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Year Released 2008
Duration 126
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Iron Man
Editorial ReviewMovie Summary
Rated:
M
Director:
Jon Favreau
Starring:
Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard
Editorial Review
Iron Man is a superhero for the 21st Century. Or, at least under Jon Favreau's direction, the once Vietnam War hero is now. Tony Stark's world is recognisably our own. It's a place where an asshole billionaire arms merchant cossets himself from the effects of his trade with blithe platitudes, while the US military, a fawning Vanity Fair magazine and pole-dancing stewardesses queue up to give him blow jobs.
Tony Stark's playboy life may be a comic-book reader's fantasy, but Favreau and Downey ensure his emptiness and culpability are always visible beneath the glib exterior. And reality intrudes the way it has on the American imperial fantasy in the form of a devastating IED and attack on a Humvee patrol in Afghanistan. Iron Man is all about blowback and secret war profiteering.
On the face of it, Downey Jr is too an unusual choice for a superhero. But his facile, self-centred style suits Stark well, he doesn't push tongue too far into cheek, and his personal baggage adds to the notion that the character's a party animal forced to dig deeper. Downey Jr's surrounded by a stellar cast who'd more usually be found in an A-list ensemble drama. A bald, bearded Jeff Bridges does the best as Obadiah Stane, Stark's aide-de-camp. Gwyneth Paltrow labours honourably as Stark's doe-eyed P.A. Pepper Potts and Terrence Howard plays raspy military liaison Rhodes. The other star is the suit, and it's an enjoyably believable fx achievement, part RoboCop, part Predator drone and part temperamental jalopy.
Favreau grounds fans and newbies with a lengthy origin sequence, safe in the knowledge that it's an exciting, self-contained bit of action, drama and character development. Directors from Michael Bay down could take note of how to stage big action and not lose your humans amid spectacle.
Michael Adams
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6 comments
melbants: great movie,will probably buy DVD (14 May 2008)
Liam: Great film, with a slow yet appropriate start and a great build up leading to a firework finish. Loved it. (13 May 2008)
Mark: Not my favourite Marvel character but this is one of the best superhero movies ever released. Downey Jr makes a very good movie even better. (05 May 2008)
Rizal Dua Darah: Good film...er, sorry, movie. These films are now hybrids - they're like a big budget film in the shape of the opening 2hr spec. ep. of a new TV series. Nothing wrong with that. It's called progress. Favreau allows his generation to "own" a superhero. Downey Jnr's Tony Stark is wealthy but lonely, modern but archetypal, violent & humane. Like, so totally "Generation X". The modestly cool CGI here far outweighs the overambitious stuff. And Gwyneth, well, she's the money. Grant Kenny has finally met his match. (04 May 2008)
Instantlypoetic: Having read the comic book, I must say that when I heard Tom Cruise was going to play Tony Stark that that would be a somewhat perfect fit, the casting of Robert Downey Jnr I wasn't so sure about, but it has proved to be one of the most inspired bit of left field casting ever. I'd have to say this probably the best comic book movie ever, the balance of humour, character driven story, and action is just perfect. Gwyneth Paltrow shines brillantly in here supporting role as Pepper Potts, while Jeff Bridges does an adequate turn (I don't want to reveal too much here). As for the Iron Man suit and peripheral characters such as Jim Rhodes they are more than done justice, and fans and newbies alike will not be disappointed. Watch for the fire safetly robot arm a highlight of the movie (03 May 2008)
Harry Georgatos: Downey Jr brings a real fleshed out performance as Tony Stark that he makes the film rooted in believability. This is a comic book movie that takes the hero into the world of Islamic terrorism for the first time, along with the complicity of the arms industry. My only problem was the climax. With a lot of these movies they succumb to a familiar formula when it is time to resolve the movie. Still one of the better comic book movies of it's type. (01 May 2008)
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