Trailer:
“I am Iron Man”
More than likely riding the money waves produced by the royalties of the many crappy out of house produced films (Spider-Man 3, Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, Daredevil), Marvel finally put down the dollars to create their own personal studio. The first of their creation being Iron Man, bringing a literally explosive beginning to studio and launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now most films begin with an origin and Iron Man is no different. Here we meet douchebag Tony Stark who runs a successful weapons manufacturing company and is considered a genius. One of the major successful things was that the film was able to portray Stark as a douchebag but still be likeable in his own way. So he was never unpleasant to be around.
This is all due to the pitch perfect casting of Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role. I’m trying to think of another superhero as well cast and none immediately come to mind. Downey is the roles life, energy and comedy with rapid fire dialogue and a great character arc.
But that is really what this film is about. The journey of a man from greedy profit hungry inventor, to someone who tries to take responsibility for what he has done, despite people apparently liking him more when he was a greedy bastard.
Tony Stark heads off to the middle east war zone for a weapons demonstration where he is kidnapped and forced to build weapons for a terrorist organization known as The Ten Rings (a reference to the Mandarin). Instead, Stark chooses to build a suite of armor and become Iron Man. He then makes it his mission to find all his weapons that fell into the wrong hands.
One of the major benefits of the film is that it appeals to both comic fans and none comic fans alike. It certainly is like no other superhero film to date. But it is not just the general subject matter that makes it enjoyable, it is also the fantastic performance and character arc portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. and the upbeat comedy.
Many people like to think that the entire superhero genre was reinvented by Batman begins and that Nolan’s dark and gritty is the only way to go. Iron Man proves otherwise and that some times all a film needs is balls to the walls red hot fun. The movie can be very funny at times without losing its dramatic focus and the effects are also stellar and haven’t diminished in the slightest since their release.
Surprisingly a large amount of the film is taken up by inventing rather than fights and conflicts. This actually turns out all fine and dandy though. The inventing scene actually have a lot of momentum and energy to them, helped tremendously by the fantastic score which mixes classic superhero orchestration with heavy metal for a unique sound.
The subcast is good even if they are all easily outshined by Downey’s performance, which is fine because he is the star of this show. Though it begged the question if he will also steal all the scenes in the Avengers as well (though thankfully he didn’t). The one actor that really matched him was Jeff Bridges.
Now I am a huge fan of Bridges and I think he is one of the greatest actors alive today. This film does nothing more than solidify that opinion. Obadiah Stane is a great villain that parallels Tony and has a relationship/ connection to him long before the start of the film. This just makes his reveal of villainy to be like salt in the wounds when Tony learns about it. I suppose the best thing about him is he isn’t mustache twirling and seems almost likable at times.
Gwyneth Paltrow does a good job as love interest Pepper Pots. Again a unique spin on the hero-damsel relationship found in the genre. The rapid fire dialogue between the two of them is fun and it actually steers away from cliché. The relationship just feels fresh from the old tired model.
The only major complaint I can have about the movie is that the film has some awkward pacing in a couple places and the climax lacks a grand finale. The showdown between the two armored men felt short lived and brief. It did have a good dramatic finality to it, but the fight itself lacked in imagination.
Yet that is hardily much of a complaint when considering the great hour and forty minutes before it. Iron Man is a great example of perhaps how comic films were always supposed to be made. Where the entire thing just feels like a damned fun roller coaster ride.
FINAL RATING: 9/10- (90%)
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