Fun, Plain And Simple

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2008)

I never was a big Iron Man fan. Don't get me wrong he was a good Avenger (for all you non-comic book fan's out there The Avengers is Marvel's version of The Justice League, again for all the non-comic book fans The Justice League is DC Comic's big superhero team more commonly known by their Saturday morning cartoon title The Super Friends)but Iron Man never did much for me as a solo character. Don't get me wrong he's had some good stories, like the alcoholic story line (where Tony Stark becomes such a drunk he has to give up being Iron Man) and Armor Wars (where evil bad guys get a hold of Stark's Iron Man technology and he has to fight like 8 billion Iron Men)but other than that he's never done much for me, so when i heard that an Iron man movie was being made i just shrugged it off, and held no interest.
it had a few strikes against it for me. The first being Robert Downey Jr. was casted as Iron Man/Tony Stark. He's a good actor, but an action movie star? no way. The second it had Gwyneth Paltrow in it. I'm just not a fan of her's. Third was that Jon Favreau was directing it. I like Favereau, but i wasn't so sure that the man who directed the family comedy Elf (one of the ONLY good Will Ferrall movies)was the man to direct a big budget superhero action film. Then i saw the trailer.
So needless to say, not caring to much for the character, but having great looking previews, I broke the news to my wife that she didn't have to see it, and headed to the local multiplex with my good friend Joe Lane, and special guest Paul Romanski (I hope that's how you spell it)and saw Iron Man. I have to admit i left the theater with an ear to ear grin on my face. Iron Man is a blast and I didn't want it to end. The summer movie season has kicked off and is off to a good start, if Iron Man is any indication.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a billionaire industrialist that owns Stark International, a company that specializes is manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. While in Afghanastan, demonstrating his latest weapon to the military, The Jericho Missle, Stark gets attacked and kidnapped by terrorists. They give Stark an ultimatum, build the terrorists a Jericho missile and be set free (yeah right) or refuse and die (like they wouldn't kill him any way). The thing that really scares Tony is that the terrorists all have Stark International weapons throughout their camp.
Tony decides that instead of building them a missile he builds a suit of armor that looks like the Tin Man from The Wizard Of Oz on steroids, to bust out of and destroy the camp he was held captive in. The suit has machine guns, flame throwers, missile, and a jet pack. Tony succeeds and makes it back to civilization, which he realizes is not the same and makes some changes to his tin man suit,updating it and making it more modernized. Stark becomes Iron man, a superhero that doesn't attack normal criminals like muggers and thieves, but instead fights terrorists. That is how simple the plot of Iron Man is, and it kept me entertained for two hours and change.
Iron Man, as much fun as it is does have it's faults, slightly. Terrance Howard (a very talented actor) seems almost wasted as James Rhodes, Starks best friend, Gwyneth Paltrow (who plays Pepper Potts, yes that's her name) comes off yet again as nothing more than a ditz, and Jeff Bridges (who plays Obadiah Stane) still plays the same roll in every movie.
The shining spot of Iron Man is Robert Downey Jr., who proved that he deserved the roll. I almost forgot the Downey was playing Iron Man/Stark and that it wasn't Stark ripped right out of a Marvel comic. He was great, and I can't see any one else playing the roll. It's rumored that Iron Man and the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie will lead into an Avengers movie, with Downey appearing in The Hulk as Stark. We'll see about that one (rumors were Samuel L. Jackson was supposed to make a cameo in Iron Man as Nick Fury, and he didn't). If that happens remanis to be seen but Iron Man is left wide open for Iron Man II. No big surprise there.
I would see Iron Man again in a heart beat, although i can see some people complaining that they will feel the film is to story driven and not enough action. where i come from I call that a good beginning.
On a scale of 10 I give Iron Man an 8. Go, check your brain at the door, and have fun. I did.