Another Special Effects Film

Rating: 2/10 (12 October 2008)

Another special effects film which means if you want good dialog, character development and chemistry walk away now. I thought this one was going to be good and was greatly disappointed. The special effects are fine and predictable and like so many superhero films of late the characters are one-dimensional. The fact that Favreau left the dialog up to the leads instead of investing in a good writer is apparent.
Surprisingly Robert Downey Jr. is just okay. His Tony Stark is mildly appealing and his scenes in the lab are probably the best in the film, maybe it's because he is talking to inanimate objects and his computer. He has better chemistry with JARVIS (Paul Bettany) than anyone else in the picture.
Gwyneth Paltrow brings nothing to her part. She is again the wooden girl, but there isn't much to the part. Anyone could play it and someone else might have been convincing in her scenes with Robert Downey Jr.
Terence Howard seems miscast. For a military man his character is soft and has no military bearing. It's too bad because he's a much better actor than he is allowed to be in this film.
Jeff Bridges seems to have a lot of fun with his role. He plays it for fun and it shows. He is the only one who seems to be playing his part for what it is. Everyone else is either taking it too seriously or just can't seem to get past their own parts.
If you haven't seen this movie save yourself some cash and rent it. You won't feel like you've wasted any money that way.