This movie has it all...

Rating: 1/10 (27 June 2008)

The trailer seemed to me quite stupid but I thought that it had to be some sort of a joke and that maybe there was some interesting message underneath the machismo and war mongering talk. How wrong I was...
I am sure that other have pointed out how pathetic this movie was. I know its a waste of time, but let me re-iterate...
You rarely see such a sexist, racist, and war glorifying movie. Only something like Transformers can compete with this.
This movie is yet another enrolment advertisement for the military! Sure, don't we all know that the American military would never sacrifice innocent lives (if used as human shields) or develop weapons that violate human rights? Not even Disney is that dumb!
Why does it glorify war? Again, because it makes it so easy to hate the enemy. Everything is black and white. With me or against me. The dichotomy of the simpleton. As if things were so simple. The audience cheered in the cinema as Iron man smashed people to a pulp. Killing was fun!
Do I need to mention that Iron man conforms to what has become a stereotype of American movies? The typical Bronson, Rambo, Eastwood, Willis... (could go on forever!) paranoia and vigilante attitude are an integral part of this movie.
Beside being racist (I will not go into this), the movie is sexist. Sure, its not the worst case I have seen, pretty tame and mainstream, I would say. Isn't this just a reflection of the world today? Makes one wonder. Is it what the male mentality dreams of? I am sure that all men want to believe that pretty girls underneath the pretence of being journalists, stewardess', secretaries, and so on, really are nothing but prostitutes that want to jump in bed with a cool guy at the first opportunity. Shouldn't the movie be commended for exposing this problem in society? Yes, if it wasn't for the fact that again it is glorifying the idea of women as sexual objects. It's cool to behave like Tony Stark (and of course, the journalist that behaves like him, is actually "trash" to be taken out). We don't even notice or question this kind of portrayal anymore. We have been desensitised by constant bombardment. Should we then be surprised that a multinational company like Tesco was selling pole-dancing kits on the toys and games section of its website?
Just a thought. I would have no problem if the richest woman in the world, say JK Rowling, behaved like a nymphomaniac. At least I would be sure she had a choice in the matter. But of course this does not happen in the movie. It's absolute power versus menial workers (BTW even his secretary Pepper Potts, which appears to retain some dignity, takes out the trash for him).
Surely it has a deep important message to tell that only a few enlightened viewers might have noticed. Doesn't it feel good, in this era of nonosecond attention span, to be able to pick this deeply encoded message? (Not always so subtle. For example, the label "Stark Industries" appeared in gigantic letters clearly visible from satellites in orbit on all weapons terrorists were using).
The veiled message of criticism of technology is actually overwhelmed by its glorification. It's through technology that Stark triumphs in the end. And he is so cool with those jet booths, isn't he? Not to mention the way in which he blasts away enemies. It's again what you have and not what you are that matters. Weak people require a lot of gadgets, we know that. That is why kids want mobiles, ipods, computer games, and so on. They are the weakest, they need to conform. They crumble under peer pressure. Unfortunately many grown-ups still behave like that. They cannot ask the simple question what do I need this junk for? To impress people? Sorry got carried away...
To summarise, this movie has all the simple minded really needs to be happy. The cool people, the killing, the sex, and the toys. The plot is never in the way and everything is clear and simple (military good, industrialist bad, women...). No need to think, just enjoy the ride!