Review: Iron Man

This is the Iron Man movie that most fans of the character have waited their entire life for... and never really expected to see! Director Jon Favreau, who does double duty by appearing on-screen as Harry "Happy" Hogan in several scenes, has delivered a passionate love letter to Iron Man followers everywhere, for which we all owe him a great big "thank you."

One of the best indicators of how well a superhero movie works is how it's received by viewers who know nothing about the characters before the lights go down. That's hard to measure with well-known icons like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man or even the Hulk (thanks to that 1970s TV show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno), but Iron Man? He's practically tabusa rasa for most non-comic folks. For example, my wife Vicki recalls that I bought Tales of Suspense # 39, ol' Shellhead's first appearance, more than a decade ago at The Dragon Lady in Toronto on a snowy day during which we had to walk and walk to find an Automated Banking Machine in order to get some cash for the purchase... but that was about the extent of her Tony Stark background going into the theatre last night. (Not quite true, as she pumped me for a few bits of trivia as we drove there, fearing that she'd be lost in the film. She needn't have worried!) Driving home afterward, all she could talk about was the movie and how good it was, and this morning one of her first comments to me was that she really appreciated how intelligent all of the characters were (for a change, by implication). In fact, we ended up catching a very late showing - 10:30 p.m. start - and I'm not sure I've ever seen my early-to-bed wife so awake and animated at 1:00 a.m. as she was when we got home!

For the comic book fan, the movie is a treat on so many levels. From the inclusion of all three of the early armour versions - grey, gold, and ultimately the now-standard red and gold - right through to the goosebump-inspiring final scene that rewarded those of us who stayed through the entire final credits, Favreau and the screenwriters just hit right note after right note. Iron Man's 1960s origin in the jungles of Viet Nam has been updated to modern day Afghanistan, but it still works! Professor Yinsen is still there, working at the American inventor's side, and providing the cliched-but-vital sacrifice that catalyzes Stark's transformation from hedonistic playboy into conscientious do-gooder. And if memory serves, the first mention of the word "superhero" in the movie is accompanied by Tony saying something along the lines of, "Me, a superhero? Why, that's just too fantastic an idea!" in an obvious nod to Marvel's flagship foursome.

In the casting department, Robert Downey, Jr seems like he born to play Tony Stark, both in his initial cavalier incarnation and then later, as the heroic-but-never-boring man inside the machine. He has enough range to make us like the character at the start and still believe that he'd undergo such a drastic change of heart (no pun intended, for those who know the story). I totally bought Downey as Stark, every second of the way, and that's quite an accomplishment, seeing as I own probably close to a thousand appearances of his in comic form!

I went into this one expecting a lot from the male lead, but had some doubts about what kind of job his opposite number would do. Within a few short scenes, though, all of my reservations about Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts were blown to smithereens. She's played smart and sexy (but never easy!) throughout, and thankfully isn't turned into the "girl hostage" as so often seems to happen in the other comic movie franchises. You can almost feel her love for Tony and the pain she endures each time he brings his latest trashy conquest home (before moving on to the next one), and the scene where she echoes an earlier confession of his about them only having each other really said it all.

Terrence Howard, as Jim Rhodes, doesn't get a lot of material to work with, but one scene in particular seemed to suggest that bigger things await him. (War Machine, anyone?) Jeff Bridges is good as Obidiah Stane, and kudos to him for shaving his head for the part! Everyone pales beside Downey, though, as he owns every scene he's in. Just owns them!

Particularly fun was the section of the film where Tony Stark works to master the use of his new armour. Some of the biggest laughs I've ever heard in a comic-based movie came during those scenes, and fortunately they each came exactly where they were supposed to! Who knew Iron Man could work as slapstick?

I personally can't wait to see what this franchise has to offer over the next several years. I'd say it's off to as good of a start as Spider-Man was after the first installment, and almost as good as the current Christopher Nolan-helmed Batman series. It's nice to see a Marvel character done so well in the first release that the company's studio was involved with... I just hope The Incredible Hulk can keep the bar from dropping too much! Iron Man is probably one of the 10 best comic movies made to date, and that's a very good sign.

Rating: ****