Iron Man 3 (in 4D) (or PSSSHT! Suit change!)

While searching for tickets to see Iron Man 3, we realized we could see it not only in 3D, but in glorious 4D! Of course, we had to buy those tickets. What a marketing ploy...

I've been to theme parks where you strap yourself into a chair, which then proceeds to twist and turn and flip and so on in accordance with what is going on on the screen. It was a pretty cool experience - especially a film from a fighter jet's point of view, diving and zooming through canyons. As such, I was rather disappointed when, bespectacled with my super-cool (or not) 3-D glasses, I found my seat and found I didn't even need to strap myself in. This was, then, going to be rather mild in comparison. Luckily.

Before the film started, we were treated to one trailer in 3-D for the newest Star Trek rebooted film. (On a side-note, I had always suspected that the guy making these films was "rebooting" them for people who don't even like Star Trek, and was not surprised to discover this is true in an interview with J.J. Abrams on the Daily Show.) The trailer looked spiffy, but the 4-D was not yet engaged.

But then it started. The chairs were rumbling, rocking backward or forward, but I just found it distracting. The camera angles were changing all the time, and so the chair motions felt quite disconnected. I had to hang on to my handbag, and keep tilting my head to see the screen. That, then, wasn't great.

And then there were the bullets.

PSSSHHHT! 

PSSSSSSSSSSSSSHT! 

The air-cannons shot air into my right ear, into the back of my head, past my nose. If you have long hair, you'll find it annoying. If you don't, you'll find it distracting, as at times it manages to drown out the sounds of gunfire. Only once did it manage to zip past my ear just at the right moment, reminding me of a fictional bullet narrowly missing me.
Uh oh, here comes an explosion!
PSSSSSSSSSSSHT!!! And the chair shakes some more.

Then there was the splashing water. Luckily, the air cannons didn't seem to have water in them, so we weren't sprayed in our faces. Instead it was more PSSSSSSSHT:ing all over the place. Ugh.

I have to say, at one point, the chair poked us in the back, which was sort of spiffy. But all in all, the 4-D part of the experience was not something I can recommend unless you are going with kids. I found it to be distracting, mildly annoying, and disjointed. I know the 4-D was made for the film, but the film was not made for the 4-D experience.

But Ann-Mi, what about the 3-D effects? They were, of course, quite pretty. I didn't feel like I was going cross-eyed, and the colours were quite vivid. Very nice. But not quite as amazing as Pixar's Up, which looked like a little sculpture in motion due to the angles they chose. I could easily see Iron Man 3 in 2-D and not miss out on anything special.

The film itself was enjoyable, and I actually liked it more than the second Iron Man film. In case you've been living in another world, and aren't familiar with the franchise already, I'll give you a short recap. Iron Man is based on a comic book series by the same title. The main character doesn't have any superpowers. Instead, he's a successful millionaire who has invented a metal suit that allows him to fly around, fight, and fight evildoers. There are several Iron Man films (1 and 2), and the character also appears in the awesome The Avengers-film, which features a cast of famous comic book characters like the Hulk, and Thor. If you haven't seen these yet, go see them before you try to watch 3.

The main character, Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Junior) is as always cocky and full of himself, but is actually gradually changing into a more tolerable human being. The humour is funny, and I enjoyed the dialogue. I was pleasantly surprised to find the director of this film was Shane Black, who also directed the brilliant film Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. 
The world is being threatened by a new villain, called the Mandaren. He keeps setting off bombs in various parts of the US, and seems to be targeting the American president as part of his villainous plot. Decisions Tony Stark made in his past are beginning to catch up with him, and he has to figure out how to save the country from the Mandaren and himself from his ghosts.
I heard some people were disappointed by the villain. I haven't read the original comics, so I can't comment on the differences, but I found it refreshing. I won't go into any more details as I don't want to share any significant spoilers here, but I loved Ben Kingsley's performance. I also enjoyed seeing Guy Pierce as a slime ball scientist.
I do have to say there was an absurd amount of Iron Man suits, which I guess opens up the potential for a fresh new gimmick.

Bottom line: I do recommend the film if you've seen and enjoyed the previous ones. Seeing it in 3-D is not mandatory, but is nice. But seeing it in "4-D" is not something I can recommend unless you want to give a kid a new experience, or have an air cannon fetish.
I give Iron Man 3 4 out of 5 stars. Or maybe 3½ as a 4-D experience.