Movie Review: Iron Man
Jon Favreau’s Iron Man belongs in the pantheon of great superhero movies along with Spider-Man 2 and Batman Begins. It doesn’t talk down to its audience, it respects the fanboys and includes strong performances. What more do you need to know?
The story is fairly straightforward, and features minimal reworking from its source material. Tony Stark, reckless and alcoholic billionaire playboy, abruptly discovers that the source of his fortune is arms dealing with corrupt regimes. Donning a mechanized suit of armor, he vows to make the world safe from his own destructive past. Voila!
What really works here is not the action scenes (which are serviceable if relatively uncreative) or the CGI (which succeeds if only because of its smooth unobtrusiveness), but rather the acting and the dialogue. Favreau clearly knows how to bring out the best conversations from his actors, and it helps that Robert Downey Jr. brings a wild vitality to the role. Viewers will no doubt attribute Downey’s wonderful portrayal of Stark to his real-life bouts with alcoholism and, well, being a millionaire playboy. Regardless of the source, Downey works well in his role. The dialogue is snappy and the delivery is crisp and enjoyable throughout.
The supporting cast is equally serviceable, from Terrence Howard’s Rhodey (the sake scene is the best, I’m sure you’ll agree) to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts. Paltrow, an actress whose movies I typically avoid, is bright and entertaining here as Stark’s secretary. Jeff Bridges works well as the inevitably bald-headed villain, although part of me felt some longing for a bit of The Dude instead of a hammy villainous traitor-figure.
So, it’s an origin story, which means you know the typical arc it’s going to follow — and you know that the overall purpose of the film is not resolution in itself, but rather establishment of a franchise. Despite the lack of surprises, the film delivers solid entertainment and some heavily treasured twists. The very end of the film is particularly enjoyable, and you will all be happy to know that Downey has already voiced his support for future Iron Man films. If the quality of the future films can match this current offering, we’re all in good hands.
Posted on May 2, 2008, in Movies, Reviews. Bookmark the permalink. 42 Comments.
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and in other news, I took a two year old and a four year old to Horton Hears a Who this evening.
How did Downey do in the action scenes? I have a difficult time seeing him as an “superhero”.
Abby, he did great.
I’m so glad it’s finally here. Now I have a movie to see this weekend in addition to the Elbow concert!
I saw it yesterday and agree with Supergenius. It’s very nicely done and Downey is brilliant. The movie probably isn’t “serious” enough and he doesn’t really have enough to do to make his performance “Oscar-worthy,” but considering what he has to work with, it’s as good a performance as you’ll see anywhere.
What about for kids? What age would like it?
Probably 10 or 11 and up will enjoy it, if they like action and aren’t upset by movie violence. Most teenage boys will love it, and their dads will too. But people do get killed in this movie, and not just in cartoonish ways. It’s not a kids movie.
This may be our date movie this month- I’ve been looking forward to is since the previews during Cloverfield. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the heads up. I just chatted with a friend and they said the same thing. BTW, he said Downey did a great job in this role.
I just got back from it. My son is visiting from Logan, and we went to a 2:30 p.m. show. They’re playing it every half-hour, and the theater was still so packed we couldn’t even sit together. I go to a lot of movies, and that never happens at that time slot. The movie was terrific, and Downey in particular was great.
Just saw the movie. I might have more thoughts later, but I’ll just say:
1. Great movie.
2. Stay until after the credits! There’s a rather awesome cameo and more after the end credits roll.
I’m gonna be honest, you can’t be posting reviews like this while I’m still in school. I’m going to spend all my money on seeing movies this summer semester.
Here’s to a Speed Racer and Indy review ASAP!
Usually I am bored with superhero movies because of the action scenes: they are tedious.
Iron Man actually has action scenes that are entertaining. They make the movie. It’s entertaining to see the main character build the Iron Man suit.
The acting is sufficient and the dialogue is mildly amusing.
Most super hero movies have a tedious, overblown climax at the end, and it’s a chore to have to watch it. You look at your watch and wince because you know it’s coming and you know that there is going to be a lot of overdone computer graphics and that the good guy is going to win (Spider Man 2, anyone? –ugh). Unfortunately, Iron Man suffers a little from this syndrome.
Otherwise, it’s not a bad movie.
I wasn’t a big Iron Man fan back in the day, but wasn’t Tony Stark black? Or am I mis-remembering it?
Still, this looks to be a good movie. =)
Any chance of the Avengers being made?
His business partner was black in the comics as I recall. Stark himself was always white with a mustache. I believe the bit after the credits is probably some stuff they shot with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury who is a WWII vet with one eye in the comics – but white.
I seem to recall that it was going to be used in something else.
Avengers is supposedly coming in 2011. Thor and Iron Man 2 in 2010. Wolverine in 2009.
In the comics, Jim Rhodey was Iron Man for awhile, while Stark was crippled and/or drunk. He later became War Machine (basically, Iron Man in silver armor with more weapons). That’s where the “next time” gag in the movie came from, when Rhodey looked at the silver armor.
As for Nick Fury being white -
In the “Ultimate Universe” (a recent series of comics from Marvel that are set in another reality, and are “updates” of the main comics – Orson Scott Card is writing the “Ultimate Iron Man” series) Nick Fury is black, and the artist made him a dead ringer for Samuel L. Jackson. So casting Jackson as Fury has been a given since the “Ultimates” comic came out.
Marvel has started producing their own movies instead of farming them out (like Spider-Man to Sony). So this will give them more opportunities to have different characters from the Marvel universe in cameos and possible team movies (live Avengers).
Apparently, rumor has it the Downey and/or Jackson will have uncredited cameos in the upcoming Hulk movie as well.
Marvel clearly is hoping to tie several of the movie together. Currently, the working title for the Captain America movie is “Captain America: The First Avenger.”
That will likely lead into an Avengers movie with the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and who knows who else.
It’s pretty obvious from the cameo at the end that Avengers is in the works.
We just got back, and I haven’t so thoroughly enjoyed a super-hero movie, well, ever.
(I did have a problem with the person behind us with a three-year old child- as it hardly seems a movie for a kid that little.)
Bravo to both Downey Jr and Favreau- I hope we get more of this.
I saw it last night. Awesome. How did Favreau get this gig? He hasn’t directed much before has he? Great job on this, though.
Did he direct Swingers?
Answer my own question- Favreau WROTE Swingers, but did not direct.
Just got back from it. Loved it. My favorite superhero film after Batman Begins. I suspect the new Batman will knock it off it’s perch. But dang that was good.
BTW – everyone notice the cameo by Favreau as the bodyguard? Dang he lost a ton of weight. He was on an episode of Monk two years ago and I swear he weighed 320lbs. In Iron Man he looked like he did in Swingers.
BTW2 – Favreau acted the part of the main character in Swingers. But the guy who did the first Bourne movei as well as that horrible Mr. and Mrs. Smith directed Swingers.
Saw it tonight. Liked it. The last scene was amusing.
I haven’t loved the X-Men movies so far so I a little worried the Avengers will suffer from the problems they had (too many superheroes for one movie).
So here’s the deal. Tony Stark uses technology in such a way that he believes is for a good cause, but because of his own arrogance and indifference to the potential consequences of his actions, he fails to see that the technology that he has built for good is actually being used for evil – and to his own peril at that.
Mr. Stark is shooken to the core with this revelation and resolves to be a new man with a new mission. He reorients the way in which he uses technology, again in a way he believes is for a good cause, but again gets so caught up in himself that he fails to see that the technology that he has built for good falls into the same hands as before and is being used for evil once again – and this time almost to his own demise.
This is a jaw-droppingly fascinating set-up, and establishes a base on which to say some really interesting things on a whole host of themes all at once. And what does the film do with this idea once it’s built it up? It ends.
Unlike Spider-Man 2, which actually has meaningful things to say about the nature of heroism and unlike Batman Begins, which actually has insightful things to say about fear, Iron Man is really just a kiddie comic-book flick.
shooken?
That’s correct, MCQ. I actually deliberated a great deal before deciding to go with the word, but you know, you only live once. I also got a kick out of my new adverb, “jaw-droppingly.â€Â
Eric, I think the idea that power corrupts is in Iron Man as well. It’s actually very much a movie about demons since Tony Stark is an alcoholic. But you can’t put too much in the origin movie.
I confess the whole “battle of the iron man suits” was a bit much.
But while it wasn’t super preachy there were messages there. And it’s not like Spiderman’s messages were that profound.
I actually thought the underlying messages of Iron Man (if not the plot itself) were very similar to to Batman Begins: Be careful whom you trust; Power corrupts; Use your assets for good or they may be turned to evil. I don’t see how the other movies you named did any better job of exploring those themes. Perhaps they were a little more obvious about it, but in my view, subtlety is a virtue.
Also, sorry to burst your bubble, but “jaw-droppingly” has been used before. Frequently.
Be careful whom you trust; Power corrupts; Use your assets for good or they may be turned to evil. I don’t see how the other movies you named did any better job of exploring those themes.
I agree. These are the stock themes of many superhero stories and I thought Iron Man did a very good job covering the basics while throwing in lots frills on top.
I like “jaw clenching” rather than “jaw dropping.”
“I don’t see how the other movies you named did any better job of exploring those themes.â€Â
I agree. But then, I never claimed those movies explored those ideas on a substantial level.
There’s a big difference in talking points gathered from a plot and an actual thematically developed thread. All plots have talking points. It’s difficult not to. You can take the ten worst films of the year and demonstrate that each has some message or other about points X, Y and Z based on plot events.
“Iron Man is really just a kiddie comic-book flick.”
I know, isn’t it awesome? There is absolutely nothing wrong with Iron Man being just that. Please, God, can we have more kiddie comic-book flicks that kick as much ass as Iron Man.
Did anyone see the new movie “Prince Caspian”?
Amen Brian G.
Abby, lots of people have seen it. Try here.
Sorry kids, I don’t buy it. Being fun in a superficial or light-hearted way is in no way mutually exclusive with substance. A movie or book is not purer, more fun, or better off for eschewing the latter.
I cite Finding Nemo and Ratatouille as sources.
Eric, no one ever said that being fun is mutually exclusive with having substance.
However, give me a movie that succeeds at entertaining me any day, over a movie that spouts an ideology and bores the hell out of me. Movies that shoe horn a message in drive me nuts. A lot of otherwise great movies have been ruined by a filmmakers’ pretension of delivering great wisdom to the world.
It’s like the studio chief once said, you want to send a message, call Western Union.
Your big budget, summer-time, studio film isn’t ideally suited to change the way people think. For the life of me I can’t remember what the substantive theme of Finding Nemo was. Stay with your school? Was Ratatouille follow your dream? That is some deep, deep stuff.
Both those movies rocked, and so did Iron Man.
I saw Iron Man on the first Friday it was officially out. I don’t know what to think because I saw it immediately after a movie version of “This American Life.” The contrast between the two is enough already and I was kind of tired by that point. It skews the brain to see such different films right smack together like that.
I don’t know if I really have a complaint with the Iron Man movie itself. My complaint instead would probably be that the previews gave too much away – I felt like I knew the main plot lines before I sat down.
Robert Downey Jr. is definitely the best actor they could have picked for the role. He was a great choice.
Well, If “Iron Man” is a notch below “Batman Begins” then I’ll just wait until it comes out on DVD. Now if you had said a notch bellow “The Incredibles”…
Brian, I don’t particularly disagree with anything you just said there. I’m not talking about “message†films – I’m just talking about there being more to a story that just its plot.
I finally saw Iron Man. Yep, I know, it’s been out for awhile, but today I took a “long lunch” and was very entertained. Loved it and Downey.
As an added bonus, saw the preview for “The Dark Knight” – hold on to your popcorn, sodas and nachos, it looks like it should be fantastic. But, then again, it is Christian Bale. Sigh.