Pumping (up) Iron

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2008)

Na na na na na, na na na na na na na na na. Na na na na na, na na na na na na na na naaaaaaaaaaa.
I am Iron Man! Not really, but I'm excited. It's the start of summer, which means beaches, swimming pools, girls in bikini tops and short shorts, and above all, sequels and comic book movies. One of the biggest is "Iron Man", a movie that's been generating buzz it seems since last summer. This has been called a comic-book movie to rival "Spider-Man" by people who haven't even seen it yet, and with talent like Jon Favreau directing and Robert Downey Jr. starring, you can understand the lofty expectations. And looking at the final product, they delivered above and beyond.
Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, a weapons designer unveiling his newest machine of destruction, "The Jericho", to the United States Air Force stationed in Afghanistan. While traveling with the unit, he is attacked and captured by a terrorist group called the Ten Rings. The attack leaves a piece of shrapnel embedded near his heart and he is ordered by his captors to assemble a weapon in their workshop, but he instead turns the tables on them. Working with the aid of a fellow captive, Dr. Yinsen (Shaun Toub), he puts his creativity to use, putting together a bulletproof suit of armor, complete with flame-throwers and other gadgets in order to free himself.
After seeing the destruction and death that his weapons cause, Stark leaves Afghanistan a changed man, even willing to cancel his company's weapon manufacturing for a more "accountable" method of warfare. This is not good news for his business partner, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges). Stark's newest project is the iron-man suit, updating it with flight, weaponry, sleekness, and even a nice color coating. Only while this is going on, Obadiah is secretly trying to overthrow Tony and take over the company, even getting his hands on the first "suit" prototype. Less evil are Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tony's assistant and Jim Rhodes (Terrance Howard), the military liaison to Stark Industries, who help Tony along the way.
"Iron Man" is big, flashy summer fun but its greatness comes from director Jon Favreau and writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby never forgetting that this is the story about a weapon with a heart. They take that appealing premise and make it spectacular. The action is first rate, offering up explosions and an exciting chase scene between Iron Man and fighter jets. This is balanced perfectly with humor (Stark's time in the lab updating and working with the suit offers up some of the best visual gags of the year) and a warm feeling that comes from a seeing a weapons maker that cares. The suit is also one of the most amazing and beautiful looking things ever put on screen.
This is also a cast that if you told me would be headlining a comic book movie, I probably wouldn't believe you. With the exception of Terrance Howard, who might as well be playing a hood ornament with the minimal role he's given, the cast brings so much to what is going on here. If Tobey Maguire made playing a super-hero a brilliant acting accomplishment, then Robert Downey Jr. elevates it to being Oscar-worthy. On the surface Tony revels in wisecracking cynicism and self-indulgence, basking in womanizing, booze, and money. But before you label him an anti-hero, Downey also brings a surprising amount of heart and redeemability as well. That Downey wears the flaws and somehow also manages to find the character's inner soul is a testament to his greatness as an actor. He also has great playful chemistry with Gwyneth Paltrow, who's fantastic at working around the little flirty moments between Pepper and Stark and the more serious ones where she is called upon to be the Robin to his Batman. And Jeff Bridges, sporting a nice beard and a shaved head, oozes a menacing love of power that makes Obadiah a devilishly entertaining villain.
"Iron Man" is so good at capturing the human element that it's a shame the ending comes down to a battle between two machines. It's fun and contains some really spectacular visuals but it's also kind of a letdown that the movie favored special effects over characters and a plot that were doing so well up to that point. This movie is summer on a grand scale though. I have no doubt it will be a huge hit and, if the scene with Samuel L. Jackson after the closing credits is any indication, sequels are coming. If they're anything like this, i'll be the first on line. "Iron Man" starts the summer off right.