PRINT: Arts& Culture
Wednesday, May8,2013
5
IRON MAN 3: Gives true heart to the
modern day tin man
David Beasley
General Associate Editor
How does die title “Iron Man”
make you feel? One might ask
themselves this question while
lounging in the locid cinema’s ver-
sion of a counseling room chair.
Theater seats are similar enough
to allow a patient to explore their
feelings just as they would in a psy
chologist’s office. As the audience
journeys with Tony Stark through
his third feature film, they are pre
sented with more than a dilemma of
good and evil, or right and wrong,
they witness the transformation and
inner growth o f the man in the can.
Stark’s inner struggles and fixa
tions are at the heart of the story.
Stark must learn through tragedy
that his focus determines his reality.
Distractions and misdirec
tion can cause one to lose sight of
what’s important. Audiences can
easily take away a feeling of ful
fillment experiencing Iron Man’s
metamorphosis and apply the les
sons of balance to their own lives.
It is always good to have a helpful
reminder of the important aspects
of fife.
Big industrial machine plant
structures symbolized the massive
scale of “Iron Man 3”. In one of
the film’s most impressive scenes,
Stark battles the Mandarin’s forces
in a gargantuan factory. The battle
was creative and refreshingly dif
ferent than the average choreogra-
phy formula. In 3D, the large steel
girders and pipes which fly toward
tiie screen ptill the audience into
the fray.
Abundance and overwhelm
ing amounts o f . excess were
themes addressed in prior “Iron
Man” installments and continued
to provide conflict in this newest
adventure. Stark is obviously very
wealthy, but his preoccupation with
his inventions threatens to alienate
him from his most valued treasure,
PepperPots.
' All' Stark needed 'was a wake
up call in the form of a much
APPLY NOW
FOR SUMMER AND FALL 2013
over-exaggerated villain. The
Mandarin poses a ruthless threat,
his random and confusing terrorist
attacks overwhelm the US military
and even the newly renamed Iron
Patriot, formerly War Machine.
Amidst all the chaos and con
fusion, a little boy named Harley
befriends Stark. Harley is “Iron
Man’s” version of Short Round
from “Indiana Jones and the
Temple o f Doom”. A quirky little
kid who is teased and used as an
errand boy by the main protagonist.
Harley provides much needed
support to Stark at* key moments
and allows the metal warrior to
gain a renewed perspective On life.
Watching “Iron Man 3” .will not
be the most life changing cinematic
event for most, but not every movie
can be “Avatar” or “The Matrix”.
That being said, it’s well worth
the cash to see the special effects
exhibition in large format. If noth
ing else it should provide sufficient
entertainment and positive expec
tations as Marvel gears up for the
next “Avengers” movie.
3D meshes well with this movie
as there are a marvelous amount of
spectacles to take in. The layers of
various computer generated scen
ery and characters were visually
stunning.
The third installment d f “Iron
Man” did not disappoint. The mix
of seriousness and humor Were a
fun adventure. There was a certain
brevity to the main conflict, while
at the same time a thought fill story
of relationship journeys Was the
heart of the film.
Indeed putting I together’ the
p ieces, learning to adjust tQ ¿h aos_
ing an Iron Man-gauntlet to battle
the Mandarin was among the most
entertaining and symbolic.
The importance o f certain
aspects of Stark’s life were brought
into perspective. He was able to
see that things can coexist, but a
balance is ideal. We can all learn
from simple tales <?f metamorpho
sis such as “Iron Man 3” Without
the armor, Stark is still Iron Man,
but without loved ones he is just a
tin man without a heart.
1RONMAN3
Released May 3rd
PG-13
2 hoars, 10 minutes
Action, Adventure,
Sci-Fi
Starring:
Robert Downey, Jr.
Ben Kingsley
Guy Pearce
Gwyneth Paltrow
Don Cheadle
3.5 stars out of 5
★
★
★
and change were themes present in
this film. A scene with Pots wield
alf-day programs include tours
us and housing, information o
ission!
Ready to earn a four-year degree?
sDon't wait! Apply by May 1 to ensure a seamless transfer.
We make it easy:
• Over 6 0% of PSU students enroll with credits from other colleges.
April 17, May
reg/st
pdx.edu/a
IH
•-U.5. News & World Report ranks PSU among the top-20 universities
nationally for transfer students.
Take the next step. Visit our Virtual Transfer Center for more information
an d to apply online:
pdx.edu/transferstudent
<Se) Portland State
IN