|
Starring
Robert Downey, Jr.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Jeff Bridges
Terrance Howard
Leslie Bibb
Directed by
Jon Favreau
Final Grade:
B-Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content
a review by Heith Carnahan
The Rundown
Robert Downey, Jr. is Tony Stark, brilliant billionaire and head of Stark Industries, the world's leading designer and manufacturer of high-tech military-grade weapons systems. While on a tour of Afghanistan to demonstrate his latest missile system, Stark is kidnapped and held captive by insurgents who demand he replicate the very weapon he was in the country to inaugurate.
While his captors believe he's working on their weapon, he is instead building a terrifying suit of armor that will enable him to annihilate the terrorists and escape captivity. Once back in the States, he changes his company's course and uncovers a plot to distribute his new weapon to the very people from whom he was protecting the United States in the first place.
The Iron-Clad Truth
To begin with, credit must be given the writers for their ability to put together a backstory that builds into something, rather than one that is simply placed before us. Given that storyline is usually the primary weak spot with action films, the solid concept behind the character was very refreshing. Tony Stark's three-month captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan allows the audience to get to know him a bit before seeing him take off in the red and gold suit we've become so familiar with over the past few months. In a case like this, patience pays off. Stark's journey from relentless business tycoon to humanitarian crusader is well-earned, and that's a pleasant surprise, given the shoot-em-up mentality many comic book adaptations have crashed and burned with over the past decade or so.
There's a surprising amount of star power involved in the film as well; I didn't even know Gwyneth Paltrow was in the film until she showed up on-screen; her role as Pepper Potts, Stark's personal assistant, is largely a one-note character but is given something special by Paltrow's considerable presence. Likewise, Jeff Bridges, always a favorite, puts together a convincing on-screen scheme, and Terrence Howard sticks to the straight-man role with which he's very familiar, and indeed, quite successful.
If there's a problem with Iron Man -- and there is, or you wouldn't be seeing a B- on his report card -- it's in the overall execution and resolution of the main plot. Again, the backstory is solid and the characters surprisingly well-drawn, but by the time things really come to a head, you basically know what you'll be in for. On that front, it's standard summer movie fare, but I know I certainly had higher hopes for Iron Man than that, and I'd wager I'm not the only one. With such an engaging start, the film's resolution comes about with surprisingly little heart and almost (but not quite) descends into CGI-driven parody before it's all over. The character bits sparkle while the action sometimes misses the mark -- how's that for a reversal?
Someone should remind Robert Downey, Jr. as well that you can deliver your lines with more than one facial expression. Given that Stark was written with such cleverness and quick wit, Downey's deadpan adds to the dry humor while simultaneously losing points on sheer humanity, which in the end, is what Iron Man is all about.
The Bottom Line
It's a good (not great) summer-kickoff movie with a good story and fantastic effects. It won't be a must-own, but it's certainly worth seeing once.
-- Heith Carnahan, heith @ movie-popcorn.com