2008
Since the first Batman movie starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, Hollywood has been attempting to recapture the magic of superhero movies. On occasion they’ve come close [Spiderman], and in other instances they’ve failed miserably [Fantastic Four].
Iron Man does not replace Batman at the top spot on my personal favorite superhero movie list, but it comes in a damn close second. It is the best adaptation of a comic book for the screen in many years. Director Jon Favreau, better known for his acting in roles like that of Vince Vaughn’s sidekick Mike Peters in the movie Swingers (Baby you are so money and you don’t even know it), does a fantastic job avoiding all of the pitfalls that have made other comic adaptations weak.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark–weapons designer and atomic playboy. To Favreau’s credit, he avoids the temptation to incorporate another protagonist into the story… there is no Robin or Batgirl. He does however allude to a possible future sidekick for Iron Man at one point in the movie where Terence Howard’s character Rhodey looks at the extra Iron Man suit in Stark’s workshop and says, “Maybe next time.” Jeff Bridges plays villain Obadiah Stane, and again the writers made the right choice in not incorporating more villains into the film, leaving plenty of time for character development.
After spending months in captivity in a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, Downey’s Stark must find a way to escape. Forced to work on a missile in an insurgent’s cave, he instead builds a prototype of the Iron Man suit and uses it to escape. Upon returning to America, Stark has seen the error of his ways and announces to the world that he will retire from designing weapons, much to the chagrin of Obadiah Stane and the shareholders of Stark Industries. The decision to cease production of weapons systems forms the crux of the conflict, ultimately leading to the climactic battle between Iron Man and Obadiah Stane.
The special effects are fantastic in Iron Man but do not overpower the story. And perhaps it’s just my personal taste, but somehow a guy who builds a suit that allows him to fly is more believable to me than say, a guy who’s dosed with cosmic rays and suddenly finds himself with the ability to spontaneously combust, or stretch his own body to fantastic proportions. Technology is real, however distant. Super powers from genetic mutations are not. Or at least that’s the way I see it.
Robert Downey Jr. portrays Stark with the sarcastic wit that can only be Downey, Jeff Bridges’ bald Obadiah Stane screams “villain” from the opening scenes, and Gwyneth Paltrow plays Stark’s assistant Polly Potts with a skillful and yet subtle presence which doesn’t supercede the superhero storyline like Kirsten Dunst’ Mary Jane character did in the Spiderman movies.
Iron Man is fantastic and worthy of a sequel, something we get a hint of with a cameo by Samuel L. Jackson following the credits. Grab your popcorn and get ready for a wild ride, Iron Man is solid.
****Four Stars
