Monday, May 12, 2008

Film Fetish: "Iron Man"

Iron Man (2008)
- directed by Jon Favreau


Based upon the Marvel comic book character of the same name, Iron Man is the first film in what is sure to be a wildly successful franchise. At the center of this origin tale is billionaire industrialist and weapons engineer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). After suffering a near fatal attack at the hands of terrorists armed with weapons supplied from his own company Stark shifts his focus from a life of overindulgence and superficiality to one of nobility and uses his genius to hunt down his former captors.

Everyone's saying it all over the place so who am I to disagree? Iron Man in the best superhero movie of all-time! I never really jibed with the idea that Tim Burton's Batman (1989) was ever in the running but I did feel that way about Spider-Man (2002) and Batman Begins (2005), though none of those films can hold a candle to Iron Man. The film was so beautifully crafted from top to bottom. I personally can't find any fault with it. Really I don't know what to say other than that, it's that good. What I love most about this film is that it doesn't suffer from the familiar trappings of every other superhero origin tale, quite simply it doesn't drag and it isn't ever boring. In a word the film is just fun. I don't know what more you can ask from a movie like this. The action sequences were perfectly choreographed, the special effects were incredible, the story structure was tight and efficient, the actors were strong and compelling... everything was just perfect. :D It's the type of movie I'd imagine non-geeks/non-comic book fans could fully enjoy.

I'm pretty sure I know why this film hit me the way it did and managed to earn the top superhero spot in my book, save for the reasons I already mentioned. First up, all of these stories have a romance angle... a love interest. Most of the time I'm just not digging it. The relationships always seem so forced and contrived... I'm just not interested. But the dynamic in this one was pitch-perfect because it was so believable. It wasn't heavy-handed and you get the impression that this too is just budding. Too often I think the love story develops too quickly in superhero films... it needs to slow down. I think the one nurtured here was perfectly paced. It might also have to do with the strength of Gwyneth Paltrow, I can't be sure. It's probably a mixture of character and actress. Whatever it is, is just worked. So what would traditionally be considered a flat, "intermission" scene suddenly became as compelling and engaging as every other scene in the movie. It was just brilliant.

I was also never familiar with the Iron Man mythos. I'm almost sure that this origin tale is nothing like that of the comics, but whatever else they managed to stay true or not I wouldn't be able to tell. So there might be this affection for something new and fresh that won me over in the end. It's just interested to see and hear something you've never experienced before.

Lastly, there's the whole tech angle. The film's basically robot porn... and I mean... c'mon! How could you not love that!? :P :D


9/10 I'd venture to give a higher rating save for the extreme guilt I might feel about previous reviews, but I just feel that enthusiastic about this movie... I could watch it over and over again. If you're looking for a great, well-rounded film look no further. ;)


DS333, excited.

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