The initial reports of an Iron Man movie being produced made me roll my eyes. After Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the X-Men, Marvel Comics’ B-List of superheroes is even more obscure than DC’s. Why bother? Most people are unaware of these characters and there aren’t enough fanboys beyond a DVD version so a feature-length movie is a waste. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t help. Downey is a perfect match for Tony Stark but it still doesn’t guarantee a solid plot or execution: Fiennes and Thurman in The Avengers will always be the textbook example on how much plot matters. Paltrow’s presence makes about as much sense as Dunst in the Spider-Man franchise too. Then I heard Jon Favreau was the director. He made Zathura more than a Jumanji clone and he did get decent performances from the actors in an effects-heavy film. Thankfully, I was right.
I won’t waste the electrons on a synopsis, the trailer explains it all. To quote Stan Lee, ’nuff said!
Iron Man succeeds where many of this genre fail…squeezing in a superhero’s back story (origin, enemies, etc.) within the confines of a two-hour movie which entertains general audiences and satisfies diehards. Remember how much time passed before Superman even donned the cape in the 1978 version? The novelty of special effects saved it from the ravaging it would receive today. The opposite approach is the 1989 Batman; the hero already exists and some of the past appears in flashbacks. Favreau borrows a page from the Batman Begins playbook, Iron Man is a hero of necessity so his origin integrates easily into the larger story without requiring a sequel. The director also spared everyone a long, dull montage of Stark working out the kinks in the suit. Critics probably liked this because the dialog isn’t forced, verbose or corny (see Dungeons & Dragons, 300 or The Phantom Menace in that order respectively). Seriously, remove the Action-Fantasy elements, then it could be a Drama-Comedy about a Howard Hughes type who has an epiphany about the harm his weapons inflict; realizes that his loyal personal assistant is his true love; and struggles to prevent a hostile takeover from his mentor.
Worth Seeing?: Yes and a must on the big screen. The action is loud and large. It’s lost on DVD, even Blu-Ray. Either way it’s viewed, stay to the very end, after the credits. An even more obscure event-person-thing appears. It will make fanboys explode, casual fans groan (me) and leave the rest of the world puzzled. Does it have anything to do with Downey as Stark appearing in the upcoming Hulk movie? Maybe.