The tin man with a heart (film only) (Iron Man (DVD))

Member Name: calypte

Product:	Iron Man (DVD)
Date:	18/05/08 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, cool, funny, slick, looks fab

Disadvantages: A bit too much on the mechanics looking cool

Let me start with the short version: I really really enjoyed this movie - it is a whole barrel load of fun! And SUCH a relief to find a superhero movie done well! :) In a nutshell, this is the story of the genesis of Marvel Comics' latest-to-be-exploited superheroes, Iron Man, aka billionaire playboy, business tycoon, and part-time genius, Tony Stark.

The film opens with a fantastic choreography of events: sandwiched between scenes of Tony Stark being cool and glamorous and basically living it up, whether in the back of an army jeep in the Afghan desert, or flashbacks to his 'normal' lifestyle, comes a brutal change in pace. When his escorting army convey is attacked, Tony is wounded, taken prisoner, and forced to undergo horrific surgery. The swirl of confusion as Stark is removed so utterly from his version of the world is very well done, and sets almost a sense of realism into what is obviously going to be pretty fantastic fare ahead.

The point of his capture is to force Stark to recreate his company's most terrifying weapon to date: the Jericho missile. Given a makeshift workshop within a dark Afghanistani cave, Stark instead uses the materials and his amazing skills to build himself a super suit and escape. But having seen firsthand the horror Stark Industry's weapons allow, how can he soothe his conscience without conflict with business partners and friends?


As all the 'big' comic names (Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, etc) have now been done, redone, and reimagined, we're increasingly treated to some of the more obscure characters from the Marvel stock. Alas, 'treat' hasn't entirely been the right word for efforts such as Daredevil, Electric and Ghost Rider! Finally, however, it seems as if Hollywood has managed to get it right.

This is Robert Downey Jr's film, completely. He's brilliant as both the playboy and newbie-superhero personas of Tony Stark, and his performance is totally what makes it work - just as well, as 90% of the film is purely about the character! I'm not sure many people would have pictured the troubled star as a superhero (not least 'cos he's a refreshing 40-something, greying hair and all), but that turns into a big strength. There's nothing in louche playboy Tony Stark to suggest heroism of any kind, but as with the actor, the extravagant, bad-boy lifestyle soon gets a wakeup call and the character gets a second chance. I'm delighted to see RDJ doing so well here: the script seems written for his deadpan comic delivery. He's also obviously having just a huge amount of fun, which is exactly what's needed for the audience to feel the same.

As great as RDJ is, it does mean the rest of the cast are overshadowed. Gwyneth Paltrow downsizes to play Stark's personal assistant, 'Pepper' Pots. It's odd to find a big name playing such a secondary character, calling mainly for a bit of simpering and the odd girlie squeal. I actually like the way having a leading lady here threw me off balance a bit - usually you'd barely pay attention to the character, played by some up-and-coming non-name. The rapport between Pepper and Stark works well, too.

The necessary best mate-ish role also has an interesting twist, seeing as it's obviously a business partnership that has grown: 'Rhodey' is a military liaison to Stark's weapons developer, but also friend and bodyguard. It's a more complex relationship - especially immediately following Stark's escape from Afghanistan - than you'd usually get in a comic book adaptation. Subtle, yet that bit different. Jeff Bridges plays mentor and business partner, Obadiah Stane. I had mixed feelings about the role, as it starts off in danger of being a bit bland, before some hidden undercurrents start to surface: where would Tony Start be without Stane running the show behind the scenes? Hmm.


However, the best extra character(s) in the whole movie has to be the robotic assistants in Stark's lab. There are some great funny moments as Tony interacts with these helpers, talking to them as if they were people and indeed, they do almost have characters of their own.

That sense of humour is one of the big strengths here. It's not an out-and-out comedy, with most of the laughs coming from throw-away one-liners, but I'm growing a little tired of po-faced superheroes. Iron Man injects huge amounts of fun into the scenes of Stark building and learning to use his new suit, which is just as well, as I can imagine some might grow a little bored of all the mechanical gizmo-type scenes: I'm obviously quite impressed by such things, as it was only afterwards I realised that there is perhaps a little *too* much time spent on lingering shots of robotics and machine parts, and repeated perhaps once too often.

That aside, Iron Man just works much better than any other comic adaptation I've seen recently, largely because it's not taking itself too seriously, and also because it doesn't slip too far into the totally fantastic: we're not talking about radioactive spiders, or mutated genes that let people read minds. Like Batman, Stark's 'powers' are actually the result of an obscene amount of money and a genius for mechanics. However, unlike the also thoroughly enjoyable Batman Begins, Iron Man allows more of a touch of the comic book-fantastic to slip into the proceedings, making the whole thing that bit more colourful.

I've never read the comics, but it works anyway - something a few film makers have been known to forget! There are perhaps a few things: the introduction of SHIELD, for instance, made no sense to me really, although it didn't really matter. It was only when I saw the post-credits scene that it really made sense.

Ah yes, that post-credits scene! I won't say 'don't bother', because it does set things up a bit for the sequel. However, it's not that great and the credits are very very long!! I'd say either just ask someone, or do what I did: nip to the loo and come back - plenty of time! ;)

If you're not into superhero, comic-book adaptations you should probably stay away. Otherwise sit back and enjoy! Me? I've got the DVD on my Christmas list already - and bring on the sequel! I just hope the rest of this years blockbusters are half as good :)


Boring bits:
Running time: 126 minutes
Rating: 12A

Full cast and crew details on http://imdb.co.uk

Summary: Slick and fun superhero fare hitting just the right notes