On arriving at the cinema 15 minutes after the 10:50 am performance slot I was glad to see that the foyer was mostly devoid of customers apart from the ones being served and a couple waiting in line. Still... the clock was ticking and I was already late, I hadn't been that concerned up to this point as I knew I would be cutting it fine and missing the adverts wouldn't be such a biggie along with the trailers on this occasion. Although, I was keen to see the trailer for the upcoming World War Z!
However, transactions were proceeding very slowly indeed. A Women customer was jabbering away pointlessly about her purchases and keeping the till clerk somehow interested, by this point I was losing patience. I looked to one of the girl employees passing by and asked if she could open up another till. She very kindly and promptly activated a vacant kiosk so I could finally purchase my ticket in the hope that I might actually not miss the opening of the movie. She apologised profusely for keeping me waiting even though it was not her fault... The Women customer was still jabbering!!
I thanked the employee for her customer service and asked which screen it was in to which she replied 6... As I walked into the theatre the new trailer for World War Z had started playing to a completely empty audience!!!!
I sat down in the middle section elated that I had made it in time with the added bonus of the trailer playing out on the screen.
The title card for Iron Man 3 came up and the lights went down to a captivated audience of one!
An Iron Man Three viewing for One... The opening credits began as I settled in for pure entertainment...
Not since 1996's The Craft (I thought it was gonna be a sort of Heathers for the 90's - It wasn't) have I been lucky enough to enjoy my own personal Movie performance. This time watching a far superior flick I sat, swept along with all the heroic action and drama pitted against Iron Man without a hint of distraction.
Iron Man was in full throttle action as I happened to get an unexpected call from my friend Kai... On any normal cinema outing I would have to ignore the silent/vibrate mode but under these circumstances I could freely kick back and answer the phone for a quick chat. We laughed at my fortunate situation as he informed me of his plan to see Man Of Steel which had just been released... No chance of a viewing for One!
The film continued its action packed pace with a couple of stand out set pieces, awesomely executed and a real thrill on the big screen. As the movie drew to a close, I took stock of all the references Director Shane Black had included from his previous work making this chapter close to the original for entertainment in the enormously successful Marvel franchise. All key characters are back and on top form, pitted against very well realised Villains who become a true threat for Tony Stark's Iron Man. When it all comes down to it, really, its Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of the comic book character that is what makes these pictures so engaging... He simply is Iron Man.
As the end credits rolled I checked my watch to see how much time I had left till work... 25 minutes... the credits continued as I waited for the inevitable tagged on scene. To which it followed, giving a fresh twist on the ending and perfectly tying up the movie... Now I had 5 minutes less... Would I make it to work on time... ?
Iron Man Three - Recommended
*Shane Black - Director: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Writer: Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight
