Big, Clunky, Dumpy Iron Man? No.

Rating: 7/10 (16 June 2008)

iron-man, the movie about a weapons industrialist turned super hero dressed in an iron suit, leads off this summer blockbuster season with a certain suave flair, a certain eased, sophisticated, flair that modestly runs contrary to it's dazzling, fiery, hype and bucks the gaudy, overly-wrought, overly-indulged trend of past comic book movies; where substance and value is judged by quantity rather than quality.
in iron-man, there is a posh, dark, stylishly-refined, matured elegance that manages to have this complete urbane feel with a minimal amount of effort, a minimal amount of expense. the movie doesn't try too hard to please. the movie doesn't try too hard to excite. it just simply builds from it's bare bone essentials never freely indulging itself with an ornate abundance of extraneous elements that are intended to entertain under this greedy, corpulent, Hollywood philosophy that more, more, more is good. the movie just, simply, is, that's it; nothing more, nothing less, nothing less, nothing more. pure, refined, beautiful simplicity.
and the movie contains a certain unassuming, self assured, quiet quality that produces this prudently-streamlined, austere, confidence. an austere confidence that, ironically enough, runs contrary to the brash, flashy, persona of it's protagonist: tony stark. witty, cool, suave and elegantly streamed; good movie.