Review: Iron Man

So,

The reviews are overwhelmingly positive, the box office has been boffo and it looks to me like Iron Man has a pretty successful franchise career ahead of it.

But the big question is, what did I think?

Well I liked it a lot of course. Der.

S, Scott and I went to see it on opening night, which is pretty rare for me. Because, while I likes my movies, I don’t like crowded theatres, idiot audience members and having to clamp down on my kidneys for at least an hour because I’ve finished my large pop before the previews even finished…again.

So why is Iron Man so good?

Well for the nerds in the audience Iron Man does a great job in hitting all the essential elements of the character.

Playboy industrialist
Technical doo-dad in his chest to prevent death
Excessive drinking
Multiple Iron Man armours
S.H.I.E.L.D
Telegraphing the birth of War Machine

and the list goes on and on. It’s a nerdgasm and if you’re steeped in the lore of Iron Man all the little extras and tidbits thrown into the film will only serve to enhance your viewing experience.

Visually the film is without equal, a perfect blend of CGI and Stan Winston puppetry effects, George Lucas should take note.

The direction is fantastic, I would never have suspected that John Favreau, a director I associate primarily with talky Tarantino-type movies would have been able to helm a summer blockbuster like this so masterfully. But he does and he does it well. Mixing up visual effects and resisting the urge to make the film a two hour beat down between iron suited behemoths.

And finally the acting. For obvious reasons Robert Downey Jr. is a perfect casting choice to portray a successful businessman, hell bent on success and toting around a few personal problems. RD Jr. isn’t portraying Tony Stark, he’s being himself. The few scenes where Jr. is left to his own devices and simply improvs all his dialog are comic gold*. The movie may be all about him and his character, but it never, EVER, feels like one of those ego-centric star vehicles that are all hero shots and melodramatics. Jr. resists the urge to go over the top, instead choosing to develop his character with panache and subtlety and rarely going for the cinematic jugular.

This is a comic book movie that sets the bar for all those that come after. Whether or not it’s the greatest comic book movie ever is a subjective opinion that I won’t get into. Is it in my top five? Without question. It’s film’s like this that give legitimacy to the whole genre. Well played Iron Man, well played.

*Seriously, the bit with the robot arm and the fire extinguisher, I was laughing my ass off. Literally.