Film adaptations of comic books can be something of a conundrum for me because I am not the typical attendee to a big blockbuster comic book film–I am actually a fan. I adore the medium, find myself at the local comic shop every Wednesday (new comic book day) surrounded by examples of the genre, and have difficulty removing my fanboy goggles to view the film objectively.
That is one of several reasons I was excited to see Iron Man. Unlike many of the comic book films of the last decade, I knew next to nothing about the character or his place in the Marvel universe. I had this tiny, almost infinitesimal connection with Iron Man as I recall one of the first and few comics I read as a kid was an Iron Man comic, but beyond that there was no reason for me to be any more excited about this film than the others on this long slate of spring/summer films. And then they announced the casting.
Robert Downey, Jr. resurrected his career with his outstanding performance in the the pulp-noir action film, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. This fantastic film showed just how powerful Downey, Jr. can be when given a role that allows him to use his acerbic wit and boyish charm in just the right combination. Paramount’s decision to cast him in the lead role of Tony Stark instantly put Iron Man on my must-see list. As I heard friends-in-the-know discuss comic book character Tony Stark’s alcoholism and playboy nature the casting seemed even more perfect and it gave me the right glimmer of hope that Iron Man might be more than a cookie-cutter adaptation.
My excitement continued to build when I heard that Jon Favreua was directing. I am not only a fan of his previous film appearances but was impressed by what he was able to create with movies like Zathura and most especially Elf. With the later he created a film to rival the Christmas cult movie status of A Christmas Story.
The final reason my excitement level was high for Iron Man was Gwyneth Paltrow. I have been a fan since the first time I saw her on screen and there are a handful of films (Emma, Sliding Doors, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Shallow Hal and Shakespeare in Love) that I can watch over and over again because I believe she is an integral part to making those films work. I think Gwyneth may be one of those ‘love her’ or ‘hate her’ actresses. In my case her presence in a film makes me want to see that film.
For the above reasons and more my hype-meter for Iron Man was at full tilt. The fact that it was receiving 94% positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes only added to my expectations. Expectations that get pushed that high are never a good thing. The result generally is some level of let-down. Fevered expectations are something I try to avoid whenever I can because the Fickle Hand of Fate often reaches out to pop the Expectations Balloon.
Is that enough build up for you?
Well Dear Readers, I can happily report to you that Iron Man lived up to my expectations. In fact, by not having a previous affinity with this character my expectations were actually exceeded. The other conundrum with comic book adaptations is whether they should be made for the adults that most comic books are written for today or for the kids who are obviously drawn to archetypal super-heroes that same way many generations before were when they were kids. The die-hard fanboy in me wants the more adult film–wants something with a bit of substance to it. The kid at heart and dad in me wants comic book films that the whole family can be taken to. More than many recent examples I believe Iron Man straddles that line quite admirably. The filmmakers were in no great hurry to bring the red and gold suit to the screen and yet managed to make a movie that maintains an intensity level that will keep children involved until the hero emerges.
I was impressed that the filmmakers did not shy away from the less admirable qualities of the Tony Stark character but were able to highlight those characteristics without beating them into the ground or creating a kind of anti-hero that parents might not want their children to see. To be sure there were sexual innuendos and violence that may not be the type of things every parent would want to expose their children to and yet these subjects were addressed creatively and with Robert Downey Jr.’s character machine-gun wit that somewhat deflects things for the younger audience members. I have to believe that a good portion of the credit for being able to achieve this balance has to go to Favreau who has proven himself a master of family-friendly yet intelligent films.
One of the few criticisms I heard leveled at Iron Man was that it felt like a ‘four acts in a three act film’. I couldn’t disagree more. At 2 hours and 6 minutes it was the perfect length to introduce some depth and complexity to the story that raises it above standard superhero fare. I enjoyed the various story threads that occurred throughout the movie and felt like they wove them together nicely to create a satisfying theatre-going experience. Though there were moments of predictability and some of the foreshadowing was less-than-subtle, those moments did not detract from Iron Man being a balanced, engaging film. More than many comic-book-to-film adaptations I predict that Iron Man has real potential to win over the most skeptical to this genre of film.
I was fortunate enough to see Iron Man in a digital theatre. Not having the other experience for comparison I am not sure exactly what this technology added to the experience. I can say that it was a sharp looking film with fantastic special effects that enhanced, but never overwhelmed, the story being presented on screen. The chemistry between the performers was fantastic (Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard were also very enjoyable in this film) and the sound effects were great.
We were treated with the kind of movie trailers that lead me to believe that this movie season could be the best ever (Prince Caspian, The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones, Hulk, and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening–and they were all new trailers that I had not previously seen). If Iron Man is any kind of indicator for the rest of the season, I may have to buy stock in my local movie chain.
4.5 out of 5 stars. Immensely entertaining. The last line of the film is terrific. And stay for the credits, especially if you are comic book geek. You’ll kick yourself if you miss it.
So many of my friends are raving about this film. I’m dying to see it, because like you, I’m not really aware of Iron Man as a superhero, so it would take a lot of disappoint me.
Have you seen the weird little parody of The Dark Knight trailer floating around? You can find it on Youtube pretty easy. I laughed a lot, and at that point was pretty much sold on The Dark Knight. >.>
No Renay, but I’ll check it out. I still cannot help feeling awkward and sad every time I see the trailer because of Heath Ledger.
I am not a comic book guy for the most part and had never heard of Iron Man before the previews to this movie. I almost didn’t even go see it, but the good reviews by the critics made me decide to give it a chance. I was NOT disappointed. It was fantastic. I wrote a whole review too. Check it out at our site, http://mysocialstandards.blogspot.com to see it.
How did I know we’d be seeing a review of this one from you this weekend? Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much!
Debi: It is rare that I miss a comic book movie on opening weekend. 🙂
Steve: Thanks for the link, great review. I also enjoyed your review of Goldfrapp and am loving sampling her/their music.
My husband hates going out to see movies in the huge metropolis where we live. On an opening weekend it’s really not worth fighting the crowds. This is the first movie in years that he’s actually mentioned wanting to see. Thanks for the great post. You made me want to see it even more. And those trailers… Those seem worth fighting the crowds for!
Ooooh I’ve been excited about Iron Man for a while. I’m not really into comics having never read them as a child, but I do like my movie adaptations. And I am a BIG fan of Robert Downey Jr (sorry, not Gwyneth..she annoys me!), so your review has me even more giddy! I really hope its on my flight home!
And awesome trailers! They are all films I want to see this year, should be a good summer!
SPOILER ALERT
I have to get my ass into the cinema this weekend. Heard Samuel L. Jackson had a cameo towards the end as Nick Fury.
Dark O: Hope you don’t mind the spoiler alert edit. 😉 And yes, get thee to yon cinema!
Mariel: I think it will be as wel. Its okay that GP annoys you, I like her enough for the both of us. 🙂
Tasses: I’m sorry. I cannot imagine not seeing films in the theatre. To me the whole crowd is a vital part of the experience. We have gotten into the habit of going on Sat. or Sun. morning to the first showing. It is much cheaper and the crowd generally just files in at the last minute so we always get good seats.
Uh….Carl. You forgot to mention that not only is Robert Downey, Jr. a GREAT actor. He’s extremely HOT! I think that’s my number one reason for seeing this film!!
Ummmm…yeah, Stephanie…ummm…. 😉 He certainly was fit in this film. And I liked his van dyke as well.
I actually planned to skip thsi one, since Iron Man is not one of my favorite heroes and even lists as one of the characters I personally don’t like, but well I am compeled to see for myself whether it is that good as people describe it and as you do in your review.
Hurrah! I’m glad you liked it Carl! I agree with all of your comments, and think that the embracing of Tony Stark’s questionable morals were an integral part of making this as enjoying for grown ups (I use the term loosely) and kids alike.
I was impressed with Paltrow; I am normally in the hate camp, but I thought she was great, and looked fantastic in a normal sized, healthy way that is becoming worryingly rare.
‘as enjoying for grownups’?! Wow, spot the ex-English teacher ;P
At first I was just going to wait until it comes out on DVD, but now I’m going to see it.
Carl, so glad you enjoyed this as much as I did (saw it yesterday and loved every second); a very short review is on my film page if you’d like to have a look http://brideofthebookgod.wordpress.com/the-brides-film-page/
Great flick! My wife and I took the kiddos ( ages 8 & 11 ) and they did quite well. The 8 year had a few cover the eyes for a few moments but once I assured him that Tony Stark would be ok he was fine. He also loved the Prince Caspian preview. He cracked me up by saying in excited voice once the preview was over ” Now THAT’S a preview! ” It was so funny.
Bride: I checked it out, great review!
Vasilly: I think you’ll enjoy seeing it in the theatre.
Stormfilled: We all have those spelling/grammar moments. If I had a dollar for every time I typed ‘and’ instead of ‘an’ I would be a rich man. Glad GP won you over for this role.
Harry: As I said, I wasn’t particularly attracted to the character one way or the other but his darkness and his portrayal by RDJ certainly has boosted the character waaaay up my list.
Jeff: I’m glad it ended up being okay for the kids to see. I ended up feeling so pleased yesterday after the whole thing was over. It isn’t that Iron Man is the greatest film ever made, it remains a superhero popcorn movie, but it was just the kind of well executed popcorn movies that reminds me how wonderful the movie-going experience is. It is such a great form of entertainment.
I’ve been a iron man fan since I was 7 or 8 – I can’t wait to see this!
I’ll really be interested in your thoughts Ken since you’ve been a fan for so long.
I saw it yesterday as well, thought it was great.
Checked this out today and can’t agree more! and it is a basic movie rule: Marvel movies you stay for the credits!!
You’ve convinced me. I’m a huge fan of Paltrow’s. Loved her in Sylvia, Sky Captain, Se7en, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Shakespeare in Love, and Sliding Doors. Hmmm, perhaps I should own these movies instead of re-renting them from Netflix!
Cameron: So glad to hear it. Can’t wait to talk about it in the shop on Wednesday.
Melanie: I generally always stay for the credits eventhough I don’t expect any ending footage. I guess I am a film geek that way, I like to read to see if I can learn anything. I also feel that those who work on the film at least need some of us to stay and honor them by watching their names scroll by on the screen.
Les: Good. Glad to read that someone is a Paltrow fan, I was feeling lonely!!! 😉
Well I hate to be the one guy with a different view but actually I thought it was a little lame. Maybe I have seen one-too-many-superhero-movies but they are all getting to be the same. You hit it right on with predictable. Predictable, predictable, predictable. Anyway it kind of bored me. Cool f/x, good acting. I have always said Jeff Bridges and Dennis Quaid are two of the most underrated actors and I loved J.B. in this one.
If you are a BSG fan, Robert Downey was Gaius Boltar except not as good. In fact, I think he watched an episode and tried to copy him. Gwyneth could have been anyone. I hate it when they cast huge stars for an any-person part. Unless it’s Morgan Freeman, then he’s just cool.
One of my buddies was blown away by the cars. Well, Batman has cars, X-Men had cars (and bikes,jets) 007 has cars. Was it me or did you notice when he first drives up in the Audi, you see a subliminal Audi model number appear for a split second at the bottom of the screen? Makes you want to buy one. Or a Dodge Charger…
SPOILER Question:
This is a bugger for me. How come it took wonder boy a long time to figure out how to fly but it took only a few minutes for the bad guy to learn? I think Favreau looked at his watch and said, “Whoa look at the time..”
Okay all in all not bad on the whole but I think I will like the for-sure sequel better.
Tom, it never fails. You are almost always the dissenter in our movie likes, so don’t worry about it. I shake my head at you but you are certainly entitled to your opinion. LOL! 🙂
I don’t watch BSG, but RDJ seemed every bit the RDJ I’ve seen in other films, especially Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I think he was perfectly cast for the role.
I go back and forth with the whole ‘could have been anyone’ thing. You’re right, the role GP played could have been just about anyone, it wasn’t anything more than a standard role, but because I adore Gwyneth I am glad it was her. Plus it is a great marketing move for her to get herself back into films with an appearance in a huge financial blockbuster movie. For me the whole star factor is more of an issue when it is a film like Stardust being adapted from a book because if you’ve grown to really love characters in a book and then hate the casting choices for certain roles then it can be really hard to overcome that. I don’t begrudge her or, for example, Maggie Gyllenhaal in the upcoming Batman film, taking the opportunity to make some big bucks in a big film. They do enough small films that actually call upon their acting chops that you can’t blame them for wanting a payday.
As I said, in the end it was still just a summer popcorn flick but I think it was a much better example of a superhero movie than many of the recent offerings (especially Spiderman 3 and X-Men 3).
Nice review Carl. I’m glad you like this movie. It’s also pleasing to read that with the success of this film, Marvel’s announced a groovy slate of new films over the next few years including Thor, The Avengers, Ant-man and Captain America. Lets keep our fingers crossed that they are all so enjoyable and successful. And hope they learn from their mistakes (Elecktra and X-men 3).
Iron Man hasn’t opened in my little village yet, but I’ll see it when it does 🙂
As always Carl, good review and I am in full agreement. My kids loved it, my buddy and I loved it.
This summer looks good too. Hulk might even be watch-able. Gwen P. was perfect in the role.