Downey Rules: The Man Behind the Iron Man Mask
[spoiler alert: if you have not seen this yet, minor details that may be considered spoilers are contained below; read at your own risk]
The arrival and success of Iron Man marks the end of a long drought in the cinematic landscape. It has kicked off what is destined to be a summer of blockbusters, and reinvigorated both the industry and a sea of eager fans who have been crawling along the movie desert without an oasis for quite some time now.
Directed by multi-hyphenate Jon Favreau (who’s previous stints behind the camera have included Zathura and Elf), Iron Man is action packed and tech savvy. It maintains a decent pace, and the story is compelling enough to fill the two hours without thinking about the length as you watch.
I expected to be entertained, but was pleasantly surprised by the acting in Iron Man. After all, most comic book adaptations are known for stellar performances by the CGI teams, and not the humans who play-act in front of green screens.
Despite Robert Downey Jr.’s personal issues, his talent has always been obvious and admirable. He has clearly shed lingering demons for this particular role, and offers up a franchise superhero with more wit and intelligence than most of the flawed men who jump with capes and powers from the small pages to the big screen.
Jeff Bridges makes an excellent corporate villain. It’s amazing how much a bald head enhances one’s menace. Although many will forever align Bridges as The Dude from The Big Lebowski, I’ve always been partial to 1984′s Starman.
It’s no secret that I have never been on Team Gywnnie, but Paltrow is actually pretty tolerable and likable in Iron Man. She more than holds her own as a female Alfred to Tony Stark, Iron Man’s emotionally unavailable alter-ego. And Terrence Howard plays the perfect patient sidekick to Downey’s crazy genius; I look forward to more of him in the sequel.
pop culture tangent
Lost fans may recognize actor Faran Tahir, who plays lead terrorist Raza in Iron Man. He appeared briefly in “The Shape of Things to Come” two episodes ago, as Widmore’s man in Iraq (the one that Sayid killed when he cornered Ben).
Everyone has their favorite superhero and/or cartoon, and so they view movie adaptations of them with specific personal criteria. Mine just happen to be acting, story and cheese factor. I am a big fan of the Superman, X-Men and Batman film franchises (especially the reinvented Chris Nolan series), and loathe the Spider-Man trilogy and Transformers.
To me, the acting in Spider-Man just killed all three films, whereas horrible dialogue, gratuitous violence and sexism ruined Transformers.
What I love about Iron Man (at least compared to the movies above) is that it combines seamless special effects with a good script and performances, plus eye-opening technology that doesn’t seem unrealistic and campy. In addition, the relationships between the main characters aren’t forced or insincere, and there is an actual and obvious heart and humanity beneath the machinery and superhero facade.
Overall, I highly recommend Iron Man
for almost everyone. The film landed a PG-13 rating (for gun and war violence),
but I think it’s pretty tame family fare for ages 10 and up.
** NOTE: Although I was not aware of it at the time and thus did not stay for it, there is an extra scene after the credits roll for Iron Man, so stay in your seats for the duration!