Iron Man Movie Review

Vital Statistics

Opening Date: May 2, 2008
Run Time: 126 Minutes
Director: John Favreau
Writers:
Screenplay:
Mark Fergus
Hawk Ostby
Art Marcum
Matt Holloway

Rating: PG-13 for violence, minor language, and some intense scenes.

Based on: The comic book characters created by:
Stan Lee
Don Heck
Larry Lieber
Jack Kirby
Published by Marvel Comics Comics.

The Story

Iron Man tells the origin story of how philanderer, billionaire, playboy, and weapons manufacturer Tony Stark uses his ideas to build the greatest weapon of all time, Iron Man. When industrialist Stark is captured by terrorists in Afghanistan using his own weapons, and is forced to create one of his weapons of mass destruction so that they can use it to reign the land, Stark is forced to comply, or face death. Aided by Yinsen, the doctor that saved his live by implanting an electromagnet to keep the shrapnel in his heart from killing him, Stark sets out to free his new friend and take back what rightfully belongs to him. He creates the first Iron Man suit and uses it to escape, albeit at the cost of Yinsen’s life, who sacrifices himself to give Stark enough time to complete the armor.

Upon returning to the United States, Stark vows to stop manufacturing weapons and seeks to reclaim the technology that has fallen into the hands of so many that would use it to cause others harm. Standing in his way is his lifelong mentor and partner, Obadiah Stane. It soon becomes revealed that Stane has only his own interests at heart and Stark must find a way to stop him from using his own suits designs against him. The result is a battle between ideals, minds, technology, and wills that may cost Tony Stark his friends, his loved ones, and even his life.

Review

Having since quieted the major part of me that thirsts for continuity in my comic book movie, I was ready for another one that didn’t live up to the world laid down by its creators so many years ago. Fortunately, what I left with was a movie, at its heart, was very true to the source material, characters, and very essence that is Iron Man.

The movie is an amalgam of many of the Iron Man stories that have been laid down in the past forty plus years. There is the classic origin story, updated to be placed in Afghanistan and not Korea. Then there is the classic battle of wills between Stark and Stane. Also included is a bit of the Armor Wars ideas, and even bits of Civil War. That might seem like a lot, but I felt the script writers handled it very well, blending them into a seamless story that made sense and paid respect to the stories laid down by the legendary creators before them.

The actors did a fantastic job, with Downey really nailing it as Stark. His comedic timing really helped him portray the womanizing playboy with flair. Paltrow was delightful was Pepper Potts, looking stunning as a redhead and doing very well with the tension between her character and Stark. Howard also did a fine job as Stark’s longtime friend Jim Rhodes and the future looks bright for a repeat performance. Jeff Bridges also added a lot to the Stane character, really playing this bad guy as the vile and cold hearted snake that he is. All told, the cast did a great job.

Almost stealing the show was the special effects. The Iron Man suit was spectacular, making me wish I had one for myself. The CG and live special effects were incredibly hard to tell apart, really becoming a part of the story. The live action sequences were intense, fun, and full of what makes for a good action flick, lots of explosions.

If I had to find something to complain about, it would probably be that when you look at it, it didn't have as much action as one would have hoped. There was only four to five action sequences and some of them were rather minor. Despite this, the action that was there was well done and enjoyable. I just would have like to see more.

Bottom Line

As you can tell, I really enjoyed this film, both as a movie and as an adaptation of the comic book. Even though the movie was very much a retelling and blended story elements from the comics, it was done in a way that stayed true to the source material. The money for the actors was well spent, as they turned in great performances that showcased the essence of these classic characters. The icing on the cake was the fantastic special effects and I was hard pressed to tell when they began and when they ended.

I felt this movie was a solid, fun, film. It had comedic moments, intense action, and cool effects that made me excited to see more. Director Jon Favreau did a stand up job adapting the comics for the screen, and should be commended at this comic book that came to life for me. Whatever you do though, do not leave the film until after all the credits have rolled. There is a fantastic end clip that will leave you pumped for more.

For a more movie orientated review, check out our movie guides review of Iron Man.