I AM IRON MAN!

Rating: Null/10 (2 April 2019)

This is it! The start of what is probably the most well-known cinematic universe. I remember when this film was coming out and Iron Man was everywhere and the hilarious thing about that was nobody knew this character. After the film's release that changed. That changed big time. The first time I properly saw this was around Christmas time, 2008. I had got the DVD as a gift and I was so happy when I got the chance to watch it... that was 11 years ago...
POSITIVES!
When it comes to this kind of character, it is a smart move to begin with an origin story. I do, however, believe that the film is mistitled. It should called "Tony Stark" and that isn't a bad thing. Clearly. The way that the character, and story, is written is such a strong character piece that it propels this widely unknown character to A-Level reception. What this character goes through to put him on a journey to become a "superhero" is a very entertaining narrative. This is a testament to the writers, director, and especially the incredible Robert Downey Jr. This man is a treasure in real life and an artist in film... it also helps that he is just so natural because the character is pretty much himself. Downey is great with the comedic side, believable in the dramatic side, and as heroic as a hero can be. Downey shares great chemistry with his co-stars; Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, and, for his one-time appearance, Terence Howard. Jon Favreau stars in front of the camera but excels behind it as the director. Like Downey, Favreau can balance all these genres to create a very coherent tone with some great action sequences. Those action scenes are packed full of visual effects that still hold up a decade later, and for years to come. The balance of CGI and practical was very strong, obviously I'm in favour of practical, but the CGI is sound. The look of the film. With its sets in imagery has a touch of sci-fi, but it is grounded. The suits/armour utilized in the film are my personal favourites. For a long time, this is what I think of when I think of Iron Man. The sounds that emanate from the suits (repulsor blasts) are fun to mimic, especially when you're a child and obsessed with the character. It has a decent score, but it has a very rock'n'roll centric soundtrack that works.
NEGATIVES!
My only real negative with this film affects and could've affected the MCU, but mainly the Iron Man franchise. And that's the treatment of Jeff Bridges' antagonist character, Obadiah Stane and the third act. This character could've had the potential to be the Lex Luthor to Iron Man's Superman. But, spoiler alert for a 10-year-old film, the character is killed off. The character builds the "Iron Monger" suit to square-off against the hero after just being argumentative about replicating the Iron Man armour... 5 mins later he gets an arc reactor and magically has a suit of armour. The Iron Man vs. Iron Monger fight isn't anything special. There are plot points that come back around that are fun nods, but other than that, the final fight sequences get better as the universe expands. After Obadiah Stane is killed, in a lacklustre way, the character is forgotten about as the MCU continues. No remorse or even a reference to the character. I would've preferred that the character becomes a behind the scenes type of villain throughout the Iron Man franchise, building up to an explosive fallout between Stark and Stane. But the film went in a different direction.
CONCLUSION!
So, Iron Man was such a great choice to begin this Cinematic Universe. It's said a lot in interviews that anyone (meaning franchises) could've been in RDJ's and the film's shoes, being the one to kick-off the franchise. But I very much appreciate Iron Man being the first film. Not only for what it did for the character, but for the people behind it. Regarding RDJ's rough history in the public eye, Jon Favreau not being a massive name in the industry directing Indie Films, and just the status of the Iron Man character being a C-Level character. And now, look around. Robert Downey Jr. is back and better than ever, Favreau is doing some massive movies, and Iron Man's popularity is compared to Spider-Man, and Batman. That's because of this extremely entertaining blockbuster!