Iron Man...Iron Man...does whatever a spider can....

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2008)

It's a bit difficult to tell sometimes, isn't it? We all turn up for these summer movies hoping for the best, often leaving the theatre with a crashing sense of disappointment (Superman Returns) or downright anger (The Mummy Returns, Planet of The Apes remake). However on the odd occasion somebody somewhere gets it right, and Iron Man is one of those moments.
Firstly, The story actually has some weight. Tony Stark, armaments manufacturer and inventor of weapons of mass destruction, re-evaluates his shallow life when he's almost fatally injured while demonstrating a new missile system in Afghanistan; and we all know what he's doing there, don't we? He ain't writing Shakespearean love sonnets...
Designing a Titanium Alloy - only a little bit of the title metal is used - exo-skeleton to preserve his life after his military convoy comes under attack. Stark doesn't need this to kick backside - he needs it to keep his shrapnel-injured heart beating. The bad guys - presumably the Taliban though they're given a different moniker here, The Ten Rings - Me thinks they may have a sponsor by the name of Mandarin, but that's for the sequel - are keeping our hero prisoner in the hope he'll build them a version of his new missile. And, to quote Tales of Suspense 39, "Iron Man is born!"
That's the set-up, a superbly executed 30 minutes of tight suspense and gritty action. There's some subtle criticism of US foreign policy here - Stark sees his own weapons in the hands of the bad guys - but it's a film that never preaches. The movie slows somewhat in the middle but still delivers its fair share of one-liners, suspenseful moments and interesting scenes. Robert Downey Jr nails the part of Stark almost effortlessly. He's as good in this as he was in Zodiac and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It's brave casting, and it works.
The supporting cast are rather underwritten but as it's hey, about Iron Man and not Pepper or Happy we can forgive this. Director John Favreau pops up as the latter and Gwyneth Paltrow is the love interest, though to be honest Stark seems less interested in her than his armour. Terence Howard is Stark's put-upon buddy James Rhodes, a future Iron Man/War Machine in the making. Jeff Bridges wears a mighty scary beard as Obidiah Stane. He's a pretty good, believable villain. And the addition of Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath to the soundtrack should bring a giggle or two. The only real minuses are the somewhat sluggish pace at times and the lack of a central hook to hang the story on other than Iron Man's origin. But the film, as I said in my intro, gets most things right.
The effects are fabulous, never get in the way of the story, being used sparingly but well and there's a marvellous fan boy moment after the end credits, with Nick Fury appearing with a highly interesting offer for our new hero. I've heard a little rumour that Iron Dude is cameoing in The Incredible Hulk. The Avengers are about to assemble...
***Postscript May 2010. Just watched this again and I've added a star to my original rating - Iron Man is a grower. The blue-ray looks amazing and the middle section plays better than it did to me on my first viewing. I think this is a much better film than it's sequel, which seemed rather rushed.