Students gathered in front of the CFE Arena on Friday, September 13th for CAB Cinema. Within minutes, lightening was striking throughout Central Florida. The movie was immediately moved inside the arena lobby, and CAB Volunteers reconstructed the inflatable screen and sound system. Students were willing to wait for their superhero.
Of course, we all know the character Iron Man, the history of Tony Stark and his girlfriend Pepper Potts from the last few Marvel films. The third film in the Iron Man trilogy brings America a very unstable and broken superhero. Stark is suffering from panic attacks and sleepless nights from the Avengers’ last fight in New York, and his relationship with Pepper is constantly tested with his lab full of suits and his endless worrying. I found this film to be very relevant and also realistic to what America faces today.
Those who return from war come home changed and mentally battling with traumatic experience. Soldiers suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, reliving flashbacks and unable to rest peacefully. Spouses, like Potts, can feel agitated and helpless because this mental instability affects their relationship with no easy solution.
Even more realistic is the terrorism and technology used in this film. The use of DNA for biological warfare and implanted armies in our homeland is not something new. Iron Man 3 serves as a glimpse into our present and future. It is scary to realize that we are living out what we see on the screen and that the worst has yet to come.
However, showing the world that true love conquers, and knowing that morality still triumphs, “the Iron Patriot” gives Americans hope. As Stark begins a life without the shrapnel in his chest and suit of armor, he lives on. “I am Iron Man.”