Comic Book movies can still be very fun and innovative and Iron Man is all the proof you need...

Rating: 9/10 (9 May 2008)

I honestly didn't know what to expect with this film. Marvel has been very hit and miss as of late and I really think that the last truly great film they made was Spider-Man 2 04. Iron Man is a treat and a reprieve from the Ghost Riders, Electras', Blade Trinitys', and Spider-Man 3s' of recent years.
Robert Downey Jr IS Iron Man. He is absolutely outstanding in the title role of Tony Stark. He has a huge on-screen presence and he is really what drives this movie which has an outstanding cast. He captures the persona of the Stark character perfectly. Some say it is because they have similar character traits and I simply don't think that's true. Tony Stark is the anti-superhero and you have to be clever and witty to make him appeal to the audience who expects the Romantic good guy in a quest against evil. Stark builds his new suit out of curiosity to see how far the limits could be pushed rather than doing it out of a conviction to fight off villains. The last exchange between Stark and Pepper is a direct parody of the entire Spider-Man film series. Stark is not your average hero and he makes it known. They remain faithful to Stark's personality and thus the movie can offer the audience a treat in the world of summer superheroes.
The story of Iron Man was written as a critique of the Cold War ideas but the story transfers verily well to our modern War on Terror. Stark is a patriot and when he sees his weapons being fired on American soldiers he gains the conviction to become something better than what he once was. There is some critique of weaponry and war but it is mainly about how Tony comes to the realization that war must be used for the right reasons and he comes to this through his capture in the film's beginning. Starks reaction to seeing his weapons in the hands of terrorists is portrayed very well by Downey. We are able to see inside the real Tony Stark past the playboy.
The special effects are realistic. ILM shows that they don't need superheros to be in the dark to make them look like living breathing beings.
My complaint about the film is the final battle. The dialogue and the fight choreography are bad enough to be in your Saturday morning cartoon. Jeff Bridges is an immensely talented actor and to hear him deliver pitiful cliché lines is somewhat of a disappointment.