'Iron Man' is solid fun, solid emotion
By Nick Knittel, Contributor
May 7, 2008 | 3 p.m.
Sure, the special effects are amazing, the action sequences are top-notch—blah, blah, blah. It has all been said before. The exciting and interesting portions of the film take place with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy who also happens to be an engineer extraordinaire, just walking and talking, interacting with the other stars and building shit. That’s it. No explosions necessary.
The film rests on Downey's back, and the humanity he puts into the character is what makes him so much fun to watch. We are able to believe in Tony Stark and his amazingly improbable escapades because of that characterization.
The Iron Man persona does not appear until much later in the film, and until that point, there is only Tony Stark, co-owner of Stark Industries, accompanied by Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges). Stark Industries produces advanced weapons and other things for the military and other interested parties. As the film begins, Tony is in Afghanistan eagerly showing off his next big breakthrough. Things do not go rosy, as they are apt to do in that part of the world, and Tony is wounded and captured by a terrorist group who demands his help in creating more weapons.
Stark perseveres, not only creating a sub-nuclear device to keep his mortally damaged heart functioning properly but also a giant robotic suit that allows him to bust out of entrapment. He is that good. After realizing that the weapons he has been selling are responsible for countless deaths, as well as his own wound, Stark’s attack of conscious leads him to create the Iron Man suit to help put things right in the world. Naturally, this does not please a great deal of people, including Obadiah. Cue the robot-on-robot action.
Stark is supported by his two friends James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Terrence Howard), a United States Air Force colonel in charge of special weapons, and Virginia “Pepper” Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Stark’s loyal personal secretary and budding love interest. Some of the best scenes in "Iron Man" are between Stark and Rhodes, as the two characters' extreme dynamics bounce wildly off each another, ultimately establishing potential sequels for “Iron Man's” comic spin-off, “War Machine.” Even Paltrow, who is usually viewed as stilted, performs admirably as Potts, wearing her character's devotion not only on her sleeve but also providing more depth to a rather one-sided individual.
Jeff Bridges is also noteworthy as the villain, Iron Monger. It seems clear that his beautiful bald head had fun chewing out the scenes with Robert Downey Jr., and the two create an interesting dynamic that grows deadly serious as the film trucks onward toward the concluding battle. The fight is, thankfully, reduced from what could have been an overblown “Transformers” rip-off to something much more grounded, yet still retains all the adrenaline and excitement needed.
The film’s appropriate scene setup is partially a result of Jon Favreau’s superb direction. Superb in the sense that there is nothing flashy, nor anything obstructive about "Iron Man." Favreau keeps the camera and actors centered and flowing, which allows him to capture everything needed without becoming boring. He also has a strong sense tuned to the humanity of the piece, turning a superhero-centric film into something much more personal.
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“Iron Man”
Speakeasy Rating: A+
Running Time: 126 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content