May 2, 2008
Movie review: Iron Man
By Stan Dyer
Whoa! This is the best movie I have seen this year. For just over two hours, this movie completely involves the audience, erases the outside world and allows viewers to wallow in a fantasy. It is full of "Y" chromosomes, testosterone and action. If you are looking for this year's sweet, romantic comedy, you had better go next door. You will not find it in this theatre. If you came to see Robert Downey Jr. return to stardom, you are in the right place. It is time for everyone to forget Mr. Downey's past and welcome him back. This movie makes no doubt that he is back and he is wearing an iron suit.
Downey portrays millionaire playboy, genius and military weapons manufacturer, Tony Stark. While in Afghanistan selling his latest weapon of mass destruction, the "Jericho" missile, Stark is kidnapped by insurgents and forced to build a Jericho missile for them. Along with another captive, Yinsen, who serves as both a translator and assistant, Stark gets busy with the project. Stark, however, believes the insurgents will only kill him after he gives up the Jericho missile, so he devises another plan. He instead builds a robotic suit made of iron to help him in his escape. His plan succeeds, but Yinsen is killed in the effort.
Picked up by friendly forces and returned to civilization, Stark holds a press conference and announces that his company will no longer manufacture military weapons. He saw that his weapons, designed to keep the peace, were actually being used against friendly forces. Secretly, he works on improving his iron, robotic suit in the hope that it will be used to preserve the peace. At the same time, the insurgents in Afghanistan recover the remains of the suit Stark used to escape and begin work on a suit of their own. I am about to reveal the spoiler, so, if you don't want to know, skip the next paragraph.
Tony Stark soon discovers why and how the insurgents had so many of his weapons and so much of his technology. His friend and business associate, Obadiah Stane, (portrayed by Jeff Bridges looking like Daddy Warbucks and acting like Lex Luther), is actually a traitor. Stane is the one selling the weapons to the insurgents and even has been working on new, improved iron suit technology based on the remnants recovered by the insurgents in Afghanistan. In a scene that brought flashbacks of "Robocop", the two men in their robotic suits fight a duel to the death. Iron Man is no match for Stane's creation, but through trickery, is able to defeat the bigger, stronger and more powerful upgrade. In the end, it is decided that Stark should keep his Iron Man identity a secret, but, in a moment of weakness at the end of the movie, reveals the truth of his identity to the press.
There is no doubt in my mind that this movie is "A+". It starts with action right from the start and, despite being two hours long, never drags for even a minute. There is a good balance of action, comic relief and even romance. It is nicely put together, well-acted all the way around, and just plain fun. Believe me when I say Robert Downey, Jr. is back. He is very good in this movie as are Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The only thing bad I can say about the movie is that is no way to treat a Shelby Cobra. Take your kids and take your friends, but I am not too sure it is good to take a date. Oh, by the way, I love the vintage metal music and the original score. They both help enhance the power of this movie.
Title: Iron Man
Director: Jon Favreau
Genre: Action adventure, Comic Book, Rating: PG-13, Run Time: 2 Hours, 6 Minutes.
Cast: Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard and Jim Rhodes, and Shaun Toub as Yinsen