FILM REVIEW - 'IRON MAN'

Superhero Story Soars To New Heights

By: Darryl Morden

May 5, 2008

Tony Stark
Makes you feel
He’s the cool exec
With a heart of steel
As Iron Man all jets a-blaze
He’s fighting and smiting with repulsor rays
Amazing armor, that’s Iron Man
A blaze of power, that’s Iron Man!
–from the 1966 Marvel Super Heroes Cartoon Show

You’ll find that swingin’ theme (check it out here) several times in the new Iron Man film (Hints: Vegas scenes and as a ringtone), which opened this weekend doing big business. And yes, as many are saying, this is one of the best superhero movies ever, on par with the first couple of Spider-Man and X-Men films and even the original Richard Donner Superman movies.

Director Jon Favreau and company have truly done everything right here:

Rule #1: Don’t insult your core comics audience; humor is good and even necessary, but avoid camp. CHECK
Rule #2: Be true to your source material, a corollary of sorts to Rule #1. CHECK
Rule #3: Cast real actors and let them act. CHECK
Rule #4: Have a story and several subplots that leave the door open for sequels. CHECK

Movie critics are supposed to see films in screening rooms with other critics, usually some of them see films alone, or perhaps with just another one or two writers in the room. That’s a load of crap. I hate doing that. At least give me screenings before openings with oodles of people filling a real, large, cinema. Going to the movies, like concerts, is a communal experience, from the smells of popcorn and candy to the cheers that even rise up for the right coming attractions trailers. You don’t get that in a typical critics’ screening.

That’s why I saw Iron Man with my wife and little boy at the Arclight in Hollywood, inside the theater complex’s historic Cinerama Dome (which sure took me back, but that’s another story). With a great audience, the trailers did bring shouts and clapping for the upcoming Hulk film, Batman: The Dark Knight (Heath Ledger’s performance looking even more startling in new clips; what a tragedy his death is), and most of all for the new Indiana Jones. Whooo-Hooo. And then there was the feature.

You’ll find more spoiler detail elsewhere and everywhere, so here’s the thumbnail sketch: Industrialist/weapons-maker, scotch-drinking, playboy-to-the-extreme genius Tony Stark is kidnapped by terrorists and discovers his weapons he thought were made to protect and save American lives are being used to take them. Stark’s heart has been damaged to the point of near-death during the capture, and this leads to the building of his first Iron Man suit and returning to the States a changed man, though all those around him aren’t thrilled about it. His enemies are revealed, as well as those who stand by him, as he upgrades his Iron Man armor step by step.

Favreau has distilled 45 years of the comics. He shifts the Vietnam-era origin to Afghanistan and mixes the Stark personality from Marvel’s original Iron Man and the “Ultimate” alt-universe line. There are all sorts of in-bits (not jokes) for comic afficianados too. He plays on the original inspiration for the comics, Howard Hughes, by naming Stark’s father Howard too.

As Stark, Robert Downey, Jr. nails it–the smarm and charm, the brilliance and can-do attitude, along with self-effacing cockiness. A nearly unrecognizable Jeff Bridges as nemesis Obidiah Stane oozes corporation sinister, while Terrence Howard as military liason and Stark pal Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes plays it just right, down to eyeing a version of the armor as Favreau leaves the door open for a future appearance as War Machine, also right out of the comics. Playing Stark’s personal assistant Pepper Potts, Gwyneth Paltrow is anything but her typical distant cold; she’s sharp and witty, and not the typical damsel in distress. Downey is the great lynchpin of it all in a performance that’s only been matched in contemporary superhero films by Christian Bale’s obsessed Bruce Wayne/Batman, perhaps even surpassing it. His interplay with Paltrow captures the spirit of 1940s romantic comedies; with Howard, it’s the buddy-film element and with Bridges, a classic hero/adversary dance.

The CGI and other special effects (the suits created by the great Stan Winston) are the stuff of movie magic, with plenty of eye-popping stuff and the climactic end battle. Watching Stark test and improve on his armor through trial and error is just part of the fun. It’s hard to imagine Iron Man coming to the big screen in prior ages; this ultimate high-tech hero needed all the high-tech filmmaking tools of today to soar high. And that he does. This is a film for the kid in you who can still imagine and wonder, no matter what your age. It’s a movie for kids with some grown-up stuff too, including a not-so-much anti-war message but a cautionary thought about the fallout of weapons, war, terrorism, incursions, and more. But there’s no miring in heavyocity here.

Ultimately, it’s a film about the fantasic, the way it should be. Some have found flaws and some just don’t get it, especially the British press, it seems. I love the UK, but Iron Man is so American, maybe that bothers ‘em. A future Captain America is sure to get them going. All the cranky criticisms are just plain wrong-headed. The Hollywood audience I was with sure got it all. In fact, nearly three-quarters waited until the end of the credits for a final bit that not only sets up more movies, but is a comic book fans’ pure grin moment. I won’t tell you what it is and can only suggest you stick around through the credits too.

The summer movie season, which now, funny enough, starts in May and wraps up in August, is always about great adventures and heroes larger than life–the kind of stuff that makes you cheer and roar with delight. And that’s this movie all the way. Iron Man is a soaring start for what looks to be a great year of hero movies, and not just the “super” variety either, as the Indy film, Speed Racer and a new Narnia installment are all heading our way. My five-and-half-year-old son’s review? “It was excellent.”

Paramount Pictures' 'Iron Man' is in theaters now. Rush to go see it!