Iron Man 3 parents guide

Iron Man 3 Parent Guide

Unfortunately, the time spent on violence means there is less time for developing a storyline - especially the romance between Tony and Pepper.

Overall C

After publicly claiming to be Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finds his life in danger from a terrorist intent on teaching the world that there are no heroes.

Release date May 3, 2013

Violence D+
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C+
Substance Use C

Why is Iron Man 3 rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Iron Man 3 PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content.

Run Time: 130 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is back. Still arrogant. Still snappish. Still driven to invent. But this time he’s haunted by memories of New York (see The Avengers) that keep him awake for days on end, throw him into panic attacks and plunge a wedge between him and his live-in lover Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Sequestered in his underground lab, he resurfaces only after he sees televised coverage of terrorist attacks by a new enemy known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

Hijacking the airwaves, The Mandarin spews out threats against the American people and their president (William Sadler). Blowing up landmarks and killing innocent civilians, he vows to mete out retribution for past grievances. (The accompanying film footage resembles actual news coverage of current events. With the film releasing only weeks after the Boston Marathon bombing and in the midst of the Syrian and North Korean crises, this disturbing plotline involving terrorist activity blurs the line between news and entertainment in unsettling ways.)

An army of genetically-modified humans, who tend to get a little hot under the collar, are also on the loose. Their fantastical nature makes them look more in keeping with the kind of bad guys audiences expect to see in a comic book franchise that includes flying suits and futuristic high tech computer simulations. These modified beings are unable to regulate their internal thermometers, so they burst into flames, incinerating themselves and anyone within a several yard radius. The challenge of self-control being what it is, results in numerous flare-ups along with other fiery explosions.

Unfortunately, along with these depictions there are frequent gunfire, a kidnapping and other explicit violence, meaning less time for developing a storyline—especially the romance between Tony and Pepper. At one point Tony tells Pepper she is the one thing he can’t live without. Yet the two of them have been acting like the stereotypical “married” couple, both too consumed with work and other aspects of their lives to have any time for one another. The lack of chemistry in their relationship makes it hard to buy into Tony’s profession of love. But then who has time for romance when the world is blowing up around you.

Keeping the audiences’ attention, the film paces through the violence, some moments of sexual innuendo and a couple of subplots meant to lighten the conflict. One of these sidelines involves a young boy. After crash landing in a snow-covered field in Tennessee, Tony meets Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins), the son of a single mother. Their connection is hardly a healthy surrogate father/son relationship. Still it may be the best Tony can do considering his self-absorbed nature. Tony also resorts to snarky jokes and drops humorous quips even in the middle of intense action scenes where the fate of the nation rests in his iron clad hands.

Grossing nearly $200 million overseas before opening for North American audiences, Iron Man 3 is already well on its way to reviving a sluggish 2013 box office. But blasting the current slump in theaters doesn’t mean the Marvel Comic superhero is worthy of family movie funds. Although the explosions in this film are excessive, brutal point-blank shootings and graphic portrayals of bloody and burned bodies may be even more disturbing.

While super villains call for superheroes, being a superhero means more than putting on a shiny suit. It calls for a role model worthy of emulation.

Directed by Shane Black. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow.. Running time: 130 minutes. Theatrical release May 3, 2013. Updated

Iron Man 3
Rating & Content Info

Why is Iron Man 3 rated PG-13? Iron Man 3 is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content.

Violence: The film includes frequent portrayals of weapon and gun use, explosions, fistfights, shootings, stabbings, impaling and other bloody injuries. A man implants small discs into his arm. Terrorists are shown with guns, firing on people and bombing homeland landmarks. Comments are made about base camps being attacked and women and children killed. Terrorists also hijack the television airwaves and televise threats. Characters make nightmarish transformations, sometimes imploding or incinerating. Characters are seen with burned bodies and bloody injuries. A man fires a bullet into a picture of the president’s head. A man is burned in effigy. Missiles are fired at a home, destroying it. A suicide is discussed. A dead body is seen suspended on the top of power lines. A man is shocked with a homemade weapon. A man shoots a woman. A character is hit by a speeding bus. Characters are thrown agains walls. A man is suspended above the ground in preparation for burning him. A character explodes.

Sexual Content: Brief but crude sexual comments are made, along with some sexually suggestive activity. Several female characters are seen in their underwear. Two women wait in bed for a man to return from the bathroom. An unmarried couple lives together. Beauty contestants are seen in bikinis. Brief embracing and kissing are shown.

Language: The script contains some mild cursing, infrequent profanities, mild sexual references, some crude terms for male anatomy and other brief vulgar expressions.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Characters drink in social settings, in bars and at home. A police officer drinks while on duty. A man talks about his past drug addictions and that he currently receives drugs from his employer. He appears to be stoned at times.

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Iron Man 3 Parents' Guide

How are adult/child relationships portrayed in this film? Why is Harley so anxious to have a father figure in his life? Do superheroes, sports figures or other celebrities sometimes substitute for fathers in a child’s life? What important roles do dads play in their children’s social, physical, mental and emotional development?

Does Tony learn anything that makes him less arrogant by the end of the film? Does his character grow? If so, how?

How is science portrayed in this film? How do the scientists choose to use new avenues of genetic modification that they are developing? While scientists are already modifying seeds and animals, what other changes are they implementing?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Iron Man 3 movie is September 24, 2013. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Iron Man 3

Release Date: 24 September 2013

Iron Man 3 releases to home video (2 Disc Blu-ray/DVD /Digital Copy or Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following bonus extras:

- Deconstructing The Scene: Attack On Air Force One

- Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Look – Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World

- Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Unmasked

- Gag Reel

- Deleted & Extended Scenes

- Audio Commentary—With Drew Pearce & Shane Black

Related home video titles:

This movie is the third in a franchise, preceded by Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Actor Guy Pearce plays another bad guy in The Count of Monte Cristo. Ben Kingsley appears as a disgruntled gent in Hugo. And Gwyneth Paltrow’s good looks don’t go unnoticed in another futuristic tale, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

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