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Iron Man - Spoiler Free Review

Not even May and there I am, watching the first film of the 2008 Summer Movie Season. A full two weeks earlier than summer 2007, if this trend keeps up I’ll be watching Spider-Man 4 during my birthday on February 27. Thankfully, unlike last summer, the 2008 blockbuster season starts with action-packed promise! The lights in the theater fade, the Paramount logo flies onto the screen, AC/DC blares through the DTS surround, and Iron Man rages onto the masses!

This is a damn fine way to start the summer!

As we all saw in the trailer, Tony Stark is the world’s premiere weapons manufacture and technological genius. His keen sense of business, mind-bending intelligence, and naive view of world politics made him the world’s richest and most desired man. That all changes one day when a terrorist group ambushes and destroys the military caravan charged with protecting the President of Stark Industries. His eyes opened at the terrible reality produced by his own mind, Tony Stark has a change of heart (semi-literally) and decides to help the people he put in harms way. Deep within a terrorist cave and surround by his own stolen tools of death and war; Iron Man is born.

A postmodern Prometheus trying to reclaim that fire.

Jon Favreau doesn’t waste any time in getting the audience engaged in the film. No small task when one considers that a good 65% of Iron Man is an origin story. Like Batman Begins, I found Tony Stark’s background and ascension to superhero far more interesting than when the final throw down hit the screen. All the characters in Iron Man are wholly believable and you enjoy watching them. While only Tony Stark and his trusted personal assistant Pepper Pots receive deep character development, you still learn enough about the supporting cast to maintain believability. With a film like Iron Man, you would think the flashy effects and big explosions would be enough. Thankfully, you would be wrong

Iron Man is about Tony Stark.

As it should be. As a hero, Iron Man is rather bland. It is just a suit, a completely badass and sexy suit, but still a suit. No, Iron Man’s true story is the rise, fall, and return of Tony Stark as a man of conscience. No small task. Thankfully, if there was any actor that understood the dangers of ones own hubris, it is Robert Downy, Jr. His portrayal of the driven and obsessive Tony Stark is simply fantastic. With his first moment on the screen, you stop seeing Robert Downy, Jr., this is Tony Stark. Period. Robert Downy, Jr. dives into the role and makes it his own. Injecting true pain into his character, you feel Stark’s pain when he sees the result of his own legacy. And yet, in the next moment you are grinning as he turns on the renowned Stark charm. He might be a warmonger, but the man knows how to charm the ladies and make a good martini. Just as Lee and Kirby envisioned!

And what a vision!

The film is hyper and fast, but never to the point of distraction or pain. The action scenes has a sense of depth and impact. Every step made by Iron Man (or any other metallic beast) reverberates through the theater. Sure, the massive fights might only live within a computer, but damn does it feel real. It helps that Jon Favreau made the correct choice to go with a practical suit for any close-up Iron Man shots, constructed by the legendary Stan Winston. The perfect melding of metal suits and well drafted CGI fights helps lend a strong sense of reality to Iron Man.

Sure, the film isn’t perfect. the final 25 minutes feels a bit rushed for my liking and some story elements are left hanging (for the inevitable sequel). Still, Iron Man did not disappoint. Iron Man was exactly the film I expected when I saw the first trailer. This is Marvel’s best foray into film since Spider-Man 2 and will hopefully be a harbinger of films to come. Iron Man is the best way to start the summer movie season!

Big. Smart. Loud. Metal.