Iron Man

Posted by Greg

May 11, 2008

An Iron Hurtin’

**** out of *****

When I first heard that they were going to make an Iron Man movie, I was a bit skeptical. Let’s be honest - the character is no Batman or Superman, and I (unfairly) clumped the movie in with the purportedly upcoming Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Aquaman movies - nice idea, but their characters have relatively small fan bases and seem a bit old fashioned for today’s movie-going audiences. But as time went on, I kept seeing and hearing things that kept me interested - could this possibly be a rare instance of a comic book movie taken seriously and treated with respect? Luckily, that’s a big 10-4, good buddy - Iron Man is true to its source material, perfectly cast, action-packed and great fun from start to finish.

Our (anti)hero is Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), a brilliant yet arrogant young billionaire who runs Stark Enterprises, a giant defense contractor that provides cutting edge weapons technology to the US military. Whilst in Afghanistan for a demonstration of his devastating new ‘Jericho’ missile, his convoy is attacked by heavily-armed rebels, who kidnap him and force him to build a Jericho for their own use. However, Stark has other ideas, and instead builds a primitive but lethal suit of armor that he uses in a spectacular escape. Scarred by his ordeal (mentally and physically), he vows to use his money and intellect to help the people of the world, instead of creating the means to destroy them.

Helped by his military friend Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Stark improves his original armor design and sets out to regain control of his company from former #2 Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) who has taken over in Stark’s absence and, it turns out, may have some plans of his own…

First and foremost, the casting of Downey was a masterstroke, not least because of his formidable acting chops. Not only does he look the role, but his well publicized battles with drugs and alcohol almost give him an extra level of authority in playing a character like Stark. He absolutely owns the movie, and it’s hard to imagine anyone but him in the role. The rest of the casting decisions weren’t made lightly either, with each actor bringing just the right tone to their performance. Even Paltrow, who I usually find annoyingly wispy, is fun as Stark’s put-upon but reliable right-hand-woman. The other standout is Bridges, who is charming when he smiles and dead scary when he sneers. It’s hard to believe that this is the same guy who played The Dude in The Big Lebowski.

Director Jon Favreau (Swingers, Elf) has gone to great pains to get the tone of the film right. The pacing is often a bit uneven, but he also knows when certain elements need to come to the fore. Stark’s escape from prison manages to be both exciting and heart-breaking; his scenes with Paltrow are full of humorous verbal footsie, but retain their dramatic weight. Interviews with Favreau have made it clear that he wanted to do this right - he took his time, read the comics and actually kept current with the feedback that the trickle of online images received from the geeks er, fans. He didn’t make this movie because it was a high-profile money-maker; he made it because he loves Iron Man.

The script, by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, has been tweaked by geeks (hey, that’s catchy) to the point that there are dozens of hidden gems for those familiar with Iron Man lore. S.H.I.E.L.D features prominently, and if you’re quick, you might catch a reference to the major Jim Rhodes/War Machine story arc. There is even a subtle setup for the inevitable sequel, involving the Mandarin, Iron Man’s deadliest and most brutal enemy (hint: those ten rings ain’t just for decoration).

I was a bit surprised though, when all was said and done, that my favorite part of the movie was actually the middle third. As Stark builds, tests, breaks and rebuilds his suit - and his secret identity along with it - there are moments where I was grinning from ear to ear. The sequence where he first tests the weapons and flight limits of his jet-powered armor is an absolute delight to watch, as the pacing, editing, music and effects all come together perfectly. That’s not to say that the last third, where Stark’s Iron Man faces off with Stane’s own super-powered robotic creation, is bad by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed, it’s energetic and fun - a big, riotous, fast-paced battle royal with high stakes - but it doesn’t have the heart of the middle third. It’s the only time in the movie where the rich characterizations are overshadowed by effects and quick editing. I was also mystified at how they ended the movie - the last 30 seconds left me scratching my head as to what they were trying to do.

Although it doesn’t have as many onion-skin layers of subtext that Spiderman did, nor the dangerous flirtation with the dark side of Batman Begins, Iron Man is still solid, well made and satisfying, be it for the kids who like to see ‘splosions and action, or the adults who enjoy seeing how good a comic book movie can be when it’s made with competency. Count me in for the sequels.

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