Movie Info
Movie Name: Iron Man
Studio: Marvel Studios
Genre(s): Superhero/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): May 2, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Let’s get this party started!
Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a crass, womanizing player. He has money and loves to flaunt it. As the owner of a Fortune 500 company Stark Enterprises, Tony lives the jet-set life. When demonstrating a new defense missile called Jericho in Afghanistan, Tony is captured by a terrorist group called the Ten Rings. With shrapnel embedded in his chest, slowly killing him, Tony is forced to construct a suit of armor to help free himself. Now Tony is reassessing his life and the direction he has taken while trying to stop Stark weapons to be used for evil. With his friends James Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and his assistant “Pepper” Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Iron Man is out to find the source behind the weapons…and if someone in his company is a traitor.
Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man brought the Marvel Comics super-hero to the big screen. Loved by critics and pulling in tons of money, Iron Man became a big hit and the first official part of “The Avengers” saga that is fully played out in 2012’s The Avengers. It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Pepper Potts…you’re fired!
I have to admit, as a comic book character, Iron Man was never my favorite…that being said, I really enjoyed Iron Man. Iron Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963) at which time he was fighting the Vietnamese. The story here has been modified for an Afghanistan story. The Obadiah Stane (here played by Jeff Bridges) storyline didn’t culminate until Iron Man (1) #200 (November 1985). The movie does a great job creating the world of the comics and making the movie more interesting then the comic in my opinion.
The story is put together in way that really keeps moving. Most super-hero movies have a tedious “how they got their powers” storyline that takes forever, then they are a master of their powers, then the movie is over. Iron Man manages to have the “how he got the powers” and developed his armor while remaining interesting. Plus the movie had a much more compelling battle scene between Iron Monger and Iron Man that made much more sense than most of the Transformers films.
Oh yeah, I can lift this car…what can you do?
Robert Downey, Jr. makes the movie work. He captures the essence of Tony Stark with a smarmy attitude that doesn’t make him unlikable. It would be easy to say “Tony Stark is an ass” but amazingly enough he doesn’t come off as one. He is backed up nicely by Terrance Howard as his no-nonsense friend Rhodey (replaced in Iron Man 2 by Don Cheadle) and Gwyneth Paltrow is great as his frustrated secretary (who like most women) is in love with him. Jeff Bridges like always gives a good performance as his mentor Obadiah Stane and seems to really have fun with the role…something I wish he had done a bit more of in Tron: Legacy.
Iron Man is the super-hero film for people who don’t like super-heroes. It just works. Of all the individual films leading up The Avengers (Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk), Iron Man probably works the best. Iron Man was followed by Iron Man 2 in 2010.
Related Links:
Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015)
