Film: IRON MAN
Featuring: Robert Downey Jr .Terrence Howard Jeff Bridges Gwyneth Paltrow Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir,Paul Bettany (Voice Talent only), Clark Gregg & Special “Extra Paid, Made & Laid” Cameo by Samuel L. Jackson (The Akta’)
Written by Mark Fergus Hawk Ostby Art Marcum Matt Holloway &John August
Producer: Avi Arad &Kevin Feige
Director: Jon Favreau
Studio: Marvel Studios & Paramount Pictures
Release Date: May 02, 2008
Budget: 140 million
Gross Revenue: $585,174,222
Disclaimer: Part of this review uses digital information culled from YOUTUBE. The writer of this article claims or infers no rights to the outside material posted as part of this composition. All rights belong to Iron Man as an intellectual property belong to Marvel Comics and their inherent company Walt Disney Studios (With licensing by Paramount Studios).
This limited animation cartoon is how I initially remembered IRON MAN. Yup, I used to watch MARVEL SUPER HEROES daily before and after school on UHF, Good Ole’ channel 44. Most of what I remember about IRON MAN comes from this show. I was never into the guy. The armor was cool sometimes, but TONY was just a DOUCHE. How was I, some lower middle class kid from the South Side of Windy City supposed to relate to a multi-billionaire ?
So decades later when financing finally came into play and it was announce that IRON MAN would be made into a feature, I was like …eh, whatever.
Months later, the information started to trickle out on the net and a few spy videos on You Tube and Daily Motion. I was heartened to find out that STAN WINSTON Studios were working on the armor (These guys were also responsible for the Robocop armor decades earlier.).
I admit that first trailer blew me right out of the water. Well, the scenes of Iron Man flying and fighting / dodging the jet fighters. Some of the other stuff in the trailer had that fake CGI look to it. But hey, I was sold. I believed Favreau was the man, not some studio gun-for-hire doing it by the numbers.
So, May 02, 2008, I plunked my money down for a ticket and was amongst the first to see the film on opening day.
Plot:
Tony Stark is the head of Stark Industries, a major military contracting company he inherited from his deceased father. Stark is an inventive genius and wunderkind; however, he is also a playboy. Stark acts as a figurehead for his company while his father's old partner, Obadiah Stane, takes care of day-to-day operations.
Stark flies off to war-torn Afghanistan with his friend and military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, for a demonstration of Stark's new weapon, the "Jericho" missile. On the way back, however, Stark’s military convoy is attacked, using Stark Industries weapons and he is critically wounded. Stark finds himself the prisoner of an afghan terrorist group known as the Ten Rings. An electromagnet has been embedded in his chest by fellow captive Dr. Yinsen to keep shrapnel from working its way to his heart and killing him. The Ten Rings leader, Raza, offers Stark his freedom in exchange for building a Jericho missile for him.
Tony realizes his changes for survival are suspect and with the assistance of Dr. Yinsen, constructs a crude suit of armor to escape the terrorists.
After escaping from the terrorists, Stark announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons. Stane advises Stark that this may ruin Stark Industries (And secretly plans to usurp control of company away from him.).
Note: Special kudos to Jeff Bridges. He does an exceptional job with the character of Obadiah Stane, making the character actually very likeable. He uses what appears to be light material to vest Stane with a kind of sage persona that belies his true intentions. I kinda hated that Stane had to be the BIG BAD right off the bat. It would have been great to see him turn into this human monster over the course of two films.
While “recuperating” at his palatial home in what I believe is Malibu, Stark begins working on an updated version of his armor. Some of these scenes are incredibly humorous, others drown in clichéd shtick. While watching these scenes of Stark at work in his garage, I kept asking myself why a multi-billionaire had to work in his house, as spacious as it is … why would he limit himself to such a small work space ? I understand Stark’s need for secrecy, but the concept is a little bit cheesy.
The armor is a site to behold. STAN WINSTON Studios did an excellent job at translating the design work of artist comic book artist Adi Granov. It looks formidable and more importantly, mobile. I loved it every time the armor was on screen.
The IRON MONGER armor is great for the few moments it is onscreen. I really wanted to see Stane enter the armor as it is so massive and mech like that I imagined him seated in the chest of this monstrosity. While essentially nice to look at, the final result … the IRON MONGER is a lemon.
Note: STANE has to actually steal the arc reactor from Stark to power up his own armor. The fact that there is an IRON MAN 2 should tell you that he is ultimately unsuccessful at taking out the golden avenger.
Probably my biggest gripe with IRON MAN is the lack of enough action.
Unfortunately, the movie’s trailer unwisely reveals most if not all of the action set pieces in Favreau’s film.
This unfortunately means that basically, “The Emperor has No Clothes”.
The movie is just wafer thin on plot with a good chunk of the film’s running time is split disproportionately between sketch comedy in Stark’s flat and the aforementioned set pieces.
Much has been made of Robert Downey Junior’s turn as Tony Stark and it’s true that he brings a roughish charm and dry wit to the character. His portrayal sometimes drifts into distraction during a few mumbling monologues. I really had a hard time believing that Stark was traumatized by his experience in Afghanistan even after watching the man take a chest full of shrapnel, survive a battlefield operation and subsequent torture. All that suffering and all he wants is a cheeseburger ?
Whatever, it was funny at the time.
I kinda felt like S.H.I.E.L.D should have took over from this point in the film.
Am I really supposed to buy that Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson can’t get an audience with Tony Stark. This guy that we later discover is part of a covert Black-Ops organization appears to be the action movie heir apparent of Bob Newhart. Favreau couldn’t help himself, he had to use S.H.I.E.L.D as a fan boy in-joke.
S.H.I.E.L.D covertly watches Tony fumble his way into SUPER HERO status knowing all along that they at least had some of the answers he didn’t have. Kinda smells like screenplay by committee.
Favreau has more than a few noteworthy actors at his disposal, but does little or nothing to make them more than stock characters. Let’s see, you have Gwyneth Paltrow as “His Girl Friday & Alfred the Butler”. For some reason the human character of Jarvis the Butler (Tony’s personal butler in the comics.) has been rewritten as a nearly sentient computer program.
Essentially, Paltrow is a merger of Jarvis and Pepper Potts. This merger does nothing for the actress except make it appear that she is some love sick, executive housekeeper (She even 86’s Stark’s one night stand at an early point in the film.). The viewing audience doesn’t know what to make of Paltrow.
Is she his good friend and potential love interest?
Is she some sort of “mousy” personal assistant with stars in her eyes for the Billionaire employer. I find the character socially gimpy and devoid of any real personality. Zero chemistry with RDJ’s Stark.
And where does this leave Terrence Howard ? He inherits the role of Tony’s hapless friend and by association the squawking dejected and jilted girlfriend.
It’s really not his fault, but Howard’s girlish squeals in a couple of scenes as he yells TOONNY !!… had me rolling in the aisles.
Favreau gives himself a small but serviceable cameo as Stark’s limo driver and paid buddy Happy Hogan. The director does his bit and gets off screen. I can’t say that I didn’t expect to see Favreau pop up somewhere, but it works in this outing (BTW, I loved him as Ben Affleck’s associate in the cinematic television movie “Daredevil ; or D.I.N.O-in name only.).
Of Note: Regarding Special “Extra Paid, Made & Laid” Cameo by Samuel L. Jackson (The Akta’) …[actor is obviously misspelled on purpose.].
SLJ shows up in a post credit sequence that is fast becoming a staple of Marvel Studio projects. It is supposed to be foreboding, but just comes off as a bit of stunt casting … another dig at the fan boys as if Favreau is saying .. “I read the ULITMATES, aint I “kewl” …basically it is what it is. For all of the money they more than likely had to pay SLJ, might as well have inducted him into the cast of the film.
SLJ is a mercenary these days with studios paying him a ton of money to bring “THE COOL” to their films. (Snakes on a Plane all the way baby !)
“JUST GOTTA LOVE THESE PROFESSIONAL COMMENTS FROM SLJ”
Basically IRON MAN the movie feels more like IRON MAN the car commercial. The audience is left wanting in more ways than one, especially anyone who sat through the end credits for the teaser with SLJ (the akta).
I appreciate the fact that John Favreau took on this colossal job he was barely even qualified for and managed to pull off a somewhat entertaining 90 minute trailer for IRON MAN 2.
This film just needed more … from it’s stars and definitely from it’s director.
So that being said … I’ll give the movie two stars even.
IRON MAN
** stars out of five
Review by shadowgeek10