Iron Man (2008)

Oh Robert Downey, Jr, it's been so long since you first stole my heart as a re-incarnated district attorney being courted by both Mary Stuart Masterson and Cybil Shepard in 1989's Chances Are. Now look how far you've come! Finally everyone remembers that you are one of the best, most enjoyable actors ever. And all thanks to Iron Man. Admittedly I haven't read any Iron Man comics, knowing him more from occasional appearances in issues of X-Men (my main comic love), but being a general geek I knew enough about him to be worried for this movie's representation of the character. And thank goodness, Marvel Studios really got it right. The film stars the perfectly-cast Robert Downey, Jr as billionaire weapons manufacturer, womanizer, and genius Tony Stark, who is kidnapped by a multi-national terrorist group when in Afghanistan for a weapons demonstration.

They want him to build them a special missile with various parts of his own weapons stolen from the US military, but he instead builds a large armored suit powered by a small "arc reactor" (a special energy source contraption) installed in his chest to keep him alive (he was injured during kidnapping, and needs the device to keep metal shards in his system from migrating to his heart). He busts out guns ablazin' and fire afirin', and upon returning home he shuts down the weapons production branch of Stark Industries, hoping to bring more than destruction to the world.

His devoted assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) helps him install a new, super-strong arc reactor which will power his secret project: creating a streamlined version of his escape suit, with incredible flight and offensive abilities. His business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) is a little rattled with Tony's new direction, knowing the company will lose a lot of money. Tony's best friend Rhodey (Terrence Howard), who works for the military, is also pretty pissed and personally offended. When Tony finds out his weapons are still finding their way into terrorist hands overseas, he uses the suit to destroy them and their handlers. But someone else has been developing his own armored suit, and hopes to take all power away from Tony.

Iron Man is exciting, hilarious, and visually stimulating. It owes much of its success to Robert Downey, Jr's impeccable portrayal of lovable prick Stark, with tons of mumbly one-liners and those adorable puppy-dog eyes. He carries the film completely, dominating almost every scene, and is just a joy to watch. A lot of the dialogue was improvised, and it's apparent in the casual, off-kilter conversations he leads, highlighting his embodiment of the character and ease of improv. I hope he can finally star in every movie ever from this point on. Literally. Paltrow, Howard, and Bridges do their thing well, too, but nothing is particularly standout. Mostly I was impressed with Paltrow's ability to run around in her very tight, below-the knee skirt and heels.

The story is really well-handled: often a superhero origin story can be boring or weirdly paced, with too much/too little time spent on pre-superpowered life or "getting to know my powers" montages, and a rushed climactic battle scene tacked on to appease the masses (I'm looking at you, Spider-Man and Fantastic Four). Here, a lot of time is indeed devoted to pre-Iron-Manned Tony, but it's all awesome time. He's shooting out hilarious quips and drinking up a storm and building crazy weapons in the desert and hanging out with robots: it's not boring or dragged out, and just allows us to really appreciate this character. This is not really about Iron Man, this is about Tony Stark. Though that's not to say there's no action- the suit looks great and I totally dig the many flying/fighting/blowing shit up scenes.

Iron Man is what non-dramatic superhero movies should be: engaging, well-acted, funny, action-packed, sharply written, and just a lot of fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but isn't a piece of fluff either. The characters and situations are fairly realistic and the filmmakers aren't afraid to bring attention to Stark's many flaws and day-to-day challenges (like loneliness, alcoholism, recklessness, and obsessive tendencies). It's clear a lot of work went into it, incorporating some great details and wonderful effects. It's got a smattering of romance and topicality to bring everything together into a delightful comic book adventure. Finally, Marvel has been able to top X-Men 2. I can't wait for the next installment.

4.5/5