Iron Man

MCU 2021 Marathon

MCU #1:

Iron Man was my favorite Marvel hero. As a teen I collected 1-150 with the main series. I doodled the Iron Man helmet during class at high school when bored.

So it was a huge surprise when this came out in 2008 and it was so freaking GOOD! Jon Favreau, the guy that had done Elf and Zathura (the Zumanji sequel) had just started a cinematic revolution? What!?!? (And Favreau is doing it again with The Mandalorian).

Robert Downey Jr. was made for the part of Tony Stark. The origin story was modernized and handled well. They included most of the early Iron Man suits from the comics. They took the time showing the more modern invention of the suit and the challenges of making it work (e.g. maneuvering with the repulsors).

I finally understood what Spiderman's fans felt like when Sam Raimi's Spiderman series became a massive pop culture sensation years earlier. Fantastic!

There are issues. Pacing mostly. Jeff Bridges is too much the stereotypical villain with an over-the-top fight scene at the end.

This was the beginning of the MCU world building effort which was more "slight-of-hand" in the earlier movies -- Stark's OCD making itself evident, that Shield guy at the party, and Samuel Jackson pinging Stark about Avengers in the end credits.

It began and ended with Iron Man. That makes me happy.

"I am Iron Man"

Fortunately, I'm not one easily influenced by some users' negative comments. These people should try to restrain their bias opinions and try to review the movies as neutrally as possible.

Now I would say that this movie has slow but steady momentum-building. It is a movie for people who has never known Iron Man in the comic series. The characters are given names and personalities, true to their comic book counterparts.

Acting was among the best comic-turn movie I have seen so far. Effects were believable and not overwhelmingly CGI, except for the tank scene.

This movie, however, has sequel written all over it. We know that because there are many scenes that could have lead to more.

It's well worth its ticket price.

With a B-list superhero, a risky lead actor, a genre that hasn't really done much other than say Nolan's Batman, this movie had a lot to prove. Wow, did it ever. It proved that superhero movies can be realistic, emotional, funny and have highly entertaining action. This is the movie to launch the MCU, and started the shared universe that DC comics and other franchises are following.

Let's start with the number one reason why this movie is so good: Robert Downey Jr. I am so glad that Jon Favreau kept pressing the studio to make sure RDJ had this role because he completely nails it. He effortlessly portrays the cool, sarcastic, alcoholic, playboy that I don't even think he's acting. He's clearly not perfect as he is the guy we think is awesome but don't necessarily want to be. This role is basically synonymous with RDJ now because you can't think of Tony Stark without immediately thinking of RDJ. Iron Man wasn't a househeld name before but thanks to RDJ's performance, it is now.

The action in this movie is incredible as you get to see him fly around, take on terrorist cells and fight the main villain. What I even found to more intriguing is Stark's entire time building his suit, both in the Afghan cave and in his garage because it is amazing to see his genius at work, while still being snarky and basically a tool.

The writing and humor is also very good in this movie. I read that a lot of the lines, especially RDJ's were improv, which is able to keep this movie very fresh, not Rotten Tomatoes style, but it helps a lot by breaking the molds of superhero movies.

A couple complaints in this film is the pacing and the final villain. The pacing starts off very well, not really rushing into him being Iron Man, establishing his character very well before his abilities. Then the final battle comes around and it's basically just an evil version of his character, which sort of works with the problem of his technology getting into wrong hands, but the fact that it's just fighting a mirror is kind of boring. The final battle comes around pretty quick and it resolved fairly quick as if they are trying to wrap it up really quickly. I did like Bridges' Obadiah Stane with his intimidating yet charming persona but in the end he was just a reverse of Iron Man, not that interesting.

+ Robert Downey Jr + Fresh, new start for superhero movies + Writing and pacing (mostly) + Action and Humor - Final Villain

Final Score: 9.3/10

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a hard playing billionaire genius. He is captured in Afghanistan after demonstrating his newest weapon. He is forced to create new weapons for his captor. Instead he makes an armored suit to escape. He also makes an arc reactor to keep his heart going and shrapnel from killing him. Once back in the States, he moves his company to concentrate on arc reactor technology and stop weapons manufacturing.

This is all RDJ. He and he alone makes Iron Man work. It's doubtful if anybody could have done it better. It's certain that he's made it next to impossible to replace him. Director Jon Favreau has built around him the dazzling array of tech fun, and Gwyneth Paltrow as his Girl Friday. It is RDJ's fast talking, quick wit, and personal history that makes him the perfect Tony Stark. Great character, fun movie.

Iron Man, the huge kick off to the big summer blockbusters of summer 2008, a great start. I have to say that originally I had my concerns, when I saw the trailer, this movie looked way over done and Robert Downy, Jr. as the hero? The guy is a great actor, but as a super hero? I wasn't so sure, but I was able to see Iron Man today and all my doubts were put behind me as I watched. This is one of best comic book adaptations put to film in a very long time, since the original Spider Man I think. The effects were not actually too over the top, only when needed, but it gave that extra feel of a comic book. Robert Downy, Jr., I couldn't believe how well of a performance he pulled off, there still is a little question of his casting, but he pulled off Tony Stark seamlessly. This is a very entertaining action film and is such a great blockbuster that is sure to please any film buff.

Tony Stark, rich, handsome, incredibly wealthy, has it all. He also creates war weapons, when he goes to Afghanastan to introduce a new missile, he is captured and told to create the missile for the terrorists. But Tony has other plans, he creates a metal suit and escapes, he goes back home and announces that he wants to retire and close down Stark industries due to the violence he saw. But when he learns that the weapons of his are in the wrong hands, he realizes that maybe he could re-create a metal suit and become Iron Man, the incredible machine to save man kind.

Iron Man is a sure fire hit that I'm sure you won't want to miss. It has everything you could want for a comic book film: action, humor, a great cast, romance, and ultimate effects that just get you excited. Even the soundtrack gets you pumped up and ready to root for Iron Man. The only complaint, as much as the action was cool, I wish it wasn't the war on terrorism they used, I know it's part of the story, but it hits so close, that it may seem inappropriate. The climax, a little cliff hanger, but I'm already smelling a sequel for next year probably. But Iron Man is a fun movie that all ages could enjoy, Iron Man is the new Spider Man for 2008!

8/10