Iron Man opens in theaters
Downey shines in sharp, cerebral superhero epic
Robert Downey Jr. is absolutely excellent. The film represents a departure from the traditional comic book movie formula. Acting and script get credence over action.
Iron Man Movie Review
"Iron Man" is a comic book movie that doesn't know it's a comic book movie, or at least won't allow itself to be weighed down by this fact. Instead of simply perpetuating the "bombast=bucks" formula that has produced so many summer blockbusters, actor-turned-director Jon Favreau ("Elf" "Zathura") has added brains to the equation and crafted a superhero epic that is as sharply witted as it is spectacular.
While the film's story resembles the architecture of most other comic book films, its energy is something brand new for the genre. Favreau and his cast clearly have not taken a summer action movie vacation, but treat the film as a rowdy character piece which is as dazzling as most comic book movies and smarter than any other I've seen.
Leading the charge is the remarkable Robert Downey Jr., who owns his character of Tony Stark, the millionaire industrialist turned iron clad superhero, like no other actor since Johnny Depp unleashed Capt. Jack Sparrow upon the world. But unlike Depp's work in the "Pirates" movies, no one on this production feels like they are straining to keep up; Favreau never seems to be reigning Downey in, but instead allows the film to feed off of his energy, to the point where every actor seems to be working without a net in the same way that he is.
Plot Synopsis
The plot sets up Stark as a millionaire weapons manufacturer heavy on decadence and light on morality. A womanizing engineer and businessman, he sells weapons all over the world with little thought of the consequences this may have. When demonstrating his latest weapon for buyers in Afghanistan, Stark's convoy is ambushed by Afghani rebels who hold him captive in the mountains, demanding that he build his weapon for them.
He instead builds an impenetrable suit (you've seen the trailers, you know what it does) to escape from his captors. After a throw down where he torches their mountain hideaway with the suit, Stark is found in the desert by U.S. troops and shipped back to the states. Stark is transformed by his experience in captivity, and announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons, which turns the villainous Obadiah Stane (a bald but bearded Jeff Bridges) from friend to foe.
Stark also constructs another suit upon return home, which he then uses to fight for truth, justice, and all the other stuff that Marvel superheroes traditionally fight for. He also tries to strike up a not-so-professional relationship with his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), a plucky damsel who helps uncover Stane's plot to take over the company and destroy Iron Man.
Iron Man shoots higher than most comic book movies
"Iron Man" represents a high point that this genre has needed for a long time. Since the comic book movie was revitalized with the "Spiderman" and "X-Men" franchises, it has seen its high points ("X2" "Spiderman 2"), its low points ("Fantastic Four" "Daredevil"),
and its absolutely abysmal points ("Spiderman 3"). For many of these films, the focus has been on massive special effects and action movie bombast, rather than good character work and a solid script.
With "Iron Man," Favreau shows us that just as much success can be reaped from the ladder as the former. The film has a fair amount of action scenes, but they never feel repetitive or like the filmmakers are trying to keep the audience awake. With sequences of Iron Man speeding away from fighter planes or Stark's final battle with Stane, it is clear Favreau has emphasized quality over quantity.
