Since I’ve now seen this film twice, I figure it’s about time I gave some thoughts on it. I must admit that at first I wasn’t too interested in this movie because it was going to be another comic-book-film and Robert Downey Jr. was going to be playing the lead role. Now don’t get me wrong, I think Downey is an amazing actor, I just have to always remind myself of that. Liz got onto his fan wagon way before I did. I didn’t really become aware of him until he started having his drug problems aired to the world and he spent some time in jail. I think mentally, I just wrote him off as another trashy Hollywood denizen. In contrast though, whenever I actually think about the roles Downey has done and some of the films he has been in, I can’t help but think he’s awesome and I’m proud to report he did not let me down in Iron Man.
The first and foremost thing I must say about this film is that even though it’s based on a comic book, it doesn’t come off as a comic book film. You know what I’m talking about - it’s that thing you just can’t quite put your finger on. In the same way you can recognize a film by your favorite director, there’s just something about the style on about 95% of comic-based films. Iron Man didn’t have this mark and I believe most of that credit goes to Jon Favreau for directing. If you don’t remember who Favreau is, you need to pop in Swingers and give it a watch. Favreau hasn’t always been directing, but he’s definitely very experienced in Hollywood with plenty of acting, producing, directing, and writing credits to his name.
Not having read any comics as a child, I didn’t really know much about the Iron Man story. I did have some action figures back in the day, so I knew what he looked like, but that’s where my experience ended. While most superheros have some special power they were either born with or developed, Iron Man is one of the few that is just a “normal” guy. The only other one I know of in this respect would be Batman. Tony Stark is a genius weapons developer that is kidnapped by some terrorists and told to create a missile or else. Instead of bowing to their demands and creating their weapon of mass destruction, Tony bows to their demands and makes his own WMD in the form of an iron suit complete with weapons and booster rockets. After escaping, Stark decides to try and help the world instead of just providing weapons for it and starts refining his suit into something much, much better.
One big draw to the movie for me was Jeff Bridges playing the bad-guy role of Obadiah Stane. Being a Lebowski-fan, I’m always interested in seeing more of Bridges’ roles and wasn’t disappointed with this one. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Pots, Stark’s assistant, and Terrence Howard plays Col. Rhodes and good friend of Stark’s. You also need to keep your eye out for Favreau’s role as Hogan. I loved seeing him in the casino scene. It’s also nice when a director plays a role in their own movie and can actually act.
I’ve heard mostly positive reviews about this film and am quite positive you’ll enjoy this one. So get out and see it before it leaves the theaters. You might also be interested in knowing that Downey will be playing the role of Tony Stark in the upcoming The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton
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