Title: Iron Man
Director: Jon Favreau
Writers: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
Rating: PG-13
These days it seems like all superheroes storm into theaters the same way. The first movie in the franchise establishes the character pre-hero and it isn't until the end of the film, after the fires of their first trials have hardened them that they then really become the hero. There's a formula at work there. "Iron Man" may feel like it's following this same formula but it very cleverly takes what's familiar and turns it upside down. The result is an energetic and fun movie that kicks the summer off right.
When "Iron Man" opens Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., isn't an "everyman" character. He's a chauvinistic, billionaire who's the head of a weapons manufacturing company. He's practically a Bond villain complete with a mountain-top Malibu mansion and an underground laboratory. Stark is charismatic but also irresponsible and a little unlikable. It's only after he's injured and captured in Afghanistan by a small army brandishing Stark weapons that he starts to see where he's gone wrong.
Stark's captives intend to force him to build the Jericho missile, a new weapon Stark Industries recently demonstrated, but Stark uses the supplies to build a patchwork, armored suit with which he makes his escape.
Once back in the United States, Stark announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons but will seek other ways to aid mankind. This announcement comes as an unwelcome surprise to Stark Industries second-in-command Obadiah Stane, played ominously by Jeff Bridges. With his infinite resources once again at his disposal, Stark crafts a newer and sleeker version of the suit with which he used to escape captivity. With his new power suit, he plans to destroy the weapons he created that have fallen into the wrong hands.
This is the twist that makes an otherwise by-the-numbers comic book story adapted for the big screen feel fresh. Our hero doesn't start small only to be empowered later to then rise to the call of responsibility and fight crime. This story is closer to that of a villain who's broken down and then seeks to redeem himself. Stark doesn't gain superpowers; his injury forces him to use his natural genius to create his means of escape. Once his eyes are opened to the reality of what his company is doing, he's then compelled to clean up his own mess and right his wrongs. Instead of a heroic origin story, it becomes a what-have-I-wrought story.
Trailer for "Iron Man."
It's important to remember that, despite the title, this movie is about Tony Stark. That means there's a lot more of him out of the suit than in it. Taking a page out of "Batman Begins," you'll see Tony go through iterations of his costume but it's fairly late in the movie until you get to the final version. However, also like "Batman Begins" the construction of the suit, and the hero for that matter, are as interesting as the hero himself. There was a lot of positive buzz about the casting of Robert Downey Jr. and it certainly paid off. He absolutely carries the movie from beginning to end. Downey plays Stark with such natural ease that even his interactions with the robots in his lab feel genuine.
While Tony Stark dominates a great deal of the movie there is still some Iron Man action to be had. His first foray into combat with the final version of the suit is the scene you'll run over and over on DVD, although the chase with the F-22s is a close second. Kudos to director Jon Favreau; I honestly didn't know he had it in him. Favreau proficiently handles the comic book action as easily as the dialogue scenes.
My complaints about "Iron Man" mostly concern the bad guy. The old saying goes "heroes are only as good as their villains" and Iron Man's stable is a little on the weak side. I can't agree with the choice to go with Obadiah Stane, the Iron Monger, as a first-time villain. He's mostly a corporate baddie and if you want a corporate baddie you need someone else to be muscle - see "RoboCop" as an example. The Mandarin is the big Iron Man villain from the comics and there's a nice nod to him in the movie (the army that captures Stark in Afghanistan is called the Ten Rings referencing the power rings worn by the Mandarin) but there was concern about updating the Mandarin to a modern setting. I'd bet he's on the table for a sequel. He's got to be easier to do than M.O.D.O.K. or Fin Fang Foom - although Fin Fang Foom, an outer-space dragon, could be an awesome movie villain in the right context.
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in "Iron Man."
Jeff Bridges looks the part of the villain for "Iron Man" but he's not very threatening. I still find it hard to disassociate Bridges from The Dude which makes it extraordinarily difficult to take him seriously as a comic book villain. When he yells all I can hear is, "Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!" But that's my cross to bear. Regardless, he didn't work for me as a villain.
Speaking of "RoboCop" the big fight at the end between Iron Man and the Iron Monger felt a lot like the big fight at the end of "RoboCop 2." It's a somewhat disappointing climax to a great movie.
My only other minor complaint is about the music. I like comic book movies to have themes and "Iron Man" is chock full of generic rock-guitar score. It isn't bad music and it doesn't detract from the movie but nothing sells a hero shot like the music swelling into their theme. But that's just me.
What I like best about "Iron Man" is the feeling that it's the beginning of something much bigger. Since Marvel is now making their own movies - rather than licensing the properties out to other studios - they can do the kind of crossovers that are so popular in comic books. For instance, you can expect Robert Downey Jr. to appear as Tony Stark for a brief cameo in "The Incredible Hulk." And I was informed while writing this that, even though our screening didn't have it, there's a special scene after the credits of "Iron Man" that could send comic fans into a tizzy. I'll need to head back out to a theater after the release to make sure. If both "Hulk" and "Iron Man" are successes for Marvel Studios they could start releasing movies in a unified universe that also houses Captain America, Thor and the rest of the Avengers. That's a universe worth seeing.
