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SUMMARY:
Alcoholic playboy Tony Stark (Robert
Downey, Jr.) is also a maker of the world’s most sophisticated
munitions. But a trip to Afghanistan to sell his latest weapon turns
into a series of events that change his life forever. Sorry to be so
vague, but I don’t want any spoilers in this review.
STEVE SAYS:
Welcome, IRON MAN, to the pantheon of
screen superheroes worthy of an on-going franchise. What has always been
a second-level character in the Marvel Comics universe is vaunted into
the front lines, thanks to an intelligent, well-conceived and action
packed script by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt
Holloway. But the real reason audiences will love IRON MAN is because of
Robert Downey, Jr.’s spot-on performance as wealthy reprobate Tony
Stark. Downey is the epitome of cool in this role, facile with a quip
and action-ready. But because Downey is a no-kidding-around actor, he
imbues Stark with a sense of fragility. That’s an interesting trait for
a superhero.
No small amount of credit should go to director/actor Jon Favreau
(SWINGERS), who assembled a top-shelf cast. When you have a line-up like
Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrance Howard (HUSTLE AND
FLOW), you can’t miss on the acting front. But coupling those skills up
to a good script is a license to print money. Favreau just moved himself
to the top of the A-list directors.
As you would expect, there is a plethora of special effects from start
to finish. But as is always the case in a successful movie in this
genre, the effects don’t overwhelm the story. They serve it well without
taking center stage.
One of the best things about IRON MAN is that it doesn’t ask too much of
me when it comes to suspending my disbelief. I am not expected to accept
a giant monster villain made of sand (SPIDER-MAN 3) or the extreme
behavior of BATMAN’s Joker. Here, the villains are the kind of people we
see in real life. As for Stark, he doesn’t have to be bitten by a spider
or born on another planet in order to acquire his super powers. He
builds them, using his own particular brand of genius. That makes him a
resourceful hero, who begins his career because of a moral epiphany
rather than an accident of birth or nature.
In the superhero genre, origin stories can be boring and pedantic. Here
they are filled with action and arresting characters. In IRON MAN’s
Marvel comics universe, Stark was launched onto the superhero path while
visiting Vietman. Here, the screenwriters update the conflict to
Afghanistan. But the essential elements of the IRON MAN genesis are all
in place.
Paltrow, Bridges and Howard all perform their roles well, though
Howard’s could use a little more development. The net result is an
action superhero movie that will leave you wanting to see it more than
once. Considering an opening weekend that broke a hundred million
dollars, the cash registers at Paramount and Marvel should be ringing
for sometime to come.
Finally, while I am a lifelong Superman fan, I have to admit that IRON
MAN may be the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen. If you dig the
genre, you can’t help but be swept up in a finely rendered IRON MAN.
Everything clicked into place for this one.
* * * *
PATTY SAYS:
Tony Stark isn’t Superman and he for
sure isn’t Batman. He’s a rich, smart, hunky guy who has so many notches
on his headboard that he must be sleeping with his mattress on the
floor. He’s smart and he’s charming with lightning quick wit and a
complete disregard for rules if they don’t serve his purpose. The
audience likes him almost immediately. So when he uses his creativity
and intellect to become more than human, we don’t forget that there’s a
guy in the suit that we like. I’m not a comic geek so this was my first
introduction to Tony Stark’s IRON MAN. Can you believe that Steve got me
out of hiatus for this flick? I’m so glad he did.
The special effects are magnificent, the
cast is pitch perfect but I was most impressed by the script. There is
enough action to satisfy any adrenalin junkie and they are able to tell
a very complex story without the linear presentation of most of the
comic book films. I was never bored, frequently surprised and always
entertained. The dialogue was particularly smart. There was just enough
to develop the characters but nothing extraneous to clutter up the
story. It is Ray Eames vs. Tiki bar.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. had great chemistry. Downey’s
performance was perfection. He is as sexy as he is smart. Paltrow deftly
volleyed dialogue as the smart and minimalist Pepper Potts. She was a
perfect complement to Downey’s pared down affect. The two played off one
another brilliantly.
Until Steve explained the parallel
origin story in the IRON MAN comic, I was bummed that the bad guys were
middle easterners. It’s not like we don’t have enough hate going on. I
worry that little kids (and adults with the brains of little kids) won’t
be able to make the distinction between terrorists and middle easterners
who are not terrorists. I get it now, but I still worry. Michael Caine
once said about Superman and Batman: “The former is how America views
itself, the latter, darker character is how the rest of the world views
America."
Go see IRON MAN. It’s funny, it’s smart
and it’s pretty friggin’ entertaining.
* * * *
May 5, 2008
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