I feel like a traitor, but
Iron Man may be the best superhero ever made. I am loyal to the DC comics heroes, Superman and Batman. And at Marvel, only Spider-Man holds any serious sway with me. In over 30 years of reading comics, I’m not sure if I’ve ever even read an "Iron Man" solo comic, but none of that matters –
Iron Man is a fantastic superhero movie, a fantastic movie, period, regardless of genre. It’s been said that Marvel heroes are more easily translatable to the big screen than the DC heroes. Iron Man is proof positive of this.
A lot of the credit has to go to Robert Downey Jr. I may not have ever been an Iron Man fan, but I’ve always loved this actor. News of his casting as Tony Stark was almost as thrilling to me as hearing Christian Bale was going to be Bruce Wayne. The rest of the cast is great too – Terrence Howard as military liaison James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Gwyneth Paltrow as loyal assistant Pepper Potts and Jeff Bridges as business partner-turned-nemesis Obadiah Stane. With a running time of just over two hours, not once did this film drag. Not a single frame was wasted, not a single scene went on too long, nor did any performance mar the film (unlike, say Katie Holmes in the otherwise excellently cast and acted
Batman Begins, a mistake rectified in the
sequel). There are plenty of Easter eggs for comics fans (even though, I don’t read the "Iron Man" comics, I’m familiar enough with the world to have picked up on most of them, though I’m sure I may have missed a few).
The reason this movie works for audiences beyond fanboys though is the overall realism of the film. Though there’s plenty of CGI and questionable science in the film, it doesn’t require any more suspension of disbelief than most action/adventure films, and certainly a lot less than most superhero movies. That’s because the source material is based more on reality than any of the other heroes. Though updated for the times, the origin from the comics holds up very well in the live-action adaptation. The film establishes early on Stark’s scientific and engineering expertise, so watching him, design, test, and perfect his armor in a series of vignettes is one of the best parts of the movie – a showcase of fantastic special effects, sight gags and one-liners that grounds the movie more than, say, Peter Parker finding out that he can climb walls and shoot sticky stuff out of his wrist (not that I’m knocking Spider-Man at all – I loved the movie, but still…)
What’s a good superhero movie without a good super-villain? Those looking for a more comics-accurate portrayal of Lex Luthor need look no further than Bridge’s Stane, a greedy businessman looking to eliminate his super-powered obstacle with his own super suit. Jeff Bridges is great in this movie and teaches a new lesson – never trust a man bearing New York City take-out pizza. I’ve never had much of an opinion of Paltrow one way or another, regarding either her acting or her looks, but here she more than holds her own with the great Downey and Bridges, and looks great doing it. Howard doesn’t have a lot to do, but like Samuel L. Jackson in the Phantom Menace, you know he’s going to have more to do in the inevitable sequels (one of those
Easter eggs I mentioned earlier). Regardless, he’s great as both a loyal friend and solider.
But Downey carries this movie. He’s in just about every frame of this movie and never does he fail to impress, bringing his well-known personal history into the role. He’s by himself for most of the middle of the movie during the design/test/perfect scenes I mentioned, but he’s still talking almost non-stop to his mechanical assistants, those with and without voices of their own. We see him as an immoral playboy, prisoner of war, brilliant eccentric (he’s based on Howard Hughes), naïve businessman and crusading superhero, and he pulls all of them off.
Every review I’ve read of this movie has been overwhelmingly positive, noting that only the conclusion is a little cliche and too effects-driven. While I won’t say the finale is completely original, it is by no means underwhelming – yes, it’s a battle of two guys in armored suits, but unlike
Transformers, you’re still caught up in the movie, knowing there’s two guys in there, not just effects (even though that’s pretty much what it is), and it not drawn out too long. It’s a short, intense, action-packed final a battle that keeps you engaged and amazed throughout.
And, very importantly, if you are a Marvel comics fan, you HAVE to wait until after the credits end for a very short
scene that will soon prove that Marvel was absolutely right to take control of their characters’ movies, the next of which is
The Incredible Hulk, which had a trailer in front of
Iron Man.
You don't have to be a comic fan to enjoy this movie, and if you are – especially a Marvel Comics fan – you will be very, very happy with this movie.
Hellboy II
