Yeah, He Can Definitely Fly

Iron Man
Directed by Jon Favreau
Paramount Pictures



May’s inaugural weekend has traditionally become a staple for the first big film release of the season. Last year, it was the awfulness of Spider-Man 3 that ushered us into a mediocre summer of films. The year before that, it was Tom Cruise’s last stand in Mission Impossible 3. This year, superheroes once again rule the celluloid jungle as the Jon Favreau-helmed Iron Man blasts its way onto the screen in a big (and I do mean BIG) way.

Before I get into the review proper, I want to back up to when I first heard rumblings that this film was in the works. The first rumor that Favreau was being tapped to direct a film based on Captain America (my all time favorite hero) hit The Net about two and a half years ago. As a fan of his work as a writer (Swingers, Made), an actor (Friends, Daredevil), and a director (Elf, Zathura), I was quite curious to see what he would do with old Winghead. As we all know, that was not meant to be as he traded movies with Nick Cassavetes and took the reigns of Iron Man instead, leaving Nick to pull together The Captain’s movie for 2009.



Next came the casting as the rumors started to fly. My biggest fear was that they would resort to casting this like the travesty that was Superman Returns two years ago. Remember that? We were treated to a 24-year-old Lois Lane with a Pulitzer and 5 year old super son? Ugh, my stomach hurts just typing those lines. Fortunately, Favreau is not an idiot and signed on Robert Downey Jr., the only man in Hollywood who could possibly understand addict Tony Stark’s journey because he has taken it himself.

So here we have it, Downey and Favreau, a powerhouse duo with a legendary story to tell. How did they do? In this fanboy’s opinion, I don’t think this movie could have been more perfect.



For those not in the know, the story of Iron Man is complex, yet simple. We have Tony Stark, millionaire playboy whose money comes from the weapons company his father founded at the tail end of World War II. Stark himself took over the company on his 21st birthday and topped his old man by creating even more awesome firepower for high paying government contracts. His success has earned him the distinction of being called the “Merchant of Death.” In his off time, he is an alcoholic, gambling, womanizing, egomaniac whose only real friends are Air Force Colonel James Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and his personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Everything changes for Stark when, during a visit to Afghanistan to demonstrate his newest and most deadly weapon, he is taken hostage by the Ten Rings terrorist group who force him to beef their firepower with his expertise. To make matters worse, he has a bunch of shrapnel in his blood that is working its way to his heart and only an electromagnet connected to a car battery is keeping him from having a fatal heart attack. Talk about a bad day.



Not to worry, though, because Stark and fellow prisoner Yinsen (Shaun Toub) fake out the bad guys and build a badass metal suit instead. Stark dons the armor prototype and uses it to not only escape but take out a bunch of the terrorists and their stockpile of weapons.

His near death experience serves as a turning point for young Tony and he decides to focus his attention on peace keeping efforts instead. He builds an even more streamlined version of the armor and uses it to go around destroying Stark Industries weapons that have fallen into the hands of nasty bad men all over the world. This, of course, gets the attention of a lot of invested parties, including his own business partner Obadiah Stane (a bald, bearded Jeff Bridges), and things start to get messy.

The movie is just about perfect from top to bottom. The story is well written and just faithful enough to the original story to keep the diehards happy while allowing newcomers to understand and appreciate the hows and whys of this tin plated vigilante. My personal favorite moments occur when Tony is in the design and testing phase of his flying armor. Check it out and get back to me.

As good as the story is, a poor cast can just screw it all up, but no worries here as Downey, Paltrow, Bridges, and Howard play their parts perfectly. Favreau allows them to create the perfect mix of humor and pathos. Most notable was Stark’s change of heart which doesn’t seem contrived largely due to Downey’s subtle, honest performance.



The effects are great but not overwhelming as we get the perfect blend of CGI with live action. I also like how Favreau gets around that directorial stumbling block of superhero masks (God forbid we don’t see our star’s face for ten full minutes) by inter-cutting extreme close-ups of Downey’s face while he is inside the suit to balance the computer animated action sequences.

Top to bottom, Iron Man is about as good a superhero movie as we can expect. The director genuinely cared about his character and story, the actors put forth excellent performances, and the story brings excitement and emotion without going over the top in either respect. It’s a great start to what I am hoping will be a top notch season of blockbusters.

Oh, and by the way, here’s a note for my fellow comic book geeks out there – be sure to stay through the credits and check out the “hidden scene” that follows. You won’t be disappointed.



Iron Man is now in theatres.