You don’t need to see it in 3D unless you really like seeing metal objects flying at your face.

2.  Stay for the stinger – it’s the best part of the movie.