Film: Iron Man (2008)
Director: John Favreau
Produced: Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby (Screenplay), Stan Lee (story)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comic Book
I decided it would be nice if I took my little brother out to the movies today. Since he is a big fan of Spider-Man, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see Iron Man for the second time. I enjoyed it very much the first time around, and I stand by my personal opinion that every film should be viewed at least twice. As was expected, I loved it even more the second time. I am a huge supporter of this film.
The story follows the multi-billionaire that is Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Stark is the head of Stark Enterprises, an industry that was initially started by his father that deals with creating what are known to be the best weapons in the world. When Stark takes a trip to Afghanistan in order to present a demonstration on his brand new top-of-the-line missile, he is suddenly captured and held prisoner by a terrorist group who wants him to assemble a missile for them. Instead of assembling the missile, Stark, with the help of one other prisoner, creates a suit made out of iron that serves two purposes: 1) helping him to escape from the cave and his heavily-armed captors and 2) helping in the prevention of his death due to the shrapnel that his left in his chest from the initial attack. After escaping and being brought back to America by his men, Stark has a huge change of heart about what his corporation actually does for the world and decides to cease making weapons in the future. In his workshop, he then begins to work on a better and more updated version of his iron-suit creation, only to soon find out that his co-partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) has been selling weapons under the table to the same people who captured him months before. Once the new suit is completed, Tony uses it in order to go back to Afghanistan and destroy all their arms. Next, he must find a way to stop Stane from misusing his researh, something that could lead to very serious consequences...
I knew this was a film that I would only love more after viewing a second time. Iron Man has to be at the top of my list in terms of comic book films I have seen. I might even go as far as to say in terms of action/adventure films I have seen, but I do warn you that the genre isn't my favorite in the first place. I can say that, without a single doubt, this is better than any of the flashy comic book films that have been coming out within the last five years or so. I don't have Hellboy (2004) and Sin City (2005) in mind when I say this, but more the Spider-Man's, X-Men's, and Fantastic Four's. While those films are ones that all the young children seem to love and flock to, Iron Man is one that will forever be loved by people of all ages for it's great storyline and awesome action sequences. Not to mention, it is Robert Downy Jr. who plays the role of Tony Stack; I mean, c'mon now.
I tip my NY Mets hat off to John Favreau in being able to make such a great film. This is the man's fourth feature-length film as dirtector, and I've yet to see any of the others. What I do know is that this little diddy is a ways off from films like Made (2001) and Swingers (1996) (the cult-classic favorite that Favreau stars in, along with Vince Vaughn). Who knew that Favreau even had it in him?! This film is so damn enjoyable that the man better be getting ready for the next installment, because this film has "sequal" written all over it.
Robert Downey Jr. does not disappoint in this film. When asked about his portrayal of Stark, the actor described it as "a challenge of making a wealthy, establishmentarian, weapons-manufacturing, hard-drinking, womanizing prick into a character who is likable and a hero." That does indeed sound like quite a challenge, and Downey proves that he was up for it fro the get-go. The opening scene with Downey and the military men (and woman) immediately ensure the audience that they are in for a great performance from the man who does what he does best: drinking martinis and making witty statements with a real "Im-The-Man" mentality.
The supporting actors aren't half-bad either, although I must say, after seeing Terrance Howard in Hustle and Flow (2005), he did seem pretty corny with that high-pitched voice throughout the whole 2+ hours. Now, here's my main issue with Jeff Bridges and his bad-ass role as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger: Favreau should've known better. There is a scene in the film where Paltrow is sceretly downloading important information off a computer and Bridges walks in. He walks up to the bar and grabs himself a drink of what looks to be an expensive whiskey of some sort. Now, Swingers has some great references that pay tribute to other films, particularly Quentin Tarantino's Resevoir Dogs (1992). You know what I'm thinking of... the Coen Brother's The Big Lebowski (1998)! What Favreau should have done is have Bridges pour himself a White Russian, maybe ask Paltrow if she likes Kahlua? It would've been too good to be true. Maybe that's why it didn't happen. Interesting fact: The Big Lebowski actually borrows/pays tribute to Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep (1946), so paying tribute to the Coen Brothers' film would've been a great way of continuing the legacy.
This film is absolutely great. If you are looking for an actually well-crafted comic book film, look no further. The direction is top-notch, the acting is exceptionally worthy of more than one viewing (in terms of comic book numbers), and the storyline is such a great one, I could imagine this film doing just as well as an ordinary film about a wealthy industrialist that decides it is time for a change. Lastly, this film does something great for its audience: it gets them even more excited for the other comic book films that are being released this summer. Hellboy II, Dark Knight, here I come!
Good day, kind sir.
P.S. - Gwyneth does a good job as well. She's also a cutey. =]
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