Downey Jr. is perfectly cast in a film that is better than expected

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2008)

There is really little to say about the plot of Iron Man that most people do not already know about. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is an obnoxiously wealthy CEO of a US weapons manufacturing company who is taken hostage in the remote mountains of Afghanistan. He manages to create an armoured suit he wears to escape his terrorist captors, and returns to the US a changed man.
I was a little apprehensive getting hyped up over Iron Man. I was never a huge fan of the character, and with Jon Favreau at the wheel, it did not exactly sound like it was going to be as great as other comic book films like X2: X-Men United, Batman Begins or the Spider-Man sequels (my personal favourite remains Tim Burton's Batman from '89). But rather impressively, the film is much better than I think anyone could have expected.
For one, Stark's characterization is a little more rounded than most. Much like Bruce Wayne, he is not really a superhero by the standard definition, but more someone who becomes one. He has the skeletons in the closet, he is a womanizing prick, and he's a border-line (if not full blown) alcoholic. He is not shown as in-depth as Batman was in Batman Begins, but the work put into his evolvement is much better than a typical comic book film.
It also helps that Downey Jr. is perfectly cast as Stark. I do not think anyone could have pulled him off anywhere near as well. He has just the right amount of cynicism, sarcasm and wit to make the character truly memorable. Any fan of the character, or anyone just looking for an actor putting in the work needed for his character to be believable should look no further. Downey Jr.'s own sketchy past only helps make his portrayal even more credible of someone living the high life, and then re-evaluating themselves and changing to be a better person. It almost speaks as a bit of a metaphor for his own journey, and makes his work here that much more personal. His wounded eyes speak volumes for him and the character.
Unfortunately, as far as origin stories usually go, there is not a lot of room for the supporting characters to shine. I liked Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark's assistant Pepper Potts, but Terrence Howard's Jim Rhodes is very much underused. We know of his importance to the story, but he never truly overcomes the flaw of just being a smarter and more successful tokin' black guy we all know from the years of stereotypes. He sets himself up for future installments, but I think his dialogue could have been fleshed out to be a little more useful than it is here. Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane is another underused character, but Bridges manages to chew up a lot of scenery when he is on-screen. I think this may be his most involved and most fun performance since The Big Lebowski.
The story itself is another great thing about the film, because it is nowhere near as far-fetched as most origin stories. While the creation of some of the more scientific elements may seem preposterous, its real world basis makes it miraculously relevant to the current war time events going on as we speak. This is a character who could only work after 9/11, and coming out now is probably the best move any studio could have ever made. Stark's story is one for this generation, and I think by not glossing anything over, the filmmakers have done justice to a character who cannot be any timelier. I also like that it focused a lot of attention on the meticulous work he does creating the suit, and showing his little failures along the way. The humour injected into a lot of scenes is also very well done.
If anything at all, it could have used a bit of editing here and there however, shaving some time off in Afghanistan and the suit creations (as much as I liked them). Some of the dialogue is a little off as well (especially with Howard's character), and could have been tightened to better effect. I realize that these portrayals are based off comic book characters, but that does mean their dialogue automatically needs to be cheesy, or so silly that it needs to be funny.
The special effects are another marvel, making the preposterous science elements seem even more real. Just watching the scene where Stark is trying out his suit's flying capabilities before creating the rest of the suit may be enough to make the film's imaginative structure look authentic. Yes, it does have a few moments where it looks fake and could have used more work, but for the most part, this may be the most fully rendered and realistic looking comic book character to date (in the realm of relying heavily on CGI of course).
And as for Favreau, I was very impressed with the way the film handles itself. He truly kept it on the rails, and did not let its ambitiousness become too much for him. Yes, there are flaws, and yes, the film is imperfect. But for someone whose name I doubt could have ever been synonymous with creating action-orientated films before (not counting the family fantasy Zathura), Favreau has truly outdone himself. He has brought a complex character to the big screen, and has created one of the strongest comic book films to date. As I said earlier, I had my apprehensions, but his work here can only lead to bigger and better things.
From its startling opening all the way up to its action infused finale, Iron Man is great film in every respect and one hell of a start for the summer movie season. It has its flaws, but the finesse of the story and the lead character make it truly memorable.
8.5/10.