Where It All Began

Rating: 8/10 (9 April 2015)

The Following Review Will Contain Spoilers!
Iron Man from the year 2008 marks the first film in a series of Marvel films. This series is now known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is it the first universe on film? Of course not, but so far the people behind the scenes have crafted something amazing. Iron Man was the first piece in this puzzle. It was a big risk for Paramount at the time, but it payed off into something so big, that Disney had to buy it. The following is my review of Iron Man.
Iron Man was written by Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, Hawk Ostby, and Mark Fergus. Fergus and Ostby had actually worked together a few times in the past on some smaller films, and even the 2006 film Children of Men. Since Iron Man was made in 2008, they have worked together on Cowboys & Aliens. Holloway and Marcum also worked together on the 2008 comic book film Punisher: War Zone. A favorite of mine. So they all some good experience before coming on board with this film. Some better than others, but even still.
The story follows Tony Stark, a weapons dealer for the United States government. Tony is in the Middle East showing off his new Jericho missile. On his way back to base, his crew is attacked, and Tony is taken hostage. The terrorist leader who had him kidnapped wants Tony to build him one of these Jericho missiles. Tony turns this around to build his first Iron Man suit, and thus escapes back home. During his time in the middle East as a hostage, Tony has second thoughts on selling weapons that kill people. This is where the story really picks up. I don't want to give away the entire story, but the film features some great twists and turns. The villain of the film Obadiah Stane(Jeff Bridges) is still one of my favorite MCU(Marvel Cinematic Universe) villains. His character was written greatly, and Bridges was the perfect fit for the role. One of my major issues with the story, is what comes at the end. Again this will be a major spoiler. Tony Stark reveals at the end that he in fact is Iron Man to the public. I did not like this part, and would have liked it more had they gone the traditional route. Either way, the story ended up being amazing, and was a great start to this huge universe. The story writers here deserve big credit.
The film was directed by Jon Favreau. Favreau not only directed this film, but also came back to direct the sequel. He is also known for films like Elf, Zathura: A Space Adventure, and Cowboys & Aliens. The film is visually amazing. Though there are times that the CG looks cartoonish. The action scenes are fun, but this is not a big action blockbuster. For about the first forty five minutes or so, there is only light action. Even the final battle between Iron Man and Stane only lasts about five to seven minutes. The story and the characters really carry this film. Which leads me to this fabulous cast of actors. The film is lead by Robert Downey Jr., and co-stars Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Faran Tahir, and so many other actors in smaller roles. After having seen this movie many times since 2008, I still enjoy watching it for the amazing chemistry all the actors had together. Faveau delivered amazing action when the film called for it, it mostly looked nice, and he brought together this great cast of actors and had them make this great film.
The film was composed by Ramin Djawadi. He is now known for his amazing score on Pacific Rim. That score is still one of my favorites to this very day. This score however for Iron Man, well it just wasn't that great. It does add some nice depth to the overall film, but it is just a good score, and not a great one. Some may disagree with me on this aspect, but I stand by my opinion. Again, it wasn't bad, just not great as some of his other work.
In closing, this is just a fantastic start to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man is such a fun and entertaining film that the whole family could likely enjoy. The film has amazing acting, and a great story. There are some aspects to the story and I didn't care for, but nothing that hurts the film. Those wanting to get caught up on the MCU, this is where it all began, and this is a great beginning. It should not disappoint the average movie fan.
8/10
I will be back to Review the next MCU film in the series, The Incredible Hulk.