Iron Man B+
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by John Favreau (Elf)
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content
Appropriate for ages 10+
The Story: Based on the Marvel Comics super hero, Iron Man follows the life of the famous alcoholic, womanizing billionaire Tony Stark who has made his fortune off the sale of weapons and weapon technology. When he is kidnapped by terrorists in the Middle East and forced to face the destructive nature of his own creation, he escapes back to America, and commits his life to ending terrorism by creating a flying metallic suit that will allow him to fight evildoers world-wide.
The Good: Spiderman, Superman, and Batman have been around in movies and TV for ages, and while they still come up with some good material, it is great to see this legendary comic finally come to life. As a kid I loved Iron Man. Tony Stark is one of the coolest men ever written and the super hero story just makes it better. The story here is told very well with loads of action, humor, and political commentary. Robert Downey Jr. delivers Stark like no other could with an arrogance and stagger that epitomizes suave. Overall, Favreau does a great job with the genesis story of this classic character.
The Bad: The first two acts fly by and are really interesting to watch, but in the third act, when the really baddie reveals himself, the story bogs. While the ending fight sequence is intense, it is far too short and even more underwhelming. The last Superman movie had this same problem. What do you do when the most thrilling moment of the film falls in the middle. For Superman it was the falling jumbo jet. For Iron Man it is the trip back to the Middle East to stop the ongoing terrorist attacks. The scene is so good that it becomes hard to trump.
The Summary: While a bit flawed, Iron Man delivers a solid hero flick that should put Hollywood on track for the summer.
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