Film Review: Iron Man
I saw Iron Man this past weekend. Hey, for a guy who almost always waits for the DVD rather than hitting the theater at all that's pretty quick for me. So indulge me further as I offer my wee little review of it.
Warning: Minor spoilers ahead. You've been warned so no whining.
When I first heard they'd be making an Iron Man movie I was a little puzzled. But it didn't last long. There are only so many already well-known heroes in the Marvel comics universe once you get past Spider Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four (heroes whom have already been leveraged to make a half dozen wildly successful movies, so I do understand the desire to branch out). Besides, the previews looked exciting, and I figured it was worth a shot.
Also, unlike others who seemed worried with Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, I immediately thought that sounded like a brilliant bit of casting. Despite his personally self-destructive substance abuse problems, he's probably my second favorite actor of his generation (Johnny Depp is first). Playing Tony Stark, zillionare playboy genius who builds a super-powered hi-tech suit, requires more firepower in the brains than the brawn department and Downey was easily up to that kind of task. So how was the movie?
Well I'm not sure I agree with those reviewers who call it the best super-hero movie of all time. But it easily belongs in that conversation. It was every bit as good as I'd heard. And then some.
As for the highlights of the film, it's amazing how much of this was carried by the quality of the acting. Seriously. No one bought tickets to this expecting much more than explosions, fight scenes, and super-villains to battle. So it's really a treat to come away so impressed by how the actors drew you into their comic-book world. Robert Downey Jr. was the prince of the lot. But almost every other supporting lead turned in stellar performances beside him. Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark's smouldering assistant Pepper Potts was utterly charming. Jeff Bridges built from subtly sinister to full-blown menacing super-nemesis in a manner perfectly suited to the exaggerated comic-book world they portrayed. Shaun Toub did a terrific job early on as the self-sacrificing doctor Yinsen, who saves Tony Stark's life and instills him with the desire to use that life for a higher purpose than he had been. I wasn't too blown away by Terrence Howard's portrayal of Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, but it was serviceable enough.
But really it was the technology which made this movie such a natural and finally answered my question about why they chose Iron Man over another hero. The world of cinema special effects has finally evolved to the point they can make the super-high technology of the comic book world seem real without distracting you. This movie deployed technology for humor (Stark's robot lab assistants), sentiment (Pepper Potts' "heart" award to her boss), amazement (Iron Man's quick automated solution to the human shield defense of the terrorists in the village), and tension (battery power down to 11 percent... 10 percent.... 2 percent). It looked fantastic and appropriately gave a sense that this was just one or two imaginative leaps beyond reality... but it COULD be true.
Director Jon Favreau's pacing is tight, but not to a fault. Just enough to keep the plot scooting along without seeming hurried. There are no scenes that are a good point to leave your seat for a pit stop without missing something worth seeing, so I'd recommend skipping the super-mega-chug sized soft drink for this one.
Weaknesses to the movie? Well first of all I'm a big believer in the notion that the best comic-book based movies stay true to the spirit of the comic book pages. That means there will always be a certain sense of the juvenile and ridiculous to them, no matter how good they are. And this one had some places where it chaffed along those lines at times. Like apparently the paparazzi are just as interested in wealthy weapons developers as they are in Lindsay Lohan or Brangelina. Apparently the time from rough alpha to perfection of the most advanced new weapon system ever invented is about two to three weeks if you work alone with your robot assistants.
But really that's more of a quibble with the limitations of the genre than a criticism of how the film handled this stuff. Once again, they stayed true to the spirit of the comic pages and that kind of thing has to come along when you do so.
This movie was terrific and I can't wait for the next one. I'm also wondering when and how Marvel will try some crossover hero movies, because you know it will happen at some point. The idea of Downey's Stark glibly bantering with Tobey Maguire's insecure Peter Parker or Hugh Jackman's gritty Wolverine holds much potential for fun.
Warning: Minor spoilers ahead. You've been warned so no whining.
When I first heard they'd be making an Iron Man movie I was a little puzzled. But it didn't last long. There are only so many already well-known heroes in the Marvel comics universe once you get past Spider Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four (heroes whom have already been leveraged to make a half dozen wildly successful movies, so I do understand the desire to branch out). Besides, the previews looked exciting, and I figured it was worth a shot.
Also, unlike others who seemed worried with Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, I immediately thought that sounded like a brilliant bit of casting. Despite his personally self-destructive substance abuse problems, he's probably my second favorite actor of his generation (Johnny Depp is first). Playing Tony Stark, zillionare playboy genius who builds a super-powered hi-tech suit, requires more firepower in the brains than the brawn department and Downey was easily up to that kind of task. So how was the movie?
Well I'm not sure I agree with those reviewers who call it the best super-hero movie of all time. But it easily belongs in that conversation. It was every bit as good as I'd heard. And then some.
As for the highlights of the film, it's amazing how much of this was carried by the quality of the acting. Seriously. No one bought tickets to this expecting much more than explosions, fight scenes, and super-villains to battle. So it's really a treat to come away so impressed by how the actors drew you into their comic-book world. Robert Downey Jr. was the prince of the lot. But almost every other supporting lead turned in stellar performances beside him. Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark's smouldering assistant Pepper Potts was utterly charming. Jeff Bridges built from subtly sinister to full-blown menacing super-nemesis in a manner perfectly suited to the exaggerated comic-book world they portrayed. Shaun Toub did a terrific job early on as the self-sacrificing doctor Yinsen, who saves Tony Stark's life and instills him with the desire to use that life for a higher purpose than he had been. I wasn't too blown away by Terrence Howard's portrayal of Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, but it was serviceable enough.
But really it was the technology which made this movie such a natural and finally answered my question about why they chose Iron Man over another hero. The world of cinema special effects has finally evolved to the point they can make the super-high technology of the comic book world seem real without distracting you. This movie deployed technology for humor (Stark's robot lab assistants), sentiment (Pepper Potts' "heart" award to her boss), amazement (Iron Man's quick automated solution to the human shield defense of the terrorists in the village), and tension (battery power down to 11 percent... 10 percent.... 2 percent). It looked fantastic and appropriately gave a sense that this was just one or two imaginative leaps beyond reality... but it COULD be true.
Director Jon Favreau's pacing is tight, but not to a fault. Just enough to keep the plot scooting along without seeming hurried. There are no scenes that are a good point to leave your seat for a pit stop without missing something worth seeing, so I'd recommend skipping the super-mega-chug sized soft drink for this one.
Weaknesses to the movie? Well first of all I'm a big believer in the notion that the best comic-book based movies stay true to the spirit of the comic book pages. That means there will always be a certain sense of the juvenile and ridiculous to them, no matter how good they are. And this one had some places where it chaffed along those lines at times. Like apparently the paparazzi are just as interested in wealthy weapons developers as they are in Lindsay Lohan or Brangelina. Apparently the time from rough alpha to perfection of the most advanced new weapon system ever invented is about two to three weeks if you work alone with your robot assistants.
But really that's more of a quibble with the limitations of the genre than a criticism of how the film handled this stuff. Once again, they stayed true to the spirit of the comic pages and that kind of thing has to come along when you do so.
This movie was terrific and I can't wait for the next one. I'm also wondering when and how Marvel will try some crossover hero movies, because you know it will happen at some point. The idea of Downey's Stark glibly bantering with Tobey Maguire's insecure Peter Parker or Hugh Jackman's gritty Wolverine holds much potential for fun.
Posted by Doug Williams on
Monday May 19, 2008 at 4:58pm
