Eric D. Snider
Iron Man
Movie Review
"Iron Man"
Review by Eric D. Snider
Grade: B
Rating: PG-13
Released: Thursday, May 1, 2008
Directed by:
Cast:
Score one for the underdogs: "Iron Man" is certainly not the most well-known or beloved title in the Marvel comic book canon, yet the film adaptation proves to be as plucky, as confident, and as polished as if it were the keystone. If it lacks a little oomph in the story department, or if you could wish for maybe one more action sequence, Robert Downey Jr.'s dynamo central performance makes overlooking those slight flaws an easy thing to do.
Downey plays Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy and brilliant engineer whose company's lucrative weapons-manufacturing business has earned him the nickname "Merchant of Death." But Tony Stark doesn't care. Everything about him -- his sardonic patter, his Scotch-watered eyes, his Malibu beach palace -- proclaims that he doesn't care.
It's while he's on a visit to the Middle East, demonstrating Stark Industries' latest stuff-blowing-up advancements, that Tony starts to care. He has a life-altering experience with a squad of particularly nasty terrorists who want to use his engineering prowess for evil; he uses it to outsmart them and live to drink another day. But he returns to the U.S. a changed man, declaring as soon as he's back that Stark Industries will no longer manufacture weapons. His business partner and one-time mentor, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), astutely points out that this will be quite a liability for a weapons-manufacturing company.
But Tony had an epiphany while he was in captivity, and now he sets to work perfecting a big, awesome-looking suit made of titanium and steel and stuff (not actually iron, he points out later). This suit, which makes him look a bit like a Power Ranger, has rocket boosters in the feet and stabilizers in the hands, and he can also shoot ... um ... power laser energy force wave thingees out of the hands. No effort is made to explain any of the science, and I probably wouldn't understand it anyway. Trust me, it's cool.
Tony doesn't have a specific objective in mind when he builds the suit, but he finds a mission almost immediately after its completion when the terrorists who held him begin attacking small villages in the Middle East with weapons his company designed. His one-man-army tactics gain the attention of the U.S. military, including Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), an old friend of Tony's, and his company's connection to military buyers. They also rile up Obadiah, who you can tell has ulterior motives because he shaves his head but wears a beard.
Like many origin stories, "Iron Man" is focused more on character and story than on action sequences, and you'll be disappointed if you go in expecting wall-to-wall explosions and fights. Nonetheless, the action sequences we do get are terrific, high on thrills and low on excess just for the sake of excess. Jon Favreau's directorial credits -- which include "Elf" and "Zathura" -- have blended comedy, fantasy, and special effects; "Iron Man" turns out to be a natural extension of his talents.
It's a good fit for Downey, too. Granted, playing a charming, heavy-drinking playboy isn't much of a stretch, but he also imbues Tony Stark with just enough real emotion to give him some substance. This is a man who can get just as many laughs interacting with the non-speaking robotic arms that help him create the suit as he does interacting with his faithful assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). (And it's nice to see Paltrow being fun and light, too.)
There's every chance "Iron Man" will become a franchise (it ends with some tantalizing sequel ideas), and I suspect part 2 will be even better. Part 1 stands well on its own, and it's a bonus that the non-action scenes are funny and entertaining rather than just valleys between adrenaline peaks. Could the story line be a little stronger, more straightforward? Yeah, sure. It could use better villains, too. But hey, that suit -- you can't go wrong with that suit.
Grade: B
Rated PG-13, a lot of action violence; nothing terribly graphic, but there is a lot of it; also some brief mild sexuality
2 hrs., 6 min.
Copyright © Eric D. Snider.
This work may not be transmitted via the Internet, nor reproduced in any other way, without written consent from Eric D. Snider.
This item has 19 comments
May 1, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I'm looking forward to this one.
May 2, 2008 at 5:25 am
Saw it Wednesday night. So many good things about it, with a few disappointments.
Theme is the strongest element of the Spider-man and X-Men films, and Iron Man squandered it's thematic potential. Favreau laced all the thematic points (the pilot makes the jet; "power" and "heart") but probably too subtly by not wrapping them together at the end with a "great power"/"great responsibility" line from Aunt May.
The amount of character exposition means there almost certainly will be a sequel. Iron Man feels more like a pilot episode than a summer blockbuster.
Downey was the best part of the film. I kept imagining, "What if this was Ben Affleck, or Justin Timberlake, or Freddie Prinze, Jr."
It would have sucked.
Favreau's directing was so raw and tasteful.
What if Michael Bay had directed? Awful.
I hope people go out to see it, because I'd like to see the next installment.
May 2, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Amazing, only complaint was camera shots in final fight seen
May 3, 2008 at 6:16 am
I actually went expecting to be bored by it, but knowing it would entertain my 5 yr old nephew. I was so surprised that I actually liked it!! I didn't think Downey could pull off the whole "action hero" genre, but he did & did it well. Oh & my nephew sat still for the whole thing, which means it was a hit!
May 3, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Saw this last night. This was such a good, fun, superhero movie. I'd forgotten how much fun I could have watching a superhero movie after bombs like Spider-man 3, the Fantastic Four installments, Ghost Rider and others. This film, though, was so genuine and interesting I walked out of the theater feeling like a kid again.
May 3, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Saw this movie last night. Really entertaining. I agree with Eric and Peter...Downey did a great job portraying this superhero. My only complaint was that Howard seemed a little fruity and the very ending was kinda lame. With that said it was still totally worth seeing in the theater!
May 3, 2008 at 11:58 pm
For the record, Peter (# 2), it was Uncle Ben who delivers the great power/great responsibility line in Spiderman.
And I'm looking forward to this one too. I didn't hear too much about it until a few days ago, but it looks like it's getting good reviews from the critics. At the very least, it's worth going to see as a matinee next weekend.
May 4, 2008 at 2:44 am
Those of you looking for a "great power/great responsibility" line might do well to pay attention to his bearded cavemate next time you watch the film. I won't give anything away, but he's probably the mentor of the film, rather than Obadiah.
Great movie. It's nice to see a superhero worrying about something other than their girlfriend.
May 5, 2008 at 1:22 am
"I walked out of the theater feeling like a kid again." -Tyler!
Totally. :)
"It was Uncle Ben who delivers the great power/great responsibility line." -Amerpsand
Oops. :(
"Those of you looking for a "great power/great responsibility" line might do well to pay attention to his bearded cavemate next time you watch the film." -Clumpy
That's true. But I felt that was just another point laid out in the first act, to be wrapped up later. Sub-plots come together at the end, and theme does too, so that the main character's transformation is fully understood.
I shouldn't have reduced the importance of theme to a "line from Aunt May." Spider-Man 2 was moving to me because it was so rich in theme in a cathartic, empowering way. Like Tyler! said: the sort of film that makes you leave the theater renewed and enriched. I feel like the Favreau juggled several elements, theme being one, and brought them all to truncated, understated finale, which is why I say the film feels more like a pilot, and will almost certainly be followed by future installments. ($200 million gross in opening weekend...? Not bad!)
More on Downey...
1. I thought Jeff Bridges' acting veered down Hulk-Nolte territory toward the end, huffing and puffing like a big bad wolf. It flattened the muti-dimensionality his character had already achieved and steered the genre toward the melodramatic.
2. The old man in the cave's acting wasn't particularly noteworthy.
3. Nor was the head terroritst's.
4. Nor was Tony Stark's military friend.
5. Nor was Paltrow.
6. Nor were any other supporting roles (military, journalists).
Look at how Downey lifted this film. Indeed, some of my favorite moments were when no one else was on screen.
May 6, 2008 at 6:58 pm
My favorite line in the movie: "I got stuck doing a piece for Vanity Fair". Downey was transcendent as Tony Stark, probably the best work of his career.
May 11, 2008 at 2:20 am
"IRON MAN WAS A BLAST!" You people on this site are "PICKY PICKY PICKY."
I'm glad this wasn't a la "CUTESY SPIDERMAN MOVIE." Finally Hollywood comes out with a movie for everyone. Iron Man is funny, serious, has great special effects,
a great soundtrack and terrific acting by Robert Downey Jr. "WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?" Hollywood came through this time people. You can really tell they tried to please all ages. I can no way complain. Iron Man was pure entertainment and "THIS TIME" I give Hollywood credit for their effort and Eric you should have too with a "A" review rating. "Shame on you!"
May 11, 2008 at 5:29 am
Mister Jackk, keeper of the CAPS - a movie having no significant flaws does not guarantee it an "A" rating. Noticing plot points and potential inconsistencies, and things that you wish had been improved upon to some level is perfectly valid and a fun part of filmwatching.
Your post is fantastically-fractured and transcends art. Are you Tim Nasson?
May 11, 2008 at 5:38 am
Finally saw the movie this afternoon, and Eric's review was spot on. It doesn't have the weight of, say, Spiderman because it doesn't have much of an overarching theme. But that doesn't mean that it's not a blast to watch. I laughed out loud many times, and the special effects are astoundingly realistic and well-done. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Stark really makes the movie, and Gwyneth Paltrow is pretty good too. She plays a good sassy secretary, but I thought she could have done a better job during the climax of the movie. ****SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT***** If a massive hulk of iron is running after me and trying to kill me, you'd better bet that A. I'd look pretty scared and B. I would have kicked off those four-inch high heels. *****END SPOILER*****
Oh, and make sure you stay through the end of the credits, too.
May 12, 2008 at 7:28 pm
The villain always has facial hair. That's how you can tell (makes me wonder about my bishop...).
May 13, 2008 at 3:55 am
Well, I'm not sure that that's a reflexive property - the villain always has facial hair, but people with facial hair are not always villains. Look at Hellboy's li'l goatee.
May 16, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Um, and Tony Stark's goatee? It's the shaved head + goatee that does it.
June 4, 2008 at 6:01 am
My favorite line: "If you douse me again and I'm not actually on fire, I'm donating you to a city college."
I agreed with the review in that the movie doesn't have significant emotional weight, and also with the commenter who said that it felt a bit like a pilot episode of a TV series. Valid criticisms withstanding, what an exciting pilot it was! I enjoyed it very much, definitely one of the better movies I've seen in the theater this year. I thought all the schematics and whatnot regarding the design of the suit were very interesting though, and hopefully a sequel would be able to manufacture another side story like that to keep me interested. I think a B is a bit low though, this one would get B+ from me I think (but what do I know).
June 23, 2008 at 8:42 pm
We liked it very much. It was entertaining, funny, and Robert Downey Jr. did a great job.
July 2, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I really enjoyed it I think this film deserved an A- IT reminds me of transformers when I saw the comercial I thought It would be awfull but when I saw it I really enjoyed it. True IT had a few flaws but I don't think it could beat that comment by megan fox about the cars engine. Over all an excelent film just as long as you dont expect tons of emotion from it.