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- First reviewMay 4, 2008
- Last reviewMay 4, 2008
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zed614's Reviews
Overall rating
4
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5
Iron Man delivers
PostedMay 4, 2008
zed614
from louisville
They're pushing the bar way up on superhero movies. Bryan Singer really set a high standard with the first X Men movie, and for the most part, I've not been disappointed with anything since (except maybe some parts of Superman Returns).
This outing, we've got Iron Man.
The only bad thing I can say about this movie is that since it pretty much officially opens the summer movie season, it'll get lost in the mash before the first of June, and that's really too bad.
Because it's that good.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark at first like a grown up brat who has all the toys and knows it. He drinks, womanizes, misses "important" corporate functions to play craps, and generally acts like a swaggering, arrogant jerk. And somehow, Downey makes this partial portrayal of the character not endearing (you're not supposed to like him at this point), but fun and interesting to watch.
Then, after being captured by terrorists and forced to become dependent on a sort of improvised life-support system, he begins to see the real fruits of his labours as the head of the world's largest arms manufacturer. His epiphany isn't a sudden light that appears inside his head, it's almost sneaky in its emergence. Bit by bit, you see Tony become sorry for what he's spent his life doing, and this is when you start liking him. In an ironic (pardon the word) twist, the more time he spends becoming the Iron Man we all know and love, the more human and humane he becomes.
The set piece in the Afghan village is a good example of this (you've seen the bit in the trailer where he shoots a tank, walks away and the tank explodes... that's just the start of it). His transformation from the swaggering jerk he'd been all his life to someone who feels regret that the products his company manufactures cause so much misery that he feels he has to do something about it is complete at this point.
For a comic book character, Downey's portrayal of Stark is so interesting and fun to behold that you don't mind that he doesn't actually spend a lot of time in the armour.
For a comic book character, Downey's portrayal of Stark is so interesting and fun to behold that you don't mind that he doesn't actually spend a lot of time in the armour.
The rest of the performances are also uniformly good. Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes is the best friend and military liaison who feels somewhat betrayed by Stark when Tony decides he doesn't want to make weapons anymore, only to come around when he begins to discover Tony's true intentions. Gwyneth Paltrow is at once vulnerable, tough and even a little "girly" (in the right places), playing Tony's frequently exasperated executive assistant, Pepper Potts. And Jeff Bridges, obviously relishing the chance to play a villain, is great as Obadiah Stane. He starts out being Tony's closest pal and advisor, all the while maneuvering events in the background to get Tony out of the way so that he can take over Stark Industries. His motivation, a sense of betrayal by Tony, is a great jumping-off point for his turn from close friend to worst enemy, and more believable than the role really has a right to be.
Director Jon Favreau has done what few have done before, taken a bottle and captured lightning in it, and the end result is a fine blockbuster that delivers everything its trailers promised and more.
Go see it, you won't be disappointed.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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