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- First reviewMay 2, 2008
- Last reviewMay 2, 2008
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RycheNNole's Reviews
Overall rating
5
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5
Iron Man starts Summer with a bang
PostedMay 2, 2008
RycheNNole
The influx of superhero movies this decade seems to gain more steam as we get further into it. The fact that most of them are highly successful doesn’t hurt. But there are only a handful that can transcend their genre and genuinely be called great films. Superman: The Movie, Spiderman, & Batman Begins are a few in that elite class. Iron Man is not as commercial or as well known as those 3 characters, but it has a uniqueness about it that separates it from the others. Superman is the quintessential superhero, Batman & Spiderman are loved because they are men who happen into their fate. Iron Man is the anti-hero that many do not expect.
Robert Downey Jr., has had plenty of trouble in his life. This helps him in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man. Stark has demons, plenty of them. He’s a womanizing alcoholic who had a warmonger for a father. Downey’s problems make him the perfect cast choice here. Jeff Bridges is Starks right-hand man Obadiah Stane and he carries the role with a grit I did not think was in him anymore. Bridges does his best work when it is obvious he’s having fun because when he’s having fun he is completely in his role. He overacted a bit in some scenes, but I actually think that helped, rather than the opposite. Gwyneth Paltrow has some great performances and some that make you want to rip something apart. She is so convincing here as Pepper Potts (Tony Stark’s personal assistant), I wanted to be Stark myself. She's loyal, trusting, can be trusted, and cares. That's a pedigree any man would want. Terrance Howard is Stark’s best friend Colonel Jim Rhodes. Being in the military is an advantage to Stark, but that advantage takes some interesting turns throughout the film. Besides Stark, Rhodes is the most dynamic character in the film and it was a joy to watch him. The supporting cast, while not well-known did their part to make this film work. Shaun Toub as Yinsen was what many of us hope to be. Leslie Bibb as the annoying reporter was just that and she did it well. The cast as an ensemble bring a depth to Iron Man’s universe that could have easily never been showcased. Ghost rider, Hulk, and other superhero films failed because of this. The character development, depth, and creativity all helped bring this film alive and made it ‘real.’ When a superhero film feels real, that is when it sits among the best because we the audience connect with it.
The film had many good qualities that made it better and better. The screenplay was amazing. With no less than four writing the script, it easily could have gotten diluted and weak. But it was anything but. There was a terrific amount of unexpected wit, stagnant one-liners and corn was left out, loyalty to the origin story (as far as I know of it) was in tact, and the drama necessary for such a film was present, but not over boding. The screenplay left it open-ended for a possible sequel, but it was also strong enough to also be an ending. Either way it was effective. The direction by Jon Favreau is pretty tight and rarely loose. And ironically enough, when it is loose, the acting carry the scene so well that it is barely noticeable and the score sometimes drifts you beyond it. The score has no major themes and isn’t up to Williams’ Superman by any means, but it is subtle and very effective, which is what Iron Man really needed. A sweeping score like a Superman or a brooding one like Howard & Zimmer’s Batman films would bring a cheese to the film that it really needed to avoid. Subtlety but engaging was perfect.
There were a few characters that were stereotypical to our world and weren’t anything on the scale of a Luthor, Joker, or Green Goblin. In that way, it is easier to identify with them as dangerous people, but it is also a two-edged sword as some viewers may not want to see real life villains and would prefer escapism. To go further, they really weren’t all that menacing in this reality either-dangerous yes, but pure evil-I never really saw that much.
Iron Man isn’t a run-of-the-mill superhero and the film is not one to take lightly. The anti-hero abounds in many of us and it is a treat to see a man that is so fallible make a strong difference … even if that man and said difference isn’t perfect. All the elements were put together so well, that it is impossible to not place it among the elite films in the superhero genre. It is so well done that one may actually realize that it is one of the best films this year and certainly starts the Summer of 2008 off with a bang that many thought only Indiana Jones could bring.
Thumbs Up!
94 on a 100 Scale
Robert Downey Jr., has had plenty of trouble in his life. This helps him in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man. Stark has demons, plenty of them. He’s a womanizing alcoholic who had a warmonger for a father. Downey’s problems make him the perfect cast choice here. Jeff Bridges is Starks right-hand man Obadiah Stane and he carries the role with a grit I did not think was in him anymore. Bridges does his best work when it is obvious he’s having fun because when he’s having fun he is completely in his role. He overacted a bit in some scenes, but I actually think that helped, rather than the opposite. Gwyneth Paltrow has some great performances and some that make you want to rip something apart. She is so convincing here as Pepper Potts (Tony Stark’s personal assistant), I wanted to be Stark myself. She's loyal, trusting, can be trusted, and cares. That's a pedigree any man would want. Terrance Howard is Stark’s best friend Colonel Jim Rhodes. Being in the military is an advantage to Stark, but that advantage takes some interesting turns throughout the film. Besides Stark, Rhodes is the most dynamic character in the film and it was a joy to watch him. The supporting cast, while not well-known did their part to make this film work. Shaun Toub as Yinsen was what many of us hope to be. Leslie Bibb as the annoying reporter was just that and she did it well. The cast as an ensemble bring a depth to Iron Man’s universe that could have easily never been showcased. Ghost rider, Hulk, and other superhero films failed because of this. The character development, depth, and creativity all helped bring this film alive and made it ‘real.’ When a superhero film feels real, that is when it sits among the best because we the audience connect with it.
The film had many good qualities that made it better and better. The screenplay was amazing. With no less than four writing the script, it easily could have gotten diluted and weak. But it was anything but. There was a terrific amount of unexpected wit, stagnant one-liners and corn was left out, loyalty to the origin story (as far as I know of it) was in tact, and the drama necessary for such a film was present, but not over boding. The screenplay left it open-ended for a possible sequel, but it was also strong enough to also be an ending. Either way it was effective. The direction by Jon Favreau is pretty tight and rarely loose. And ironically enough, when it is loose, the acting carry the scene so well that it is barely noticeable and the score sometimes drifts you beyond it. The score has no major themes and isn’t up to Williams’ Superman by any means, but it is subtle and very effective, which is what Iron Man really needed. A sweeping score like a Superman or a brooding one like Howard & Zimmer’s Batman films would bring a cheese to the film that it really needed to avoid. Subtlety but engaging was perfect.
There were a few characters that were stereotypical to our world and weren’t anything on the scale of a Luthor, Joker, or Green Goblin. In that way, it is easier to identify with them as dangerous people, but it is also a two-edged sword as some viewers may not want to see real life villains and would prefer escapism. To go further, they really weren’t all that menacing in this reality either-dangerous yes, but pure evil-I never really saw that much.
Iron Man isn’t a run-of-the-mill superhero and the film is not one to take lightly. The anti-hero abounds in many of us and it is a treat to see a man that is so fallible make a strong difference … even if that man and said difference isn’t perfect. All the elements were put together so well, that it is impossible to not place it among the elite films in the superhero genre. It is so well done that one may actually realize that it is one of the best films this year and certainly starts the Summer of 2008 off with a bang that many thought only Indiana Jones could bring.
Thumbs Up!
94 on a 100 Scale
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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