Gamertell

Title: Iron Man
Release Date: May, 2, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Marvel and Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Pros: Great acting, very funny, great effects, more contemporary setting and origin, pleasing to Iron Man and comic fans
Cons: Feels like a short movie, limited story, not enough action or Iron Man, to many quick edits, no Nick Fury cameo
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 80/100; B-; * * * our of five

While Iron Man has turned into a kind of a villain in the past year after the events of Marvel Civil War (and winning both Wizard’s Hero and Villain of The Year award in 2007), it is nice to see him return to his more heroic roots with this film adaptation.

Iron Man has actually been on the shelf for the past 18 years as the rights for the movie passed between studios, temporarily piquing the interests of Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise. It is director/actor Jon Favreau who finally dusted off Iron Man and got him into the theaters.

For the most part, Favreau does a good job bringing the technically demanding Marvel character to the big screen, although it isn’t always a smooth flight.

The first thing that Favreau did right was cast Robert Downey Jr (as Tony Stark/Iron Man) in the lead role and surround him with Oscar-nominated and winning actors including Terrence Howard (James Rhodes), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) and Jeff Bridges (Obadiah Stane). While most of the supporting cast don’t really have a whole lot to do in the film, the dialogue and witty banter between the characters results in many of this film’s best moments.

The film provides the perfect merging of fact and fiction, featuring a fictional character whose own life has as many ups and downs as Downey’s real-life career. With so much insight, Downey brings incredible character and personality to Stark, helping to extra depth to a previously 2D character. It’s that depth that allows you to simultaneously laugh at Downey’s every word thinking about how much of a jerk he is.

Plot wise, Iron Man is pretty simple although enjoyable. The story is little more then a two hour origin story that doesn’t quite feel like a big hundred-plus-million dollar summer smash hit. Half of the film, for example, is spent showing how Stark develops the various Iron Man models. It isn’t until an hour into the film when we finally get to see the famed red and gold Mark III. Even when in his suit, the film still centers around Stark, which makes sense since he’s not a dual-indentity hero like Batman or (usually) Spider-Man.

Unfortunately, though, Favreau fails to really explore the inner demons that haunted Stark throughout his nearly fifty years as a comic book character, including as his alcoholism, failing health, failed love life and mortality. Stark has always wanted to be a moral man and real hero, but knows without that suit, he isn’t really anything but a flawed human being, which is what had always made Iron Man such a interesting character.

The film suffers from fast cuts that you might come to expect from a Michael Bay film such as the mediocre Transformers. It also feels like 30 minutes of the movie are lying on the floor, going unused until the DVD comes out. Even the rumored Nick Fury cameo (performed by Samuel L. Jackson) was left out, which is a surprising disappointment since S.H.I.E.L.D plays a role in the movie.

Visual effects wise, Iron Man delivers big time. The suit fills completely natural close up, at a distance and during fights. It’s just too bad we didn’t get to see the suit do more in terms of action and power beyond just a few flight test and repulsor rays, but I guess that is for the eventual sequel.

Iron Man is a fun movie and is definitely made well with an awesome staring and supporting cast. Ultimately, Iron Man is just a fun ride and doesn’t live up to the story and emotional quality of Batman Begins, nor is it likely to win over a whole new generation of fans like the Spider-Man films have. Lucky for us fans, Iron Man has a lot of room to grow before now and the already planned sequel in 2010.

Site [Iron Man]