Iron Man
Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 10:29 pm
Iron Man (2008)
Genre: Live Action Film – Action Adventure
This summer movie season starts with a surprisingly strong comic book adaptation from director Jon Favreau and starring the unlikely Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. This time Marvel Studios offers up one of their lesser known super heroes but like his namesake Iron Man is a near bulletproof film that leaves recent offerings from bigger superheroes like Spider Man and Superman coughing on his contrails.
Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, unscrupulous weapons manufacturer and charming billionaire ladies man. Stark runs afoul of terrorists armed with his own goods during a sale in Afghanistan, who then kidnap Stark and force him to build more weapons. With help from fellow captive Yinsen (Shaun Toub), Stark builds a crude armored suit to escape, but Yinsen dies aiding him. Once safely back home, Stark becomes a changed man and has a mind to refine his armored suit for more noble purposes, but neither his witty assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) nor his executive partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) are happy with the consequences of Stark’s new found conscience.
Iron Man may not be the smartest or most believable super hero film ever made, but it’s easily one of the finest. Director Jon Favreau was wise indeed to rely heavily upon a well-paced script, gut-pleasing humor and a strong lead to position his comic book film far above the competition. The special effects are well-crafted rather than innovative and it is this diligent filmmaking appearing in all aspects of the production that ultimately makes Iron Man a success. The film can feel a bit predictable and a little contrived at times, but who even cares when a movie is this much fun?
Fortunately, Iron Man also benefits from a lead as finely crafted as the mechanical suit itself. Robert Downey Jr. completely owns his role as Tony Stark, aggressively devouring the moral repulsiveness of the character as equally as he does Stark’s drive and professionalism. The charm and humor of Downey’s Stark draw us into what is an initially despicable character, but it is the unapologetic ambition of Stark that allows the audience to appreciate his flaws that in turn prove to be virtues. Helping Downey along the way is an impressive cast of actors that all add strong performances in each role, including a lovable turn from Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes (and a not-so-subtle nod to Rhode's future role as War Machine). The film remains a wonderful thrill ride with plenty of laughs from start to finish and is never dull despite running a little over two hours.
Rating: 4 out of 5. While Iron Man sometimes offers what we’ve seen before, it offers what it has with a proficiency few films have dared attempt. Within that small group of the best cinematic super hero adventures, Iron Man is proudly counted among them
"Can" you feel it?
Genre: Live Action Film – Action Adventure
This summer movie season starts with a surprisingly strong comic book adaptation from director Jon Favreau and starring the unlikely Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. This time Marvel Studios offers up one of their lesser known super heroes but like his namesake Iron Man is a near bulletproof film that leaves recent offerings from bigger superheroes like Spider Man and Superman coughing on his contrails.
Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, unscrupulous weapons manufacturer and charming billionaire ladies man. Stark runs afoul of terrorists armed with his own goods during a sale in Afghanistan, who then kidnap Stark and force him to build more weapons. With help from fellow captive Yinsen (Shaun Toub), Stark builds a crude armored suit to escape, but Yinsen dies aiding him. Once safely back home, Stark becomes a changed man and has a mind to refine his armored suit for more noble purposes, but neither his witty assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) nor his executive partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) are happy with the consequences of Stark’s new found conscience.
Iron Man may not be the smartest or most believable super hero film ever made, but it’s easily one of the finest. Director Jon Favreau was wise indeed to rely heavily upon a well-paced script, gut-pleasing humor and a strong lead to position his comic book film far above the competition. The special effects are well-crafted rather than innovative and it is this diligent filmmaking appearing in all aspects of the production that ultimately makes Iron Man a success. The film can feel a bit predictable and a little contrived at times, but who even cares when a movie is this much fun?
Fortunately, Iron Man also benefits from a lead as finely crafted as the mechanical suit itself. Robert Downey Jr. completely owns his role as Tony Stark, aggressively devouring the moral repulsiveness of the character as equally as he does Stark’s drive and professionalism. The charm and humor of Downey’s Stark draw us into what is an initially despicable character, but it is the unapologetic ambition of Stark that allows the audience to appreciate his flaws that in turn prove to be virtues. Helping Downey along the way is an impressive cast of actors that all add strong performances in each role, including a lovable turn from Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes (and a not-so-subtle nod to Rhode's future role as War Machine). The film remains a wonderful thrill ride with plenty of laughs from start to finish and is never dull despite running a little over two hours.
Rating: 4 out of 5. While Iron Man sometimes offers what we’ve seen before, it offers what it has with a proficiency few films have dared attempt. Within that small group of the best cinematic super hero adventures, Iron Man is proudly counted among them
"Can" you feel it?
