Pop reviews: Iron Man 3

At one point in this third Iron Man installment, Tony Stark, sleepless and suffering anxiety attacks following the epic events of the "Avengers" movie, describes himself as a "hot mess." He just can't seem to get it together enough to protect his girlfriend and save the world.

"Hot mess" is also an apt description of this disjointed, ill-conceived film. It can't seem to work itself up to following "The Avengers," either.

Granted, Joss Whedon's flick is a tough act to follow. It was funny, well-structured and packed with superheroes. But the first two Iron Man films, and all other Marvel movies to date, were all strong films on their own. "The Avengers" would have faltered had those films not done a good job of establishing their title characters and paving the way.

"Iron Man 3," on the other hand, seems unnecessary. It doesn't expand the on-screen Marvel Universe or set things up for "Avengers 2." And it lacks a strong villain and high-stakes plot.

Not that being a mediocre movie has hurt "Iron Man 3" at the box office. The record audiences during its opening weekend, and the enjoyment that millions of people took away from the film, indicate that we're not yet sick of superheroes.

In fact, Marvel is enjoying a brand loyalty on the big screen that's similar to its comic book heyday. These modern-day True Believers are loyal enough, even, to forgive or overlook the flaws of this film, which are plentiful.

"Iron Man 3"is slow to start, launching with a voice-over from Robert Downey, Jr., as the formerly cocky, now damaged, Tony Stark. And it takes lots of talk to establish that's he's been traumatized by the big battle in New York. We never see any clips of that action from "The Avengers," which would have helped tremendously. Instead we get the cinematic equivalent of a dull splash page littered with over-long captions and no action.

Villain-wise, Ben Kingsley brings some menace and mystery to his role as the Mandarin, but his co-villain Guy Pearce, as generic mad scientist Aldrich Killian, has nothing to work with but a grab bag of cliches.

The threat that Killian's cooked up in the lab is nebulous - a bunch of people who, for some gobbledygook reason, glow and sometimes explode. Somehow, having these folks show up in various places to blow themselves up is going to make Killian the Ruler of the World! Or something. Also, he's mad at Tony Stark, because years ago Killian was a nerd and Tony was mean to him.

It's all silly and, in some ways, reminded me more of an episode of the 1970s "Wonder Woman" TV show than a Marvel Movie. Despite all the explosions, there's a distinctly low-budget feel to it all, particularly the scenes set in Killian's lab where Tony's girlfriend Pepper Potts has, of course, been taken hostage. The set looks like it was recycled from an old Frankenstein movie.

This TV vibe is reinforced by a cheesy title montage at the end of the film (an indication of how disjointed this film really is), that shows bits and pieces from all three Iron Man films over lively music.

The notion of a superhero who's been traumatized by battle is an interesting one, and for a bit I though the movie might follow the comic book storyline of years ago when Tony Stark developed a drinking problem. Not the case. But, still, making Stark a little more vulnerable is a nice touch. If only the rest of the plot had made any sense.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Jon Favreau all return as Stark's pals and have some nice moments, particularly Favreau, who gets more screen time than previously as bodyguard Happy Hogan. But Rebecca Hall, an excellent actress, is wasted as a women from Tony's past. Her role might have been interesting but it falls prey to predictable, cliched storytelling.

So, there you have it: Marvel's first flop, production-wise if not financially. The studio and characters have built up loads of good will. But if subsequent films don't improve on the quality of this one, even true-believing fans will eventually lose interest.