It should be no surprise that the scores in the Iron Man sub-franchise have improved in quality as they have sought to increasingly reinvest in traditional super-hero scoring techniques. Tyler was an excellent choice for this assignment, for he is among the few of the younger, 2000's generation of film composers to be able to access the most satisfying appeals of the Zimmer power anthem techniques and apply them in the context of proven orchestral dynamism that is not obsessed only with bass-dwelling instrumentation and mixes. The sonic palette for Iron Man 3 is ambitiously symphonic, minus an obvious role for woodwinds (as per usual for this context) but featuring Tyler's typical affinity for a wide range of percussive contributions. There is a fair amount of low string chopping to be heard here, and the brass is certainly led by its lower ranges, but adequate violin, trumpet, and high clanging percussion (including a tambourine) keep the overall sonic spectrum addressed well. The role of electronics is intriguingly limited, Tyler unfortunately unable, however, to resist the "sinking feeling effect," a descending bass tone, and some rambling background synthetic loops that at times attempt to resurrect Basil Poledouris' bass thumping (at other times, it's more squishy and resembles James Horner's effects for The Amazing Spider-Man). Electric guitar and other outward rock influences are tasteful and minimal, "Dive Bombers" concluding with a brief sequence of obvious coolness and the "Can You Dig It" end titles sequence an intentional throwback (one of those that straddles the line between tremendous fun and outrageous hideousness). A choir is utilized sparingly to augment a handful of the most fantastic sequences. In execution, Tyler's score is performed enthusiastically by the London ensemble but rarely exudes a sense of elegance due to a lack of obvious romanticism (having no love theme doesn't help) and an awkward absence of truly bold counterpoint lines. Tyler is one of the few composers active during this time who can take the brooding Zimmer power mode and infuse the style of Jerry Goldsmith and David Arnold into it, and while you hear Tyler accomplish this intelligent balance at times, much of the score's non-fanfare moments play like an extension of James Newton Howard's Salt. With the exception of "New Beginnings" and the throw-away "Dr. Wu" cue, little of Tyler's own unique past can be heard; rather, much of Iron Man 3 follows anthem-reliant techniques more common to Battle: Los Angeles, which by default puts him into more of a technically functional role than an artistic one.

While the Iron Man franchise has never enjoyed thematic continuity in its music (a concept that comes at an extreme premium in an era witnessing the exit of John Williams), it's never too early to start employing dynamic musical identities for a concept's characters. Debney's score for the previous film, while inept in its whole, at least provided the primary characters with interesting themes. Both Debney and Tyler pay intentional or unintentional dues to the brainless minor-third pounding that existed in Djawadi's painful score, though Tyler thankfully keeps such usage to a few blatantly token moments in his score. He ignores Debney's identities, however, and devises major new themes for the heroes and villains in Iron Man 3. Stark receives his own power anthem heard frequently in Tyler's work, satisfyingly muscular if not strangely incomplete, and while the theme doesn't ever achieve musical resolution, it does feature a long and outstanding set of secondary phrases. The alternating between major and minor chords is a welcome tactic in any superhero score. The composer references this identity for the interactions with Pepper rather than conjure a distinct love theme, countering several bombastic performances during action sequences with a rather upbeat, more Tyler-like variant in the great finale, "New Beginnings." The villains' theme in Iron Man 3 is played well despite its anonymous progressions, its sinister five-note phrase introduced in "The Mandarin" before being explored extensively (with appropriately vague Eastern instrumental accents at times) near the end of "Heat and Iron," the beginning of "Another Lesson From Mandy," and in fuller action mode throughout "Return." These two themes don't mingle as well as hoped, but in a franchise with so much trouble enunciating anything musically, Tyler's approach still works. While on the whole there is room for improvement in the score, you have to look at Iron Man 3 as a significant improvement over the previous music in this specific series, and kudos are warranted for Tyler's continuing ability to reference popular power anthem devices without becoming brainless in his handling of an orchestra. He has become one of the truly effective crossover composers, ready to kick ass in today's world but mindful of Goldsmithian traditions. As usual, however, his album arrangement largely defeats his gains when considering the music out of context. This score is strong enough to merit a long album, but the lack of chronological ordering is even more detrimental this time around. Tyler, for all his immense talent and personality, needs to lose these bizarre presentation rearrangements and let his narratives shine. In this case, that narrative, when placed in proper order, is strong enough to earn a fourth star.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download