IRON MAN
IRON MAN
2008
PG-13
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Reasons to see Iron Man:
1. Robert Downey Jr.
2. THE SUIT (and SFX, which are staggeringly awesome)
3. The terrific supporting cast
4. Paul Bettany does the voice of JARVIS, the snarky home computer
5. Did I mention ROBERT DOWNEY JR.?
Okay, okay, so I'm a little biased. I have been a raging Robert Downey Jr. fan for years, so I'm usually going to love anything he's in (A Scanner Darkly notwithstanding). But believe me when I say he did a knock-out job as Tony Stark. He conveyed just the right amount of playboy self-destruction in the first half and committed-superhero-angst in the second. He was funny, charming, devilish, heartbroken, and BOOYAH KICK-ASS. And pretty damn sexy. PHWOAR ANVILS.
For those who know nothing about Iron Man, here's the basic premise: Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is a multi-billionaire playboy who owns Stark Industries, the foremost provider of new weapons technology around the world. Tony's extremely smart -- a child prodigy, in fact -- when it comes to machines. However, most of his life has been spent in dissolute, destructive indulgences: he sleeps around, boozes, and shows little or no concern for the world as a whole.
This all changes after he's taken hostage by a terrorist group in the Middle East. A kindly doctor who saves his life -- by inserting a very superhero-esque battery pack in his chest that keeps his heart going -- opens his eyes to his company's destructive legacy. Tony creates a massively awesome metallic suit to escape the terrorists and henceforth dedicates his life to saving the people his weapons have put in harm's way. He's aided in his quest by his loyal Girl Friday and assistant Pepper Potts (Paltrow), life-long pal Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Howard), and snarky computer system JARVIS (voiced by Paul Bettany).
I loved this film. I liked the dashes of humor, was impressed by the performances -- Paltrow brings a level of sophistication and intelligence to Pepper, who could have easily been a two-dimensional character, and Jeff Bridges has just the right amount of fatherly-twinkle/darkness in his scenes --, and the suit-up sequence with the finished Iron Man suit is perhaps one of the coolest/sexiest scenes ever put on screen. I dare you to see this and not long for a super suit of your own. Favreau and the writers also managed a strong balance for a first film in what's sure to be a series. The first half is devoted to backstory and Tony's trasnformation, and the second to his creation and application of the revamped suit. With too much or too little of either, the film might have failed. This is also one of the few films that improves with re-watchings; I'll admit that I enjoyed the second viewing more than the first because I appreciated the nuances and foreshadowings more, and was able to focus on different details.
All that being said, I know there are some who would find the humor too over-the-top (as my pal Twaddle admitted as we left the theatre Friday), or feel that the film was lacking a little something. However, I think that it's a solid start for Iron Man, and that it set up enough to make future installments even stronger. And, let's face it, Robert Downey Jr. IS Iron Man.
I never really read the Iron Man comics. I knew the basic premise of the story before entering the theatre, but you could walk in knowing absolutely nothing and still have fun. For the geeky faithful there are plenty of references to tantalize -- and be sure to stay until after the credits for a bonus scene that will set your mouths to drooling in anticipation of the next movie (there's sure to be at least one sequel).
Overall, I give Iron Man a 4.5/5. It's definitely one to see again in the theatres and buy as soon as it comes to DVD.
2008
PG-13
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Reasons to see Iron Man:
1. Robert Downey Jr.
2. THE SUIT (and SFX, which are staggeringly awesome)
3. The terrific supporting cast
4. Paul Bettany does the voice of JARVIS, the snarky home computer
5. Did I mention ROBERT DOWNEY JR.?
Okay, okay, so I'm a little biased. I have been a raging Robert Downey Jr. fan for years, so I'm usually going to love anything he's in (A Scanner Darkly notwithstanding). But believe me when I say he did a knock-out job as Tony Stark. He conveyed just the right amount of playboy self-destruction in the first half and committed-superhero-angst in the second. He was funny, charming, devilish, heartbroken, and BOOYAH KICK-ASS. And pretty damn sexy. PHWOAR ANVILS.
For those who know nothing about Iron Man, here's the basic premise: Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is a multi-billionaire playboy who owns Stark Industries, the foremost provider of new weapons technology around the world. Tony's extremely smart -- a child prodigy, in fact -- when it comes to machines. However, most of his life has been spent in dissolute, destructive indulgences: he sleeps around, boozes, and shows little or no concern for the world as a whole.
This all changes after he's taken hostage by a terrorist group in the Middle East. A kindly doctor who saves his life -- by inserting a very superhero-esque battery pack in his chest that keeps his heart going -- opens his eyes to his company's destructive legacy. Tony creates a massively awesome metallic suit to escape the terrorists and henceforth dedicates his life to saving the people his weapons have put in harm's way. He's aided in his quest by his loyal Girl Friday and assistant Pepper Potts (Paltrow), life-long pal Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Howard), and snarky computer system JARVIS (voiced by Paul Bettany).
I loved this film. I liked the dashes of humor, was impressed by the performances -- Paltrow brings a level of sophistication and intelligence to Pepper, who could have easily been a two-dimensional character, and Jeff Bridges has just the right amount of fatherly-twinkle/darkness in his scenes --, and the suit-up sequence with the finished Iron Man suit is perhaps one of the coolest/sexiest scenes ever put on screen. I dare you to see this and not long for a super suit of your own. Favreau and the writers also managed a strong balance for a first film in what's sure to be a series. The first half is devoted to backstory and Tony's trasnformation, and the second to his creation and application of the revamped suit. With too much or too little of either, the film might have failed. This is also one of the few films that improves with re-watchings; I'll admit that I enjoyed the second viewing more than the first because I appreciated the nuances and foreshadowings more, and was able to focus on different details.
All that being said, I know there are some who would find the humor too over-the-top (as my pal Twaddle admitted as we left the theatre Friday), or feel that the film was lacking a little something. However, I think that it's a solid start for Iron Man, and that it set up enough to make future installments even stronger. And, let's face it, Robert Downey Jr. IS Iron Man.
I never really read the Iron Man comics. I knew the basic premise of the story before entering the theatre, but you could walk in knowing absolutely nothing and still have fun. For the geeky faithful there are plenty of references to tantalize -- and be sure to stay until after the credits for a bonus scene that will set your mouths to drooling in anticipation of the next movie (there's sure to be at least one sequel).
Overall, I give Iron Man a 4.5/5. It's definitely one to see again in the theatres and buy as soon as it comes to DVD.