Iron Man
Iron Man is the first big blockbuster movie of 2008, and as a debut story to what will probably end up being the next recurring franchise, it's going to
set the standard for what all the other movies of the summer are going to have to live up to when it comes to quality.
Iron Man stars Robert Downey, Jr, as Tony Stark, a billionaire weapons maker who's also a big playboy and heavy drinker that doesn't take anything
seriously. I didn't initially like Downey being cast in this role, but I have to admit that I now can't think of anyone else who could have played this
role better. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the role of Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant, and she looks great and plays the part great in this movie, probably the
first blockbuster of her career.
The main supporting characters in the movie are Terrence Howard as James Rhodes, Stark's best friend who's also a test jet pilot, and Jeff Bridges
as Obadiah Stane, who was best friends with Stark's father and is still the main business partner.
The movie begins with Start being involved in an ambush and being seriously wounded, and when he awakens finds himself in an Afghanistani
terrorist camp, barely being kept alive by another captive physicist named Dr. Yinsin, who has devised an electromagnetic technology that
keeps shrapnel from reaching Stark's heart, being powered by a car battery, which, within a few days, Stark improves on with a technology
that should keep the unit running virtually forever. The terrorists, realizing who he is, order him to make a version of a weapon he was
testing for the US military, the reason he was in Afghanistan in the first place, and he agrees to do it, as a ruse to actually creating an iron
suit that will help him and the doctor escape (remember, it's a comic book story). Unfortunately, it only ends up freeing him, as the doctor
doesn't survive the escape attempt.
Without going too deeply into the rest of the story, so as not to spoil it for everyone, Stark escapes captivity, then decides to dedicate himself to
the technology that he started while in captivity. Of course, outside forces are working against him and trying to steal both his company and his
technology, and, when all is said and done, it will come down to the human spirit and ingenuity to defeat the forces that have stolen his technology
for nefarious purposes.
Overall, this movie was the best of the Marvel comic series as far as realistic characters, the technology notwithstanding. Downey is one of the
best actors in the world, and the dialogue of this movie was great. Sure, it does built itself up initially on a very jingoistic belief of the Afghanistan
situation, but otherwise it's a fun movie. I have to admit, though, that I guessed what was coming within 30 minutes of the movie, which is fine
because with this kind of movie figuring out the ending still doesn't take away from the visuals. And it's a funny movie, as the robotics used to help
create and run everything have been given personalities, and they deliver many of the comedic lines that have been set up by Downey.
Without a doubt, Iron Man should be seen by anyone who likes wild fun, explosions, comedy, and Downey. It's a great launch to the
new Marvel Studios, and I hope great things like this are still to come.
