By Dove ~Sheepish Lordess of Chaos~
A
lot of us go in to a “highly anticipated” movie with high expectations, only to
be let down. For an action film lover like me, if the plot can be figured out too
easily, if the fights are violent enough, the chase scenes are lame or if the
acting isn’t up to par, I’m telling everyone not to waste their money.
Additionally,
I’ve always found it rather asinine for people to call any movie “the film of
the year” when it’s not even Summer yet.
With
Iron Man, I just might have to change
the way I think.
Granted,
there are other movies coming out this year that Hollywood has high
expectations for (Indiana Jones 4,
for example), but Iron Man is fantastic
on so many levels that it’ll take a monster to trump it.
From
special effects to well-choreographed fight scenes, it’s virtual eye candy for
an action flick fan. Costuming and animation has come a long way since the
original Star Wars movie. I always
pictured Iron Man to be a bulkier,
meaner looking version of C-3PO, but the film version of the suit is so
intricate that any drawing in a comic book won’t do it justice.
Explosions
are brilliantly loud, and the PG-13 rating allows for just enough blood to make
the shoot-ups believable (even if some guys with machine guns still can’t shoot
at close range in movies…*blink*).
The
true appeal of Iron Man, however, is
the incredible acting and improvisational dialogue between the characters. Robert
Downey Jr. is one of the greatest actors of our time, and he brings a level of
honesty and intensity to Tony Stark that doubtfully any other actor could
match.
As
Stark, Downey brings his trademark quick wit into the fold with the billionaire’s
ego and disdain for authority. As the transformation of Tony Stark to Iron Man
unfolds, Downey’s eyes alone exude the underlying tenderness and care for
mankind that make Tony Stark a true superhero at heart.
The
rest of the cast is impeccably placed, with Terrence Howard as Stark’s friend
and confidant Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes (a.k.a. War Machine… “next time, baby”), the
elegant Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark’s doting assistant Virginia “Pepper” Potts and
Jeff Bridges as the father figure from hell, Obadiah Stane (a.k.a. Iron
Monger).
Outside
of the main cast, you also will catch director Jon Favreau as Stark’s driver Howard
“Happy” Hogan (a.k.a. The Freak), and you can’t help but love Leslie Bibb as sexy,
determined reporter Christine Everhart.
Of
course the cast has an ace writing team behind them, but there are so many
emotionally-connected moments in the film that you know it wasn’t all scripted.
There is beauty in feeling like you know something about these characters, and
what you don’t know, you want to find out.
The
clever use of heavy metal music (and a little Ghostface thrown in for good
measure) adds an extra edge to the soul of this film, and even though the
storyline strays a bit here and there from the 45-year-history of the Marvel
Comics character, you still walk away feeling like you got what you needed from
your superhero.
Ok, so the plot isn't that outrageous, and you pretty much figure out who the real bad guy is on your own, but all in all it's so much more than just a kiddie comic movie. The
only critique I had in the end was purely for selfish reasons. I would have
liked another 20 minutes – 10 minutes for some extended fighting in the
desert, and 10 for some more quietly intense interaction between Tony and
Pepper.
There’s
a lot of craziness going on in the world, and the production team is leaving it
up to us to decide if there are any real political statements in this movie.
Read: there are some political statements in this movie. While you take a
couple of hours out in the theater to forget about everything that’s going
wrong in the world, let Iron Man give
you a little hope for what’s right.
It’s
payday folks, so splurge a little this weekend and take the family to see Iron Man, then let us know your
thoughts!