Thoughts.com Blogs - "Iron Man"--movie review

Robert Downey, Jr. fits his role like a glove and heads a decent cast in the latest film to bring a Marvel Comics superhero to life on the big screen in "Iron Man". A film which is expected to dazzle with its array of special effects centered around the amazing suit of gold-titanium alloy armor the protagonist wears to both protect and sustain himself. The original story has been tweaked ever so slightly to update it without taking from the origin like other superhero films have done. However, calling it the first summer blockbuster may be a bit of an overstatement.

Downey plays the wealthy industrialist and technological genius Tony Stark who is born and raised into the business of weapon sales. His father leaves him a legacy with Obadiah Stane(a cold, cunning and "underhanded" businessman played by Jeff Bridges), Stark Sr.'s former partner, as his main business partner. Stark quickly proves he is the better brain but ends up in a scuffle with some of his "customers" while being escorted by the military from a weapon demonstration in Afghanistan. The attack leaves him near death with pieces of shrapnel ever close to his heart. It is an epiphany for him to be a witness to the whole scene. It wakes him from a drunken slumber of a lavish existence. A foreign doctor of sorts is placed with him in a primitive underground prison facility where he is forced to build his most dangerous weapon for the terrorist army known as "The Ten Rings". [Anyone familiar with the comic series may recognize this name as a semblance of the villain known as the Mandarin who had ten power rings.] The doctor saves his life with a gizmo powered by a common car battery(which he must carry with him through the first part of the film). Stark's refusal risks both their lives til he devises plans for a suit of armor as a means of escape. The events that follow send him skyrocketting into total shutdown of the weapons division of his company, Stark Industries(a company in the business of weapon sales). Thinking him mad, Stane(Bridges) puts in the paperwork to have Stark removed from his position in the company. Meanwhile, Stark struggles to maintain his only friendships with James Rhodes(Terrence Howard), an old friend in the military, and his faithful assistant, Pepper Potts(a mildy saucy red-haired Gwyneth Paltrow), while continuing with the perfecting of his armored suit from the comforts of his lavish home. When word reaches him of how his company's weapons are being used to terrorize an innocent village by the very men who had captured and threattenned him, he dons the enhanced(Mark 3) suit for the first time and makes it his mission to wipe out any trace of his company product. As the story drags on, we find out there is more to why the "Ten Rings" are in possession of Stark Industries weapons and set up the climactic battle with the "surprise" villain which takes place quite close to the end of the film. [In fact, it comes so late in the film that it reminded me of the complaints I had heard of Venom in the third Spider-Man film. The ending was by far the weakest point of the film aside from the speedy and verbose dialogue spoken often in whispers which, frankly, made me lose focus for a few seconds.]

Being this was a much anticipated film close to my heart(being a casual Iron Man fan since I was five), I have been quite skeptical of where it might fail. Here is the bad news. This is not much of a kids' film. Though they keep the alcoholism and "playboy" actions of Stark to a minimum(surprisingly), there is still enough interaction and jargon to make kids drift off as I did briefly. This might require some explaining to the little ones later. The very militaristic side of the film is also not a highlight for kids to see. [Personally, it seems to do the film the same injustice by instilling kids to pick up guns(monkey see, monkey do) as Stark's efforts are used against him.] Dialogue is often fast and quiet(as I said already). Perhaps a little too snappy for some people. The plot drags quite a bit to get to the "spectacular" features which would not be such a bad thing if the movie carried on after the late "big" fight near the end. In fact, the "big fight" is no more than a few minutes with less bang than the rest of the film supplies. It comes and goes as fast as Iron Man's failing power supply. I would have liked to see a little more action in the red-and-gold or even the previous silver armor in addition to(or perhaps with a little less of) the semi-witty interaction scenes. [There is also another slight surprise you will want to stay through the credits to see, but it is not much of a treat either. It is marked earlier in the film by the appearance of a secret organization which eventually steps in to cover Stark/Iron Man's tracks where government is concerned(a group comic fans may be familiar with).] Potts(Paltrow) plays a rather lame wait-and-see game as she seeks out the man behind the theft of Stark's armor technology and ends up risking both her and Stark's lives in the process. Her escape to safety makes almost no sense when you see the wild array of special effects going off literally with a big bang. [This bugged me a bit and made me think of the reoccuring message in the film. No, not the one Downey advertises in the commercials about "fighting for something" which I don't recall him using in the movie. It is the message of "accountability". Like Stark initially doesn't take accountability for the innocent lives he destroys with his own weapons being stolen, the movie doesn't take accountability for the result of its lavish effects--especially in that Paltrow scene. Another aspect where accountability seemed lacking was security. Though Stark says he is keeping his technology under wraps on his own server, there seems to be nothing stopping anyone from entering his "lab". Even Potts(Paltrow) and Rhodes(Howard) can easily go down the stairs and into the testing area. It is not explained and makes little sense why Stane(Bridges) can't simply break into the house and steal the plans.]

Now, fear not because here is the good news. The acting is above par. Downey seems born for the role. His sharp, slanted wit and charms are as advertised. He is humbled and heralded at the same time. As Pott's gift to Stark states, he has a heart. And, the drama/feeling is not lost. His robotic assistants provide some comical moments as well(though they are far more primitive than the computer system named "Jarvis" that seems to run the entire security system for the house and business). Paltrow, despite her frail nature, does a decent job of playing the smart-as-a-whip Pepper Potts who starts out simply as Stark's assistant but quickly becomes a major love interest(in a subtle way) like James Bond favored Money Penny. Bridges is fairly cold and deceptive in the villain role(oop, I spoiled it) with a very unusual look for himself. The weakest of the cast is Terrence Howard who plays a very mild-mannered and somewhat distant friend to Stark. Their comradery seems a bit shallow if not non-existent. It is often as if they are not in the same room. [And, in some cases, they aren't.] A definite highlight is Stan Lee's cameo as a sort of Hugh Hefner. [Watch for him outside one of the gala scenes at night.]

Another fairly good sign is the suit of armor itself(the later and prominent incarnation). Though a bit complex and less polished than the suits of the original comics(which may not have been realistically feasible), it flies rather well with added features perhaps not seen before. Those familiar with the cartoons of the early 90s may be disappointed not to see the digital download system of armor modes(which apparently is seen in the video game) even though the suit is advanced enough to have the complex computer systems installed(including a handy cell-phone). But, I suspect it is only a matter of time before he would advance his design to that extent(perhaps in the next film). The armor's CG is not perfect but comes quite close to hiding its "fakeness"(better than Spider-Man's first appearance on the big screen). The first suit of armor(Mark 1) is a delightful surprise of primitive assembly. It surpasses the polished version in the comics(though surprisingly invincible at the most heated of moments). Stark kicks butt in both of the utilized suits(though a little more action--particularly aeronautic maneuvers and use of his "lasers"--would have been appreciated).

Overall, I give "Iron Man"(at approx. 2 hrs long) a generous three stars out of four. It does not tamper with the origin and updates it fairly well. Downey and Paltrow happily surprised me in most scenes. The fair amount of comical bits, the technology and the handling of the action and emotional matters help to cover the minor disappointments. My mouth is already watering for the sequel and what it might bring(provided they don't go with the angle hinted at when the credits end). [Might I suggest Collin Chou(as I mentioned in my review for "The Forbidden Kingdom") for the Mandarin?] But, I think the filmmakers thought to avoid heavy scrutiny by "coming out of the gates" early with this one. [Gives other films time to warm up the summer.][Might I also mention it seems George Lucas had a hand in the effects of this film(as seen late in the credits)?]

--brainstormer, free-lance movie critic and participant in the Thoughts.com blogging experience. [PS I'd happily like to be a part of the team working on the sequels.]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man_(film)