Solid Film

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2008)

I went into this movie with high expectations. With its knack for combining high-powered action sequences with character personality and humor, Marvel as an independent studio should exist for quite a while, at least until it makes Ant-Man.
For you action-junkies, you're going to be sorely disappointed. There are action sequences, but this movie refreshingly focuses on the personality behind the steel. Robert Downey Jr. is fantastic. He's probably one of the few who could make the lovable arseface character of Tony Stark believable. Much of the humor comes from the spot-on delivery of his lines alone. The other performances do not disappoint, but you will remember Downey's multi-dimensional portrayal long after you forget Terrence Howard is in this movie.
The film looks at the origins of Iron Man, who is created out of Tony Stark's encounter with morality after he realizes the weapons that have made him rich are fueling terrorism. While traveling in the Middle East to promote his latest invention, he gets captured by terrorists who want him to create a replica of his latest invention for their own personal use. He escapes with the help of his astounding brilliance and an unlikely ally, and returns home with a need to rid all traces of the empire he's created for the future good of humanity--much to the dismay of his co-workers (played ably by Howard and Jeff Bridges). Said co-workers--one of whom is not what he seems--disagree with Stark on whether weaponry ends do justify means as Stark turns his attentions to a new project to make sure terrorism can never use his brilliance for such atrocities again. This leads to the creation of Iron Man.
The script is excellent, something that's usually sub-par in an action movie because filmmakers think special effects can compensate for it. Iron Man isn't as fast paced or Transformers, but the dynamic acting of Jr. and the witty script make the dialogue-heavy scenes interesting. Without so much reliance on action scenes to carry this film, the audience gets to know and relate to every aspect of the characters, much to Iron Man's advantage. Iron Man doesn't forget to blow stuff up, but shows the human behind the iron, which makes a more powerful impact than any missile ever could.