Iron Man Review

I have been a fan of Iron Man since I was a kid. Not of the comics, though. I didn't buy my first comic book until I was 13, and then the first comic I bought was a Deadpool comic. But I loved Iron Man through his toy lines and cartoon series. It amazed me how many different suits one man could have. He had armor for every situation. He had stealth armor, underwater armor, outer space armor, subterranean armor and even armors as specific as Hulk-Buster or Thor-Buster armor. I think the various power suits interested me because of how big of a fan I was of Mega Man, a video game character who also various armors, but who knows.

Finally the day came when I started reading his comics. It wasn't long until I was an Iron Man expert. His comics were interesting to me because I was used to stories where the protagonist was the under dog, but Iron Man was different. Tony Stark, the man behind the mask, was the exact opposite of an under dog. He was an upper dog, if you will. He’s rich, charming, and Republican. What more does a man need to succeed in life? Look at Spiderman. He lives in a slummy apartment or with his aunt. He’s a photographer for the Daily Bugle, so obviously he’s a loony liberal. The X-Men are ostracized by society for being different. All of the money and conservative values couldn't save them from being outcasts. Tony Stark, in the universe the Marvel writers created, sits at the top of the food chain.

I’ll state right now I don’t consider Iron Man a super hero. He doesn't do things for the good of the world. In the original series, he was a crusader against Communism. This is what I consider political rhetoric. Also, he travels the world and fights people who steal his technology. I don’t consider this super heroism; I consider this responsible capitalism. Tony Stark wants to make some money, which is respectable in a capitalistic society, but at the same time, he wants to do it the “right” way. What is right or wrong is subjective, but we learn Stark’s definition of it through his comic books. So, while he may not be a super hero, he at least has an interesting story.

The premise of Iron Man is Tony Stark, a government funded weapons inventor, was testing a new device overseas during the Vietnam War. During the test, Stark was ambushed and kidnapped by the Viet Cong. When Stark woke up, he found himself in a P.O.W. camp and was blackmailed into creating a weapon for his captors. On top of this, a piece of shrapnel was embedded in his chest and was moving closer to his heart. Stark would be dead in less than a week unless he agreed to his captors’ orders. He agreed to build a weapon for the communists, but instead built a suit to save his life and fight his way out of the camp.

Instead of having the film take place during the Vietnam War, director Jon Favreau set the movie a conflict in the Middle East. The terrorist organization is called the Ten Rings, and they have been buying Stark’s weapons without his knowledge and using them for evil. This keeps up with the original idea pretty well. However, this poses a problem for me.

I understand Favreau didn't want to change the origin too much, but the terrorist organization is made up of only brown-skinned people from the Middle East area. I don’t believe characterizations like this should be continued, even if it is to help the accuracy of the film adaptation. In the scenes where Tony Stark was taken back to the caves and filmed, my face actually blushed because I was embarrassed by what was happening. I could only guess how people of Middle Eastern descent felt.

On the other hand, the original Iron Man origin was pretty offensive in itself. The warlord who captured Tony Stark was drawn as a stereotypical Asian with slanted eyes and buckteeth. Maybe Favreau wanted to keep the offensive material, but update it to fit today’s global climate. That isn't meant to be an excuse for Favreau, but a way for me to understand his point of view. Still, after watching the film several times, I would have preferred something along the line domestic terrorists. It would have fit the story well enough and avoided creating a group of “Others.” Maybe then I could watch the first half of the film without getting knots in my stomach.

The next part of the film centered on Tony Stark changing his business practices, throwing away the government weapons contracts, and improving the design of his suit to destroy any of his weapons that may have gotten into the wrong hands. There’s a lot of conflict in regards Stark quitting his weapons program, and there’s a lot of humor involved in Stark developing his suit.

In the final part of the movie, Stark realizes Stane has been responsible for selling weapons to the terrorists, and that Stane is actually working on a power suit of his own. It ends in a one sided but entertaining battle, and then the film wraps up with the greatest press conference ever held. Also, there’s a bonus scene after the film I will go into later.

So, the story as a whole was pretty good. I was a little bored in the beginning when Stark was held captive, but once Stark made it back to the States, all was good. The writing was great, too. I’ll try not to delve too much into the acting aspect yet, but Stark’s one-liners were perfect. The question Stark answered about how many Maxim cover girls he slept with was priceless and fit perfectly with who Stark is. Stane transitioning from loyal business partner to backstabber was great. Had I not known about his character, I would have trusted him until the last third of the movie, give or take a few minutes. Rhodes as the upset best friend worked well, too. The writers did a good job keeping his personality the same from the comics. And Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s personal assistant, was as strong as I remembered her being, never afraid to put Stark in his place.

The acting was perfect. More than any other character, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark carried the film. There’s a good chunk of film where it’s Stark by himself, so Downey’s performance was vital. Every quip was perfectly delivered, Stark’s nuances shown through brilliantly, and, most importantly, Downey became Tony Stark. He was exactly how I imagined the character would be if brought to life.

Without a good villain, a good hero means nothing, so onto Jeff Bridges playing Obadiah Stane. In the first half of the film, Jeff Bridges is as lovable as I remember him ever being, granted he has the evildoer hairstyle (bald with a menacing beard). But he acted friendly and had very kind eyes. I would call them terrifyingly kind eyes. He reminded me of my grandpa. But when it was required, Jeff Bridges was able to turn into an actual villain. He would control the scene with his presence. One scene I found him particularly scary in was when Pepper Potts was downloading Stane’s files from Stark Enterprises, and Stane walked in on her. A lot of it was writing, but a lot of it was Bridges’s presence as an actor. He was able to portray that cool, threatening vibe I don’t see in many movies.

The other actors all performed well. Terrence Howard played James Rhodes, Tony Stark’s best friend. He was able to express in few words how close he and Stark were, and how much he cared for Stark when he went missing. And it’s in that lack of words that true friendship is expressed. But also, when it was time to be pissed off at Stark, Howard was able do that too. Gwenyth Paltrow, who played Pepper Potts, was good, too. Pepper Potts doesn't strike me as an easy role. Potts loves Stark, but she can’t show it because he is her boss. Potts is so conservative with herself that she doesn't want to appear like just another knot on Stark’s belt. At the same time, she cares about him and wants to be with him. Potts is very professional and keeps Stark in his place when he needs it. Paltrow was very good at this. She has a sarcastic tone she would use whenever she needed Stark to stop thinking like an adolescent. In a scene where Potts had to help Stark replace the arc reactor in his chest, Paltrow conveyed confusion, worry, fear, anxiety, and panic all in one. Thinking in retrospect, I think Paltrow is the perfect woman to play Pepper Potts.

If Iron Man is nothing else, it is glamorous. Tony Stark is a rich playboy, after all. He should be the epitome of glamour and fame, and this movie doesn't fail. Stark’s mansion is very elegant and modern. His cars, Audi vehicles, look fantastic, as does everything that’s a product of Stark’s lifestyle. My favorite personal touch is Stark’s private jet. The stripper pole that comes from the floor is something I imagine in every private jet.

The most important aspect of this movie is the suit. Iron Man is the suit. If the suit looks terrible, then the movie will be terrible, too. However, Industrial Lights and Magic (my favorite special effects house who also did the effects of last year’s Transformers) blew away all of my prior expectations. There are scenes where the suit is real and scenes where the suit is CGI, but I can hardly tell which is which. The suit was detailed enough that after every flight or conflict you could see small scratches in the armor. After the final fight between Stane and Stark, the suit is especially smashed. This movie cost $140 million and it seems like ever cent was well placed.

So, shockingly enough, I loved Iron Man. Every aspect I can think of was fantastic. As good as the film was, Favreau couldn't leave it there. He had to one up himself. After the credits there is a special scene. It shows Tony Stark arriving to his mansion after the final press conference. Stark enters and his computer system, Jarvis, welcomes him, but its voice warps and fades out. Stark knows there must be an intruder and he calls out to them. Stark sees a shadow in the distance and demands to know who they are and what they want. The figure answers and comes into the light. It’s Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., played by Samuel L. Jackson. Fury gives Stark a minor tongue lashing for his arrogance, and then mentions a new initiative; the Avengers Initiative. Then it’s over.

Iron Man was a huge part of my childhood. The hours I spent playing with the toys, the mornings I’d spend watching the cartoon, and the few video games that were centered were all integral parts of my past. I never thought I’d be immersed in the child-like wonder I was when I first discovered Iron Man, but this movie did it. The few who saw the movie with me could vouch for that. Every action sequence, every flight, ever repulsor blast; it transformed me to my seven year-old self. And to feel that amazed again, well, it was incredible.