Film Review: Iron Man

Note: This continues my series of backtracking through the movies I have seen in the past two months and haven’t had time to review. I’ll be catching up with one more review coming up soon.

Iron Man
Directed by Jon Favreau
Released May 2, 2008
Seen May 6, 2008

It’s hard to make a good comic book movie. Recent attempts have produced rather dim results, like the final installments of the “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” trilogies and both “Hulk” movies. I am thrilled to report that “Iron Man” actually does it right. In fact, it’s even better than the good ones, like the first two “X-Men”. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as billionaire Tony Stark, and even though he’s essentially playing himself, he creates a likeable yet cocky character who really is the ultimate superhero. The story, from what I can remember and what I’ve heard, is pretty much faithful to the comics, save for some appropriate modernization of the situation in which Tony Stark creates the Iron Man armor. The film is thoroughly entertaining and action-packed. It’s a dramatic film but it’s infused with so much comedy seamlessly blended in, which works so well partially due to the particular talents of Downey Jr. The movie also includes small shout-outs to fans of the comic (or rather the animated TV show, which I used to make), which make the experience all the more enjoyable. The ensemble cast does its part, and the movie balances out its weaker elements by giving Gwyneth Paltrow a gloriously small amount of lines and by tailoring Jeff Bridges’ character to his penchant for shouting a lot. The effects are superb. And this movie contains probably the best ending I’ve seen in a long time (additionally, be aware that there’s a scene after the credits). In short, go see it! It’s fantastic! I’m already excited about “Iron Man 2”!

A-