A Superhero Epic with Wit, Heart, True Political Relevance and Downey's Knowing Work

Rating: 9/10 (12 May 2008)

Casting Robert Downey Jr. ("Chaplin", "Zodiac") in the title role turns out to be a masterstroke as the beleaguered actor slips easily into all the complexities of a brilliant scientist who also happens to be a billionaire industrialist and a hedonistic playboy whose every pleasure-seeking habit has turned into a death-defying addiction. The textured part of Tony Stark so mirrors Downey's former tabloid-headline-grabbing life that the actor can't help but inform the role with layers of resonance and irony that elevate what could have been a more cookie-cutter superhero epic. At the same time, director Jon Favreau ("Elf", "Zathura") has more on his mind than creating another heavily stylized comic book myth, as he spends the first part of the film on establishing the realistic context for his hero's circumstances in rugged, war-torn terrain of Afghanistan. No less than four writers were recruited for the screenplay - Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway - on top of the original work by Stan Lee and his creative team at Marvel Comics. Usually having too many hands is a warning sign of a bad, neutralized movie but not this time - this is smart, provocative entertainment that doesn't forget it's also a popcorn flick with plenty of special effects, nonstop action and an unsubtle sense of good versus evil.
The story has Stark, the head of his own multinational corporation specializing in the manufacture of state-of-the-art, mass destruction weaponry, in Afghanistan demonstrating a new guided missile that can launch a multitude of smaller missiles aimed at individual targets. His military convoy is ambushed by insurgents who kill the soldiers escorting him. Stark survives due to the quick-thinking ingenuity of a local Afghan physician who implants a device in Stark's chest to ensure the remaining shrapnel left in his body doesn't travel to his heart. Stark's captors demand that he build a missile like the one he just demonstrated, but instead, he makes an elaborate armored suit and blasts his way out of the cave where he was held hostage. Lots of carnage inevitably ensues, but Stark's miraculous escape sets the stage for the rest of the story. Transformed by his traumatic, three-month experience overseas, Stark has a change of heart which has detrimental ramifications on his company but also allows him to follow his monomaniacal pursuit of building a sleeker, more powerful version of the suit he built in captivity. Three people, in particular, are impacted by Stark's unpredictable actions - his military liaison and best friend Lt. Colonel Jim ("Rhodey") Rhodes; Stark's cagey second-in-command at Stark Industries, Obadiah Stone; and Stark's devoted personal assistant Pepper Potts.
With impressive agility, the often under-appreciated Downey makes Stark's transformation palpable and brings surprising conviction to a role that must have seemed absurd on paper. Favreau's other casting decisions also pay dividends though some more than others. Shorn of his thick hair and sporting a salt-and-pepper beard, Jeff Bridges, another actor who never seems to get his due, is still recognizable from his trademark grin and plays the avuncular, villainous Stone with great relish. Credit Bridges for not overdoing what could have been an excessive Willem Dafoe-like turn in the first "Spiderman". One suspects that Terrence Howard will have more to do in the sequel as Rhodey since he is not called on to do much in this first installment except provide support and official alibis. Playing the distressed female again after a similar role as Polly Perkins in Kerry Conran's "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't have much more to play here as Pepper Potts, but she makes the most of a mostly observational role and effortlessly delivers some of the film's more amusing lines. All the production values are top-notch - as they have to be for this type of franchise - and special mention should be made of J. Michael Riva's elaborate production design (Stark's Malibu estate is quite an eye-catcher), Matthew Libatique's crisp cinematography, and the dozens involved with the seamless CGI effects. Make sure to stay after the credits in order to see a surprise final scene which gives a hint of what the sequel may be about.