Marvel & Favreau Do It Right

Rating: 9/10 (30 October 2008)

Marvel's first self-financed film is the best comic adaptation to come from their stable of characters (so far). It manages to stay true to the feel of the comics, the characters, and the style. It was easily one of my top favorite movies of 2008 and Jon Favreau was a fantastic choice to direct this film. You can tell the man is a fan of the comics with as much detail and love of the subject matter as apparent in the film. For the uninitiated, the film revolves around billionaire industrialist Tony Stark and his decision to turn from weapons manufacturer to "superhero" after an encounter in Afghanistan leaves him injured but inspired. He dons a high-tech battle-suit to become Iron Man and undo the damage his weapons have caused.
Every aspect of this film was near perfect. Before the film had even been released, I knew the cast was ideal. Robert Downey Jr. was awesome as Stark and embodied the character perfectly. His performance helps keep the film entertaining, even when Stark isn't suited up and ready for battle. The supporting cast was just as strong, with Gywneth Paltrow as Stark's personal assistant Pepper Potts and Terrence Howard as Stark's best friend/confidant (and soon-to-be War Machine) James Rhodes. I also loved the casting of Jeff Bridges as Stark's business partner Obadiah Stane; it was interesting to see the man who will forever be The Dude playing such an ominous role.
One thing I loved most about this film was that it didn't play out like the typical comic book adaptation. The hero didn't spend the majority of the film battling the antagonist. In fact, Stark doesn't even his completed Mark III armor until about halfway through the film. The fun is in watching him develop and test the suit as the film progresses until he reaches his final product; though once it's ready, that's when the REAL fun begins. The CGI is seamless and blends well enough with all of the practical effects; it all feels real and is done beautifully.
Marvel proves that it has what it takes to create it's own movies and, as a result, can do them properly. If Favreau's film is any indication of the level of quality we can expect from Marvel films in the future, this will be awesome; Louis Letterier's Hulk film, while not as strong as Favreau's film, was still a fantastic movie. I can easily recommend this movie to just about anyone, comic fans or not, because the subject matter and the performances are universally enjoyable.