IRON MAN Monday, May 5, 2008 Author: Various RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2008 STUDIO: Paramount/Marvel DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau SCREENWRITERS: Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby CAST: Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, et al. OFFICIAL SITE: IRONMANMOVIE.COM IRON MAN by Alexandre Winck For the last couple years, it felt like the “golden age” of superhero movies was coming to a sad end, with the notable exception of Christopher Nolan´s highly-anticipated return to the director´s chair of a Batman movie with THE DARK KNIGHT. We simply weren´t getting something like BATMAN BEGINS, SPIDER-MAN 2 or X2, the superhero movie that’s successful with both comic book fans, average moviegoers and critics. Even though I didn’t think either X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, SUPERMAN RETURNS or SPIDER-MAN 3 were the train wrecks some fans make them out to be, they indeed polarized the fanbase. X3 and S-M3 were big box office hits, but had a mixed response. SR was a box office disappointment, but somewhat of a critical success. FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER was much better than the first, but still not enough to be good. GHOST RIDER -- let’s face it -- was a C-list movie based on a C-list character. And then, of all characters, it’s IRON MAN the first to bring things back to the right track. A character who many fans consider B-list, who’s not a superhero the mainstream culture’s aware of, like Spidey or Batman. But Jon Favreau pulls off a movie that entertains and tells a good story simply by well-done filmmaking, that makes the most of the potential of the character. You can clearly see the influence of BATMAN BEGINS or Bryan Singer´s X-MEN movies in Favreau’s very real-world, no-nonsense approach to this comic book universe, even touching some gray areas of militarism and war without becoming too preachy or pseudo-intellectual. The director’s real stroke of genius, though, as has been stated again and again, was the apparently risky casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark And it wasn’t morbid curiosity towards RDJ’s well-known real-life similarities to Stark that made it work for me, but simply his performance that adds a lot to a character that’s tough to make sympathetic and relatable. RDJ brings both charm, cockiness, warmth, a quick-witted sense of humor, and even a somewhat childlike sense of enthusiasm to Stark. The whole point of the movie is watching Stark’s figurative, and literal, change of heart, as he gets a device developed still while in captivity that prevents shrapnels to get to his heart, at the same time that he takes a look into his life choices and decides to follow a less bloodthirsty path. scenes, never going too over-the-top. IRON MAN may not be one of the genre’s masterpieces. But it can be said, in some ways, that Favreau did for ‘ol Shellhead what Singer did for X-Men, Sam Raimi did for Spidey and Nolan for The Batman. He successfully translated the comic book lore into an interesting and entertaining live-action summer movie without dumbing it down or losing sight of what made that lore interesting to begin with. Where arguably bigger characters like Hulk or Fantastic Four failed, I M succeeded in finding that right balance. I was never a big Iron Man fan, but now I can’t wait for a bigger and better sequel, and I feel pretty confident there’s going to be one. - Alexandre Winck GRADE: B RDJ as Iron Man in IRON MAN IRON MAN by Christopher Echols IRON MAN is basically the way you want to introduce a character to a world of movie-goers who may not have ever read his comics, watched him on cartoons, or (gasp)! even heard the Black Sabbath classic song of the same name. The film starts with a jolt and within the first 5 minutes you are thrust into action. No long, boring intro with 10 minutes of credits -- this film just hooks you up to the battery and jumpstarts you from the first frame. It’s a great way to kick off a new era of Marvel films, and a good omen for all comic book fans wanting to see justice done to their characters on the big screen. So while I may be a “DC Guy” at heart, I’m not above standing up and applauding an amazing film when I see one, even if it’s by DC’s biggest competition. IRON MAN is a truly incredible feat on film that you need to give yourself the pleasure of seeing soon. From top to bottom the cast and crew knocked the ball out of the park on this one. Other Marvel Film properties, take notice: THIS is the way you make a great comic film. Bravo! - Christopher Echols GRADE: A "Yeah, I can fly." IRON MAN by Cary Ashby If IRON MAN is any indication, this superhero film will be a great introduction to the very promising summer movie season featuring the adventures of a race car driver, an archaeologist, a scientist with anger control problems, a homeless superhero and BOF's favorite, a menacing avenger of the night. The Marvel Entertainment film is a treat for both casual and diehard fans. People who think IRON MAN is only the title of a Black Sabbath song will enjoy the snappy dialogue, fantastic cast, snazzy special effects and ultimately have an enjoyable movie-going experience. The avid comic book reader will be pleased with how accurate the armored crusader's story is compared to the comics. Indeed, director Jon Favreau has managed to connect with the spirit of the character while not overlooking small touches that will satisfy the geekiest of fans. Stan Lee, a Marvel Comics living legend, makes a cameo as a Hugh Hefner-like socialite surrounded by four beautiful blondes. There's also Jarvis, the name Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) gives to his interactive computer; it's also the name of The Avengers' British faithful butler in the comics. Like his comic book counterpart, Stark is a drinker and constantly tinkers with the technology he has created. The first close-up shot Favreau has of Stark is not of his face, but of the glass of alcohol he is holding while riding in a humvee. The director has said many times while preparing and filming IRON MAN he intends to address alcoholism in a sequel. And before I forget, stay through the credits for what's easily the most thrilling bonus scene in the superhero film genre. Without going into details, the clip features a cameo finally worth pumping your fist in the air as well as the tantalizing promise of more films featuring multiple Marvel characters, including Iron Man. - Cary Ashby GRADE: A Alexandre Winck, Christopher Echols, and Cary Ashby are contributors to BATMAN-ON-FILM.COM.