YES… in my half-conscious repose on my couch, I was finally able to see it on DVD…*
Screenplay by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
Directed by John Favreau
“You think you’re the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe…you just don’t know it yet.”
OK…a verdict? A good, solid, fast-paced, slick film that doesn’t outstay its welcome, offers some nice character development of the main character, some lovely unspoken character work on the part of two supporting characters, and nearlyh comes apart with its big-bad (re: laughable) villain.
REASONS TO WATCH & ENJOY…
- Robert Downey Jr - this is HIS movie, from start to finish. He’s clearly having the time of his life, and although I think his performance in Sherlock Holmes is better, his version of Tony Stark is a hilarious, pathetic, wonderful, poignant, complex character…and he does it full justice.
The supporting chararcters are surprising - their backgrounds are merely sketched in, and the actors are left to fill in the blanks, with surprising skill. Terrence Howard does a good job with James Rhodes…but it’s Gwyneth Paltrow (who I consider one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood) who shocked the hell out of me with her incredible, subtle performance as Pepper Potts.
The action is clear, exciting, evocative, and amusing…basically, everything that Transformers WASN’T! Even the robots in Stark’s lab have more character than the Autobots & Decepticons…and one of these lab robots is a fire extinguisher, for heaven’s sake!
The plot: a simple, clear cut & straightforward origin story. The politics that exist don’t become preachy, there are no overwrought moments, and virtually no filler. Just over two lightning-fast hours of enjoyment, with all the fat cut away.
THE REASON KEEPING IT FROM PERFECTION?
- The entire Obadiah Stane plot - it’s far fetched, full of the most clichéd terrorists imaginable…and lead by Jeff Bridges’ eye-rolling, scene-chewing non-performance. It’s not only over-the-top, it soars into orbit and doesn’t look back…and threatens to take the entire movie with it. Thankfully, the script, the direction, and the rest of the cast have other ideas…
It’s no Dark Knight or X-Men 2, but Iron Man puts 90% of the other Marvel movies to shame. I think I’ll be going to see that sequel…
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