Iron Man

Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)

THE SCOOP
Director: Jon Favreau
Plot: When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Awards: Nom. for 2 Oscars - visual effects, sound editing
Runtime: 126min
Rating: PG for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.

IN RETROSPECT
There are three kinds of superhero movies - the excellent, the average, and the utterly forgettable. Ghost Riders and Fantastic Fours are consigned to the latter while Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and Sam Raimi's Spiderman are exclusive to the former. I do not wish to sound pitiful, but Iron Man has a home in an average neighborhood. Tony Stark will beg to differ though. Whatever the case, the release of Iron Man signals the start of the summer blockbusters that will dominate the screens all the way till the end of July. It's not an emphatic start, but it's not a bad one either.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, an enigmatic being and a brilliant creator of high-tech military weapons who has got everything - fame, money, and women - until one day he gets to witness the destruction that his products can do. He's captured by Afghan extremists who demand that he builds a potent missile system for them. Defying the odds, Stark hatches a plan to break free from captivity instead. And out comes Iron Man Version 1.0, a chrome armor-plated suit that can withstand piercing bullets and fiery explosions.

From the start to Iron Man Version 1.0, the movie is an example of top-notch filmmaking. Though it becomes less gritty during the second-third of the film, the energy of Downey Jr.'s performance, and the fascinating technical details that are shown during the construction process of the new Iron Man help to compensate the gritty factor. The final third is a major disappointment though; the head-to-head battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger is a letdown. The fight scenes between them are unspectacular and are sorely lacking in scale, size, and visual impact. Simply put, Iron Man's action sequences pale in comparison to that of Transformers. Hey, Michael Bay is still capable of great things sometimes.

Too much are played for laughs in Iron Man, especially during scenes when Stark is exploring the functions of flight in his lab together with his clever fire-extinguishing equipment. There's a lack of seriousness here which affects the film’s ability to retain its power to compel viewers. Iron Man is likely to meet its box-office expectations, though cinematically, it's far from excellent. Let us pray hard that Iron Man 2 will defy the odds and fare better critically.

SCORE: 6.5/10
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Recommendations: Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010), To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962), The Visitor

Singapore's Most Prolific Film Blogger @ www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-05-08 08:42:03 by eternality_tan

Iron Man Review

Summer movies. The explosions. The huge scale. The ‘amazing’ acting. The beautiful woman, or handsome man. The disappointments. Sadly, all of these apply to Iron Man.

The trouble begins soon off when the “That’s why I don’t know this guy” acting comes in. If anyone has so much as a line, I was saying to myself “I can’t watch!” for all the wrong reasons. Thank god for Robert Downey Jr.’s slick hot shot acting, because without him, this movie would have been much worse. All of the performances seem standard or less, like students showing up for a presentation without knowing the topic. I feel like I am watching a low budget Sci-Fi Channel movie that is more funny than serious, in reference to the acting.

Along with the O.K. performances is a plot as predictable as the latest Disney movie. Tony Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries, is a playboy-hotshot-look-at-me-I-scored-the-touchdown-for-the-millionth-time type of guy. He has so much money that he can afford fully talking and voice commanded robots, as well as planes that can turn into little dance clubs in flight. The movie starts with him being kidnapped, and then puts a leash on the action that the movie will eventually rely on.  It goes back 36 hours to give a whiff of Stark’s life, then returns to the previously shown story. It turns out that terrorists who use and love his weapons kidnap him. They want him to build a super missile. Of course, he doesn’t comply and constructs an Iron Man prototype, escaping the terrorists and eventually “revealing” the true nature of his company. Pass the Campbell’s CANNED Soup.

Iron Man is PG-13, and that means the most appreciative audience should be 13 or older, right? Sure. But what happens when the best parts of the movie are all eye candy and action? How about when those parts “happen” again and again? So much of Iron Man relies  on the nearly too frequent explosions and gunfire. It’s like the non-action is there just to give some balance so critics don’t call it a purely action movie. But it is, because the cookie cutter plot rarely compensates. John Favreau gives the viewer time to digest the story, yet he also gives the audience the time to think ahead and in too much detail. During all of this, I can’t decide where  this movie is trying to go. Political messages “hidden” throughout, action flick, lets-try-to-please-everyone-by-doing-all-of-the-above, or the Starwars I-III special effects orgy? Iron Man succeeds in the Starwars category, because the special effects are still great no matter how many times they are used. Political messages are inserted, too (Big red targets are painted on to help the viewer. Just in case).

Don’t worry; there is good lying in the jumble. Robert Downey Jr.’s acting carries much of the film, though it does result in a little too much. The special effects rock; there is pleasure in watching Stark construct his suit. There are also some parts like a cool science video: Stark breaking the sound barrier, and him shooting terrorists using some sort of mini missile shooting device. Towards the end of the movie intense scenes are somehow there, and they even feel genuine.  Trust me, I really wanted to like this movie.

I know that this has all been a rant, but there is still more. When scenes want to be truly awesome, they need great music, right? Well, Iron Man’s cheesy and definitely not loud enough music pulls the movie down during action sequences. It is a very tricky business doing this music. A canned feeling is not wanted, though you also want the viewer to hear the song and the noises from the movie at the same time. Not many times can a balance be done using rock, so the choice of music genre was really the problem. Most studios that have enough money will have music composed from an orchestra, or at least borrow some from someone else. That’s just one place where Iron Man is mediocre. The fundamental errors result in one hell of a disappointment. I hope John Favreau doesn’t forget all of the missed opportunities next time, too. I hope to god that the sequel is like The Dark Knight: Better.

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Last updated: 2010-04-10 15:50:33 by user01

Iron Man 2008 Film

Iron Man is a 2008 film directed by Jon Favreau which is based on fictional Marvel Comics. The film starred by Robert Downey as Tony Stark who is an industrialist billionaire and master engineer who is captured by terrorists in Afghanistan to build a missile for them. But instead of building a missile he uses his resources to build a powered exoskeleton to make himself escape. Returning to United States, Stark improves his armor and he becomes superhero called Iron Man.

Movie Review : Iron Man

The film was very nice. I really love this. I never thought that it would be more creative and realistic. Once you see this movie you'll love to watch it over and over again. The effects was totally amazing. I'll recommend this movie to everyone. Watch it and you'll never regret because the film is fantastic. I'll rate this film 10 out of 10.

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http://www.favorite-movie-review.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-03-19 07:34:00 by user07

iron man

best comic book movie since batman begins.  say what you will about robert downey, jr, but he makes a pretty good tony stark.  i enjoyed this film from the very beginning.  the soundtrack i think is what caught me.  or maybe it was the explosions and violence.  whatever.

there’s not really much i can say.  other than this movie kicks ass.  i’ve seen some bad comic book movies before.  like x-men 3, but this one is really good.

i’ve never been much of a comic book geek.  i’m pretty geeky, but not in the comic book way.  just never was my thing.  i do like seeing comic characters come to life for the big screen though.  and i put iron man up there with the best of them.  the first x-men, batman begins, superman returns, sin city (although none of the other films mentioned here are quite so dark as sin city-it’s a great comic book to big screen film) etc.  those are all fairly recent pictures but who’s got an attention span any longer than that?

i put it just one notch below my favorite comic book movie.  that is V for Vendetta.  i just love that freaking film.  so politically resounding years and years after the publication of the comic book novella.

but back to iron man…

i almost forgot how attractive gwyneth paltrow is.  she’s really, really something.  she plays tony starks secretary/everything woman.  and she does it with such elogance.  she is stunning.

also stunning is leslie bibb who plays a journalist that ends up in philatroping tony stark’s bed.  nice going tony.

but i think my favorite performance, other than the kick ass CG, is from the dude.  that’s right.  the dude.  jeff bridges turns up here doing the best kris kristofferson knock off i’ve seen since, well, kris kristofferson.  it was about halfway through the movie i figured out it wasn’t kris kristofferson.  imagine kristofferson’s character from blade, only bald and without such a pronounced limp.  that’s the dude, dude.

terrence howard is really good too.  he always is.

this is the first big blockbuster of the season i think.  i’m sure something will knock it off.  something like the dark knight, which looks killer in the previews.  and i’m also pshyched for hellboy 2.  should be a good movie season.

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Cal Reed

Iron Man

Iron Man proves that Marvel is finally getting their act together.

Sidenote: STAY UNTIL THE END OF THE CREDITS.

I wasn't expecting much from this movie. I wasn't expecting to see the finished, red and gold suit until the very end of the movie as a teaser that would lead into the sequel. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the centerpiece of the majority of the movie.

Movie Blurb:

Tony Stark, President of Stark Industries, is kidnapped by terrorists while on a weapon's demonstration run in Afghanistan. The terrorists want him to build them a new missile that can cause massive amounts of damage with just one shot. Instead he builds the armor that helps him escape and improves on that armor when he gets home. The new improved armor helps him clean up the mess Stark Industries has made by making weapons for decades on end.

Robert Downey Jr. made a great Stark, though he's not that hard of a character to play. Tony Stark is womanizing, self-absorbed alcoholic. That describes well over half the male actors in Hollywood today. They just had to pick one with dark hair. ;P

His crap personality aside, Tony is also a super genius in the engineering field. I hope Marvel does a Fantastic Four movie where Iron Man shows up. Tony butting heads with Reed over the design of some something-or-other is fodder for at least half a movie plot.

This movie is a must see and gives me great hope for the summer movies of 2008. It's, above all else, an action movie. But there is comedy and drama and best of all PLOT.

The movie makers dropped plenty of hints for a sequel. In fact, Terrence Howard, the one who played Jim Rhodes, signed on for the movie in hopes of playing in a future Iron Man movie as War Machine -- a spin-off of the Iron Man armor Tony Stark made for his friend.

I'm looking forward to future Iron Man movies and an eventual Avengers movie once all the key players get their solo movies out of the way.

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Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), Avatar, 300

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

Iron Man: The Man Beneath

Robert Downey, Jr., is wonderfully surprising in his personification of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark that helps solidify IRON MAN as one of the best super-hero films to date! Downey sharpens his rapier wit and comic timing and breaths life into a tired genre: one that is too focused on the digital fight sequences and bombastic effects.

This film succeeds when the script allows us access to the characters and we experience their fears, desires, and faults. When we meet Tony Stark, he is a spoiled but likable prodigy who conquers every task (and woman) set before him. But the change is palpable when he is captured and he realizes how empty his life really is and what his legacy shall become. Downey is able to make the emotional adjustment believable and the empathetic link to the audience is achieved. Though we stretch the limits of our disbelief the film works because of the strength of the characterizations.

The use of a contemporary setting works well for the story and the really bad guy turns out not to be from Afghanistan (or anywhere in the Middle East!) but from the good old USA. The relationship between Stark and Pepper (beautifully portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow) is fun with a viable sexual tension that is left unresolved.

Where the film fails is the in the obligatory action scenes and final confrontation. I wish the film had focused on Stark secretly creating the battle-suite and the conflict with Obadiah Stane and the board of directors. But this doesn’t sell tickets to the summer blockbuster crowd. The break with super-hero convention (secret identity) with Stark’s final words was hilarious! Overall, a fun and well acted movie that rises above the rather mundane script. Stay for the entire end credits for an unexpected cameo. Final Grade: (B)

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Recommendations: The Birds, Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960), Funny Games

All reviews copyright Korova, Ltd. Visit Alex at his Home Theatre Blog, http://korovatheatrepresents.blogspot.com/

Strike while "Iron Man" is Hot

Robert Downey Jr. elevates this booming, special-effecty, pyrotechy, summer blockbuster to soaring heights. Tap into your inner child, suspend with disbelief and smile your way through this superhero spectacular. The movie slut did.

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See you at the movies, The Movie Slut

Iron Man

I actually wasn't looking forward to iron Man when the trailer came out. I mean the SFX was cool and all. But Jon Favreau? The guy who directed Elf and Zathura was going to make a comic book movie? And Robert Downey Jr.? I thought the guy died of an overdose or got killed by the cops in 1995. But naw, this film was a pleasant surprise. Matter of fact, I kinda like it.



So Iron Man is the adaptation of the famous Marvel comic book hero. It's about Tony Stark, a billionaire weapons manufacturer who's more of a swinger than a businessman. I mean, I really hate this guy but I wanna be him at the same time. Hahah c'mon who wouldn't want to drive Aston Martins, drink champagne and fuck chicks all day long? So anyway, Tony gets kidnapped by terrorists when he was in Iraq and builds an iron man outfit to escape. Thus sparks the idea of using his creation to help end the war.



Iron Man is cool. Think Spider-Man mixed with Transformers but with a more mature narrative style. The film still retains a light tone though even when it's dealing with serious stuff like war, terrorism, military corruption and vigilantism. The screenplay really funny and Robert Downey Jr. really blew the film out of the park!



Robert Downey Jr. ya'll! You guys probably never heard of him but this man is one of the greatest modern actors. The flip side to this is that he's had a history of drug abuse and arrest warrants. Kind of like Lindsay Lohan but with talent. It's great to see him back and doing a blockbuster for once. Great casting on the production side. Downey brings that wit and charm to Tony Stark. He sold the film for me. Had loads of fun watching him.



Oh and the CGI is fantastic. The scenes of Stark putting on and testing the Iron Man suite is really really awesome and still friggin hilarious. The action scenes were great to. This is where the Transformers part comes in. We get loads of explosions, crashing cars, high-tech robots beating the crap out of each other while puny humans run away. What's not to like?



I love Gwyneth Paltrow. She's my second favorite character besides Tony Stark in the film The two play off each other really well. And some of Downey Jr.'s best scenes where when he was trying to court Pepper Potts. And Gwyneth is smoldering in this film. I mean.. wow.. explosive. So why am I still feeling unsatisfied?



The only thing this film is missing is a chick. Besides Gwyneth of course. Really not much of a complaint here but would it hurt to slide in a female character with a huge rack to complete the movie going experience for me? Sure they had Leslie Bib but she was in there for a few minutes. Take some ques from the Transformer movie and put in a really sexy villain in the next Iron Man.



I like this movie man. Comic book movies are really coming into their own zone these days. Heard The Incredible Hulk movie is going to tie in with iron Man and hopefully we'll be getting an Avangers movie soon. OMG Robert Downey Jr. and Edward Norton in The Avengers? Thank you God!

RATING: 7/10

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NicholasC

Iron Man

This movie is a love letter to blowing things up. It’s not unusual that way. American movies are mostly about explosions. Think of Bruce Willis in Die Hard 4, taking out a helicopter with a car (because he was “out of bullets”). Iron Man has a lot of that spirit; that hell yeah!-enthusiasm when it comes to guns. It’s a fun movie that wants to say no to war, but finds itself led astray by bright lights and loud noises. Robert Downey Jr (playing Iron Man wryly) is like a lot of us in his response to the movie’s jingoistic bombast, figuring irony makes him less culpable. Like a lot of us, he winds up enjoying the explosions. It’s hard to be ethical when you’re a vigilante robot.

Somewhere in Afghanistan, billionaire Tony Stark begins the movie selling weapons. He’s your average genius/playboy/devil-may-care industrialist, a bit like Bruce Wayne after a few drinks and good conscience bypass. But the deal he’s working on goes wrong. His “fun-vee” is ambushed and a group of bad guys capture and torture Stark. After escaping, Stark claims to have had an epiphany. He’ll no longer build weapons… he’ll build himself a robot suit! And kill the guys who stole his weapons! And fight for peace by literally fighting people! Okay, so maybe “epiphany” is the wrong word for what Tony has. Instead, Tony Stark has a Marvel Comics-moment, and realises arms dealing is no fun unless you get to use the arms yourself.

After Johnny Depp became a success (finally) it was never going to be long before fellow louche, success-shy recidivist Robert Downey Jr plumped for a franchise. He plays Iron Man the way he plays most characters, like a smart man thinking: “I’ve come a long way from Weird Science to this.” The movie makes quite a few references to Downey’s past. His line to Gwyneth Paltrow, after she catches him putting on his suit (“Let’s be honest, this isn’t the worst thing you’ve caught me doing”) works double for having Downey say it. He’s the epitome of the guy who isn’t bad so much as not trying to be good.

Gwyneth P, playing Downey’s Girl Friday, is sexy when she wears a backless dress and not quite so Andie MacDowell Jr. as she used to be. She gets a bit lost in the background for much of the movie, but with Robert Downey Jr going head-to-head with Jeff Bridges – that’s hardly surprising.

Even Downey has a fight on his hands trying to stop Bridges hogging scenes. With a shaved head, a walrus-beard, a big cigar and a hidden agenda, Bridges would be a match for Brando in The Missouri Breaks. He plays Obadiah Stane, a man with a name that could only come from a comic book. Like the big friendly bullies Bridges has played in umpteen movies, Stane is a man who says “hi” the way other men threaten murder. He’s an old bastard, someone who’s made their peace with evil. We’re not supposed to know he’s bad at the start, but with a name like Stane, he’s hardly likely to be paternal.

You can’t apply ethics to Die Hard. The best American popcorn movies defy you to think about the real world. So if Iron Man throws in some War on Terror motifs and a group of Afghan terrorists for Tony Stark to fight… it’s no use thinking: but he’s an arms dealer, for Christ’s sake!!This movie wasn’t made to tackle the iniquities of the global arms trade. It was made because the title Iron Man sounds cool… because there’s something about muzzle flashes that’s inherently exciting… for the same reason small boys have bought comic books for eighty years: we want heroes who hit people.

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Iron Man

To prove that I am not a prude and that I actually strive to have fun at the movies I am putting a super hero popcorn movie on my list. This movie is just plain fun, entertaining, fast, action packed and I loved the characters. Robert Downey can do anything I think we can all agree on. Now he can add super hero to his resume and actually he is one of the best ever. It has a great villain in the great Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow looks the best she has in years. This is a super hero who is a fascinating and layered character. I knew nothing about this comic book hero going in so I had fun discovering it here. Now we can add Iron Man to Batman, Superman and Spiderman as the subject of outstanding movies. Also Robert Downey Jr. here as he does in everything he touches just makes you smile and want to follow him anywhere. This joins the list as one of the best super hero movies ever made.

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Vincent Snavely

IRON MAN (2008)

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: After surviving an unexpected attack in enemy territory, jet-setting industrialist Tony Stark builds a high-tech suit of armour and vows to protect the world as Iron Man. Straight from the pages of the legendary comic book, Iron Man is a hero who is built – not born – to be unlike any other!

FILM REVIEW: “Iron Man” is something of a surprise. Given the amount of comic book heroes being given cinematic realisation, this film manages to offer a rather fresh and invigorating superhero unlike any other put to film thus far. A large part of that must go to Robert Downey Jr. who manages to convey the right amount of arrogance, empathy and wit to allow you to believe in his ultra-rich and genius character who manages to build the ultimate weapon for the purpose of doing good in the world. The film is filled with some spectacular visuals, some great action scenes and some wonderful characters which gel together to make a very fun, big Hollywood comic book movie that one can enjoy purely as an entertainment.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is an arrogant billionaire playboy who is also an engineering genius. Through his company he creates the world’s latest weapons. His exotic lifestyle takes a turn for the worse when he is captured by terrorists who are using his weapons to fight America and the free world. Horrified by what he sees, he manages to escape and dedicates his life to putting his talents to good use rather than to profiteering from weapons sales. This does not go down well with his partner Obadiah (Jeff Bridges) who does not want things to change. Building the Iron Man suit, Stark flys out in to the world to stop bad guys from doing their things, leading to some very cool sequences and big spectaculars.
What works so well about this film is the playful tone. One might argue that Tony Stark has a lot in common with Bruce Wayne; they are both playboys, both immensely rich and do not have any superpowers. However Bruce’s story is tragic and dark as he turns becomes Batman, whereas Tony’s is more fun as he uses his arrogance to outsmart the bad guys. Whenever he puts on the suit its just plain cool; he gets to fly around alongside fighter planes, blast bad guys in to oblivion with energy poundings from his hand and fire rockets and guns from his fingertips. Coupled with a rock soundtrack and some very good fight choreography, sequence design and visual effects, and you have a very cool comic book character translated faithfully to the screen.
Robert Downey Jr. is the master-stroke of this film. At its core, “Iron Man” is a film that should only play to five year old boys but somehow Downey Jr manages to make the film more real and accessible to adults. You enjoy watching him go about his business, even if it seems ridiculous that he could be such a genius as to create all these things and pull it off.
The supporting cast are also very good. Jeff Bridges makes for an effective bad guy; he does not reveal himself straight away but you know he will be up to no good with his glaring look. Gwenyth Paltrow is highly effective as Stark’s assistant and manages to get in some good screen time herself with Downey Jr.
Overall, “Iron Man” is a lot of fun, with great action, visuals and characters.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The video transfer for this DVD is sublime, offerring crystal clear pictures, amazing colours with vibrancy and sharpness. The images are glorious to watch. The soundtrack has likewise been brilliantly transferred, making full use of the surrounds with pulsating action sounds that you will hear from every speaker. Overall, this film has been given a great transfer to DVD.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras package on this DVD are good, but tend to be somewhat dry and focusing on the technical aspects of the production. There is a 7-part making of documentary which goes in to the establishment of the character and Marvel’s decision to fully fund the film itself. There is history on the character from the comic books, but by and large, the featurettes move to focus on the creation of Iron Man from a technical standpoint which becomes dry after a little while. There are also some deleted/extended scenes, still galleries, subtitles and trailers. Overall, there is a lot of material here to go through but it’s not all interesting.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.

FILM RATING: 8/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 7/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 7.5/10 

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Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Iron Man [2008] --- 10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/



So I am not a hardcore comic book fan, but I grew up with them and I still remember most of the comics that I owned back when I was a kid. I loved them growing up and if I still had the money today I would still be buying them. But I had to move on with my life. As it turns out that Hollywood realized that there were a bunch of kids like me and that we all would love live-action renditions of our famed comic book heroes.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE! It is hands down one of the best comic books to film translations I have ever seen. There was never a dull moment, there was excitement the whole way through and honestly I cannot give this movie higher praise than I already have.

So they story is basically a weapons dealer Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., goes to some mid-east country and displays his new weapon, but on that journey his convoy gets attacked and he gets kidnapped and the people who kidnapped him want him to build a weapon for them. Well he tricks them by making them think that he is making a weapon, but really he is making an armored suit to get the hell out of there. And it only gets better from there. But by this point in the movie I don’t know anyone who could just get up and leave, and this all happens in about the first 40 minutes of the movie.

The bad guy is actually quite genius, Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges aka The Dude, is Tony Starks business partner and once he finds out about the suit he wants to steal the technology from him and go off on his own. I won’t ruin more than that because this story is epic and worth seeing.

Now the music in this film was f’ing amazing! It was never background noise, but rather you always heard it, but it fit the feel of the movie like almost no music ever does in film. It was one of the few soundtracks that I ever bought.

The other thing that really stood out to me was the massive and insanely detailed graphics. They were beyond impressive and they will stand the test of time. They are so detailed that it actually looks real. And I know that a lot of people never really paid much attention to the HUD(heads up display) but my god that thing gives out so much info on it, it’s insane. The only other movie that passes this one in a sense of graphics is Avatar.

I give straight up props to the director, Jon Favreau. I never knew that he had the ability to direct and I always nailed him as the massive sports fan, fuck comic books kinds guy. But it turns out that he is also a comic book nerd and was doing his best to land this directors spot.

All in all, SEE THIS MOVIE!

Base Score = 10
+1 for Robert Downey Jr.
+1 for a comic book movie
+2 for amazing music
+1 for Amazing graphics
+1 for Jon Favreau
=16/10

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Last updated: 2010-01-13 12:56:44 by Tolll

Iron Man

Finally, a superhero movie that is truly one of the greatest comic book adaptation! Top in my list was X-Men but now this is the one. Since the formation of Marvel studios, seems that their creative directions have gone correct. The whole feel of the movie to sum it all, is logical and possible because Robert Downey Jr does not possess any super power. Maybe his brains are considered hero powers, I ain't sure. Acting wise, Downey was perfectly cast for the role and without him, I couldn't imagine someone so fitting. He defines Iron Man. He is Iron Man. Jon Favreau certainly has a team of credible actors to work with. Award winning Gwyneth Paltrow got this role after Rachel McAdams rejected the offer (I'd prefer McAdams) (not that Paltrow is not good) and it was fun and interesting seeing a bald Jeff Bridges doing a bad guy here. Terence Howard is almost perfect to contrast Downey's laid back character with a strict and disciplined friend/bodyguard. If it's all about the timing, then the jokes were not compromised with obligatory moments. They were just right. Back to Downey Jr. What I enjoyed most was to see him transform from a selfish womaniser to an anti-hero very, very gradually without realising that he had changed in the end. I could watch his Iron Man suit training over and over again at least 10 times. And the whole movie? Anytime, baby.

Rating: 9/10

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Iron Man

The summer kicks off with its first superhero movie of the year, Iron Man. The first film fully produced by Marvel, Iron Man can quite possibly be one of the best superhero movies in recent history. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy that specializes in weapons manufacturing and is known around the world for his callous nature. While showcasing a new weapon in Afghanistan, Stark is kidnapped by a group of terrorists who are forcing him to create a weapon for them to use. But crafty Stark has some tricks up his sleeves, as he instead builds a suit of metal that allows him to destroy anything and everything. Upon his return home, Stark has a revelation about the dangers he has unleashed to the world, and from that moment on he vows to protect those who he has put in harms way. Using the schematics he made in Afghanistan, Tony builds the famous red and gold suit that transforms him into Iron Man. He makes it his job to save the world, and he must start by defeating his double crossing business partner Obediah Stone (Jeff Bridges).

There are so many great things to say about Iron Man, that I have no idea where to begin. I suppose I should start with Robert Downey Jr., who's performance is nothing short of perfect. Downey Jr completely epitomizes all that Stark is: a careless, womanizing, quick witted, minor alcoholic, yet remarkably likeable jerk. Portraying Tony Stark seemed perfectly natural for Downey Jr, and truly was an excellent performance. Throughout the film, he was able to maintain a comedic overtone that fit in remarkably well in between the scenes of action and drama. Jeff Bridges was a very convincing bad guy as Obediah Stone, Tony Stark's business associate that becomes the Iron Monger. Completely unrecognizable as a bald man with a beard, Bridges delivers in superb fashion as Iron Man's nemesis. His supporting role contributed an extra boost to the film, and serves as a very good character foil to Tony Stark. Gwenyth Paltrow is Tony Stark's assistant Pepper Potts, who is practically Tony's only family or friend. Paltrow (looking exceptionally beautiful) was a lot of fun in this film, and did a pretty good job of displaying the confusing feelings she has for her boss. Every superhero has to have their love interest, but another thing that makes this film great is that it doesn't throw the romance at you right away. From watching recent Spiderman and Superman movies, you can see romance has kind of overtaken the plot, leaving the viewer with a feeling of almost disgust. Iron Man does not bend and break to this convention, which I find to be very impressive. Rounding off the cast is Terrance Howard who plays Jim Rhodes, decorated army soldier and also pal of Stark. The only thing I have to say about him is to all you comic fans out there, expect a sidekick in Iron Man 2 (and yes, with 104 million dollars opening weekend there will be one).

When I first heard that Jon Favreu was directing Iron Man, I wasn't too happy. Elf was pretty good, and I don't think anybody saw Zathura, but I just didn't think Favreu had what it took to be a superhero movie director. Well I have never been happier to be proved wrong in my life. Iron Man was extremely well put together, and if their ever is an Avengers movie, Favreu should be the one to direct it. He manages to keep a stable level of intensity throughout the action sequences without an excessive use of CGI. Favreu also made use of a technique that I find very effective, which is lack of music during some fighting scenes. This allowed for us to here every thud and clang made by Iron Man, making me feel as though I was there with him.

Iron Man is not completely a summer action flick with no mind though. It address an issue that is running wild in our day, which is the question of weapons manufacturing. Who are these manufacturers really helping? When Tony Stark starts the movie as a heartless war monger, you believe that there is nothing wrong with trying to protect our country by any means necessary. Yet as the movie continues on and his character arc begins to unfold, you see that that way of thinking is flawed, and that we should try to find an alternative to war. This message lies underneath the movie's exterior, which means it doesn't blatantly shove itself into our minds, so if we want to ignore it, we can.
I saw Iron Man 2 days ago, and in that time I have managed to come up with 0 negative comments to make about this film. The only thing that comes close to a negative comment is that I feel the final battle was a bit too short, but given the magnificent hour and 45 minutes that preceded it, I was still fulfilled. Iron Man doesn't suffer from any of the cliches of action hero cinema. The storyline was engaging and kept my interest thoughout, and will continue to hold my interest for as long as this franchise lives. The script was not complicated, nor was the integrity of the film ruined by special effects (You hear that makers of Spiderman, special effects DON'T make a movie!). Iron Man provides sustained entertainment for all of its (approximate) 2 hour runtime, and I would be more than willing to pay another price of admission to see it again. And a word to the wise, stay for after the credits. It is SO worth it. My Rating: (10/10)

P.S.- I am aware of the fact that I have just given a superhero movie the same rating as No Country For Old Men, The Shining, and A Clockwork Orange. I am not high, this film seriously deserves it.

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Iron Man

Forget The Dark Knight, Iron Man is the best film of the summer, and possibly the year. On top of that, you can count this film as the one that relaunched Robert Downey, Jr.’s career.
Movies based on Marvel superheros tend to be more faithful to the source material (with a few exceptions) especially since they launched Marvel studios. This one is dead on with exception of some modernization of the origin. Once again, though, as with every other super hero movie, they spend too much time on the origin, but it is my understanding that this is the first of a trilogy, so that kind of makes up for it.
Robert Downey, Jr. fully captures Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow has never looked better than she does as Pepper Potts. Terrence Howard is grossly underusedas  James Rhodes, but doesa good job, nonetheless. It’s a shame he won’t be returning for the sequels.
I love the fact that this film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and inserts some levity into the proceedings with the scenes with the constriction of the Iron Man armor and Stark’s robotic help.
Obadiah Stane is a despicable character in the comic and may be even more so on screen thanks to Jeff Bridges. He really brings a trustable evil to the role.
This is my favorite film of 2008 so far. I think it’s head and shoulders above The Dark Knight, and its high time people realize that. I highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed

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