I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
Iron Man is good but not great. Some inspired casting and snappy dialogue help enliven what is otherwise a run-of-the-mill superhero movie.
Weapons manufacturer/genius inventor/playboy billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) gets captured by a terrorist group whilst on a business trip in Afghanistan (modernised from the comic’s Vietnam). They want him to build them missiles, but instead he constructs a metal robotic suit in which he escapes. Once back home, with a fresh anti-war perspective (a theme that could have been expanded further), he announces his desire to cease weapons manufacturing and instead begins construction on a brand new suit with which he wants to bring peace to the world. His greedy board of directors, led by Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), have other ideas…
Robert Downey Jr. is a brilliant choice for Tony Stark. His deadpan humour and cocky sarcasm make him an interesting addition to the existing canon of superheroes, and he makes a welcome change from all those earnest emotional dweebs. The difference between him and that other rich dude, Batman, is that Stark is more interested in ceasing war than foiling bank robbers.
Downey Jr. is not the only good performer here. The ensemble acting is top-notch. Jeff Bridges plays a smarmy uber-businessman, a bald-headed beardy called Obadiah Stane, who moves not-so-subtly from Stark’s mentor to rival. Gwyneth Paltrow is the real surprise. She is absolutely charming as PA Pepper Potts and her unrequited love for Stark feels fresh and real. Her banter and easy chemistry with him is a real highlight.
But in between all the witty one-liners and fun visual gags, something about Iron Man feels a little too straightforward. An exciting beginning soon gives way to an episodic plot, which never quite lifts off. It takes Stark ages to make the final red and gold suit (a tech-nerd’s wet dream with all that cool gadgetry), but we all know what it will look like, and we all know what it will do – because we’ve all seen the trailer. Suddenly Steven Spielberg’s guarded reluctance to show much from the upcoming Indiana Jones sounds like a great idea. When all the film’s best moments (including the aerial dogfight) have already been revealed in the marketing campaign, it leaves little room for surprises.
And once Stark has created the iconic suit, the story flatlines into a small scale battle between Stane and Stark. Both in metal suits; their animated forms zip around the screen faster than we care to keep up with. It’s just computer-generated action which a) isn’t very exciting, b) copies a scene from Ang Lee’s Hulk and c) finishes with some explosion which seems to wrap everything up in a way that this reviewer didn’t really understand.
Ultimately the inspired casting, snappy humour and whizz-bang technology are the equivalent of giving your old car a new coat of paint. Iron Man is entertaining, but it still runs on the same old superhero formula.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
best superhero movie
My husband "made" me watch this movie as I was sceptical that I would like it, but I did! It was quite funny and the special effects were pretty awesome, cant wait to see number 2.
This site gives the wrong movies the wrong ratings. Iron Man is great. The performances, especially of RDJ, are great, with Downey Jr exceeding the highest of expectations. The script and screenplay are great. The camerawork of the dogfight is spectacular.
It is a comic book movie through and through, which to me is fairly important in viewing this film. Expect big, flashy effects and some good old fashioned action. Sure, this is pretty standard in blockbusters these days, but when they are done this well and in the right context, it’s a beautiful thing. You don’t exactly have to sift through mountains of narrative detail in order to understand what’s going on in this movie, but did we really expect anything more? And that is the beauty of Iron Man; you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. Another great aspect of this movie is its humor, which is laced through the narrative via the charismatic Tony Stark character. Although boasting a considerably talented cast with the likes of Bridges, Howard and Paltrow, it really is Robert Downey Jr.’s show. He is perfect for the role of the macho, womanizing weapons mogul; this is one of his best performances to date in my opinion. What had a lot of die-hards salivating over the release of this movie was the Iron Man suit itself. Any CGI to do with it is super-slick (reminiscent of Transformers, though on a smaller scale) and nothing looks too fake which is always a bonus. In all its shiny maroon and gold glory, it really is one of the highlights in itself. Big-budget and ultra badass, Iron Man for me well-and-truly lived up to the expectations surrounding it. And is $100 Million in its opening weekend isn’t enough of a giveaway; I think pretty much everyone else loved it as well.
Worth the watch, my kids loved it, I loved it, didn't want to see it, but really glad I did.
Only Downey Jr is allowed to bring an occasional flash of individuality to his character, but that is soon buried beneath the ceaseless avalanche of computer-generated imagery and violence.
It's not sure where to go once the final Iron Man suit is constructed, and seems in a rush to get there, but Downey Jr and the supporting cast are so perfectly placed we're already looking forward to the bound-to-be-better sequel.
Loyal assistant, Pepper Potts, isn't much of a part, but Gwyneth Paltrow is a presence. She stands around looking amused and flabbergastingly pretty, slinging wisecracks with serene aplomb.
Disappointingly, it does only what's required of it - open the franchise - and not a lot more.
All praise to acting dynamo Robert Downey Jr., who brings so much creative juice to the party that Iron Man achieves instant liftoff.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 1st May 2008.
Release date: May 1st 2008.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
