AT THE MOVIES WITH HALEY ZIMMERMAN
IRON MAN 3.5 stars
Yet another comic book adaptation made it to the big time, as Iron Man has hit the silver screen. However, unlike other recent adaptations, this one is worth your time.
The movie starts out with billionaire Tony Stark, owner of weapons manufacturer Stark Industries, being captured by a terrorist cell that attacks his motorcade. Shrapnel from the attack enters his heart, so a captive doctor rigs up a car battery to Stark’s chest to keep his heart from being penetrated. After building a primitive-looking full-body attack suit to escape from the caves that the terrorists are hiding in, Stark makes the decision to quit manufacturing weapons so that the bad guys can’t get to them. When this noble idea doesn’t exactly work out, he decides that it is time for him to take matters into his own hands.
The central theme of the movie is the basic superhero-must-save-the-world bit, but this story touches on modern elements of political debate such as terrorism and weapons manufacturing that serve not only for a couple of hours of entertainment, but also to inform the public that those dangers do exist outside of our sheltered lives.
Tony Stark’s superhero suit is a thing of beauty, and while it is completely illogical scientifically speaking, it’s just plain cool. While it isn’t actually made out of iron, its apparent indestructibleness brings out the infallibility that the nickname “Iron Man” suggests.
Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Tony Stark, pulling off a character who comes off as a combination of a suave ladies man with an undeniably sweet nature. Gwyneth Paltrow, on the other hand, happens to be the only poorly cast member in this ensemble, as she puts very little life into her role as Stark’s personal assistant, “Pepper” Potts.
Mr. Downey Jr. made a statement that he and director Jon Favreau set out to make a superhero movie that didn’t suck, and they succeeded. This movie maintains a level of entertainment that is not only met by a bombardment of explosions for those pyrotechnic fans, but is also met by Stark’s brilliant sense of humor and perplexing intelligence. While a lot of movies in this genre focus too much on the bang, and not enough on why the bang is occurring, Iron Man’s explosive nature never feels forced.
This is hands down the best superhero movie to be produced in years, rival only to the recent Batman Begins, and as far as any possible competition in the near future, Batman sequel The Dark Knight will be the only contender this summer. Fans of the comic will appreciate a guest appearance from a recurring Marvel character after the credits. Look for Iron Man in the upcoming movie The Hulk, with the lead role portrayed by actor Ed Norton.
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