Iron Man - Review

Cool suit.
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Troubled hero.
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Motivating factor for becoming a 'superhero'.
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Morally unsound, envious "why use it for good when we can make more money being evil" villain.
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Iron Man is probably the best superhero franchise kick-off since Spiderman. Like Spiderman, it lays the foundations for the hero's motives and makes him question his own existence. It slightly lacks in areas where Batman Begins (it's dark roots) and Spiderman (it's visual flare and set pieces) excelled in, and had Iron Man focused on these areas - areas Iron Man the franchise has been based on - it could have increased this good film to something rather great.

Avoiding any other comparisons, Iron Man does many things above average and, surprisingly, several things perfectly. Casting was key for the role of Tony Stark - Iron Man himself - so when the powers that be put Downey Jr. in for the roll there was an equal amount of disillusion and proclaimed master stroke at the decision. Downey Jr. has had his fair share of critics in the past, but the guy can act and pull off a sincere emotive scene equally as well as a comical one.

Dialogue was undoubtedly written with Downey Jr. in mind, and comes through in spades during the aforementioned comical scenes, especially Starks witty, sarcastic remarks toward Jim Rhodes (the increasingly impressive Terrence Howard) and Virginia Potts (the underrated Gwyneth Paltrow)


When the actions hits, the audience is treated to an array of visual stimulants; ranging from simply sublime suit tweaking to fantastic Iron Man vs various artist scenes (such as the Mk. III fly testing or a scene that sees Iron Man attempting to avoid United States jets) for the majority, they are entertaining - which is owed heavily to the direction, rather than the design team. Not that Iron Man lacks considerably in the effects department, but when it comes to the crunch it seems to lack personality - in particular action-scenes pitting Iron Man up against Iron Monger (Jeff Bridges), the action almost seems to lack a personal edge to it. As if it should hardly, really, bother Stark.


Verdict
A sound first act in what could be an excellent franchise. Acting, action, Downey Jr. as Stark and plot all drive this film forward, with a resounding dose of comedy thrown in for good measure. The only disappointment are in the areas in which the film should have delved deeper in to, in particular the darker sides of Stark. His relationship with Obadiah Stane (Bridges) could have been built upon, to improve the latter stages of the movie. But these are small considerations which merely keep this movie grounded.

4/5