Iron Man (B or 3/4 stars)
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the CEO of Stark Industries which makes colossal weapon systems for the U.S. military. During a promotional commercial shoot in Afghanistan, Tony is forced to build an armored suit after being taken hostage by some vagrants. After escaping, he ultimately decides to use his brains, his technology, and this new armored suit to fight against inherent evil. 'Iron Man', directed by Jon Favreau, starts out with a bang (literally & figuratively). It offers great acting, smart dialogue, and very good use of special effects. I just wish I were a bit more 'wowed'.
Right off the top, we see the kind of person Tony Stark is: a wise crackin', hard drinkin' ladies man ... who also happens to be a genius. But after Tony's convoy is attacked by Afghani terrorists (and he's injured by one of his own missiles), his personality take a 180 degree turn. While captured and held hostage in a cave, Tony is saved by a doctor named Yinsen (Shaun Toub). You see, the shrapnel from his own missile is lodged deep enough in Tony's chest that Yinsen creates an electromagnet for him to wear (to keep metal from reaching the heart). The terrorists force Tony to reproduce a new model weapon from parts of other weapons. This is where Tony gets the idea to make the bulletproof suit, instead.
His escape from the Afghani cave is something to behold as the armored suit displays superhuman strength & the ability to fly. Back in America, we get to meet 3 of Tony's 'rocks': his devoted assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow); his business partner (who also worked with Tony's deceased father), Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges); and his good friend, Colonel Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard). After recuperating, everyone figured Tony would bounce back & continue to invent different weapons to kill vast amounts of people ... not so. Tony makes a radical decision to terminate Stark Ind.'s weapons division (much to the chagrin of Obadiah, Jim, & various others). The rest of the plot involves Tony's perfecting the design of the suit, and protecting the world from its villains as Iron Man.
This movie's strength, believe it or not, is not necessarily in its' plot or the great special effects, but in its actors, their dialogue, and the psychological ramifications of what's going on during their turmoil. RD Jr. and Paltrow use their ineffable charisma & timing to cast a spell over the audience. They look great, you believe what they're saying and HOW they're saying it, you believe them as individuals, as employer & employee, as friends, and you believe that they love each other (in a way). Because of that foundation, everything else in the script is then allowed to be believable; it feels natural. I can't express how important it is for a film in this genre to 'feel' believable. Others strengths of the film include its' smooth pacing and its' supporting cast (even though you can pick out the ultimate villain).
The gadgetry & special effects sequences are great to watch ... my ear drums weren't blown out, and they actually advance the story! i.e., Tony tests out his creation and nervously flies above his $million cars. My main problem with 'Iron Man' is that I wasn't as exuberant about it during or after its conclusion as I thought I'd be. The plot (especially in the 2nd half) isn't as compelling as some others in the Marvel comic series; it lacks some zip. I actually like that the plot is more corporate oriented than some of the other brainless comic book fare. That said, will the youngens flock to a film with such a professional plot? Well, $100 mill opening weekend box office numbers prove so, but will those numbers sustain? I think they will. And that's a hat-off to Robert Downey Jr. I'm very pleased for his success here and eagerly anticipate what could be an even better sequel.
Right off the top, we see the kind of person Tony Stark is: a wise crackin', hard drinkin' ladies man ... who also happens to be a genius. But after Tony's convoy is attacked by Afghani terrorists (and he's injured by one of his own missiles), his personality take a 180 degree turn. While captured and held hostage in a cave, Tony is saved by a doctor named Yinsen (Shaun Toub). You see, the shrapnel from his own missile is lodged deep enough in Tony's chest that Yinsen creates an electromagnet for him to wear (to keep metal from reaching the heart). The terrorists force Tony to reproduce a new model weapon from parts of other weapons. This is where Tony gets the idea to make the bulletproof suit, instead.
His escape from the Afghani cave is something to behold as the armored suit displays superhuman strength & the ability to fly. Back in America, we get to meet 3 of Tony's 'rocks': his devoted assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow); his business partner (who also worked with Tony's deceased father), Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges); and his good friend, Colonel Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard). After recuperating, everyone figured Tony would bounce back & continue to invent different weapons to kill vast amounts of people ... not so. Tony makes a radical decision to terminate Stark Ind.'s weapons division (much to the chagrin of Obadiah, Jim, & various others). The rest of the plot involves Tony's perfecting the design of the suit, and protecting the world from its villains as Iron Man.
This movie's strength, believe it or not, is not necessarily in its' plot or the great special effects, but in its actors, their dialogue, and the psychological ramifications of what's going on during their turmoil. RD Jr. and Paltrow use their ineffable charisma & timing to cast a spell over the audience. They look great, you believe what they're saying and HOW they're saying it, you believe them as individuals, as employer & employee, as friends, and you believe that they love each other (in a way). Because of that foundation, everything else in the script is then allowed to be believable; it feels natural. I can't express how important it is for a film in this genre to 'feel' believable. Others strengths of the film include its' smooth pacing and its' supporting cast (even though you can pick out the ultimate villain).
The gadgetry & special effects sequences are great to watch ... my ear drums weren't blown out, and they actually advance the story! i.e., Tony tests out his creation and nervously flies above his $million cars. My main problem with 'Iron Man' is that I wasn't as exuberant about it during or after its conclusion as I thought I'd be. The plot (especially in the 2nd half) isn't as compelling as some others in the Marvel comic series; it lacks some zip. I actually like that the plot is more corporate oriented than some of the other brainless comic book fare. That said, will the youngens flock to a film with such a professional plot? Well, $100 mill opening weekend box office numbers prove so, but will those numbers sustain? I think they will. And that's a hat-off to Robert Downey Jr. I'm very pleased for his success here and eagerly anticipate what could be an even better sequel.