Scrapheap Challenge is more entertaining

Rating: 4/10 (6 August 2016)

Hollywood crowd-pleaser or vapid ego-fest for all those concerned? My money's on the latter, but a lot of people seem to rave over this comic book adaptation that sees a Howard Hughes-style inventor making himself a metal suit and using it to fight various nefarious characters. In recent years I've seen the superhero genre on the wane, with boring and predictable outings lacking the spark that earlier hits enjoyed (such as SPIDER-MAN and DAREDEVIL, although I know I'm in the minority in liking the latter). IRON MAN to me was routine, overlong and frequently dull, telling the 'samey' kind of origin story we've been seeing since whenever, and definitely lacking in entertainment value.
It didn't help that Tony Stark's character grated on me from the beginning. We're supposed to believe this arrogant weapons manufacturer has a change of heart and wants to do good for the world, all the while retaining his quirky charm. Puh-lease! In actual fact, I was on the side of the (unrecogniseable) Jeff Bridges, cast here as the mentor-turned-villain. Bridges was the only one in the film who seemed to have the right idea what to do with Stark, i.e. beat seven shades of hell out of him.
The plot plods along, taking trips to the Middle East along the way for some bloodless hijinks that see Stark building himself a suit of iron out of a few left-overs. BLUE PETER for guys, if you will. It also returns to the area later on for a rather entertaining fight sequence, but action and pretty special effects alone can't win the day for Stark. After the umpteenth confrontation, we're left with the sight of two metal men beating the tar out of each other in a climax lifted from ROBOCOP 2, and the ending drags on forever. Sadly, Stark ends up saving the day, which means that a sequel was greenlit.
Other things working against the film: Gwyneth Paltrow's robot-like performance as "Pepper Potts", with whom Stark's character shares mucho dull flirtation. What did Hollywood ever see in this actress? Terrence Howard's military man is as dull as dishwater, and the only minor moments of fun come from watching our hero make implausible use of his engineering skills. But then, if I wanted to see that, I'd rather plump for SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE, I think.