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Iron Man started with a good story and added characters with room to grow. Taking responsibility for one's actions and the world around you is one of the most important things human beings learn to do. Some never do at all. This is where super hero stories amplify and give us a chance to examine the struggle between good and evil, or if you prefer, right and wrong. In this story the development of the hero into a person who learns there is more to life than his personal achievements is a central theme. And once he does attempt to make a difference, he then has to learn to deal with the results his involvement creates. I like the fact that this film brings these issues up, and I would give it the highest rating if they had been able to go even deeper. As it stands, the film is a good blend of action, great special effects, and a storyline that allows us to care what happens to the characters.Read full review
Experienced cast. Solid acting. Screenplay true to the series. All good reasons to watch. But I bought it for the ideas - the tech. While "super powers" are fantasy, cybernetics are not. Already, we are seeing neural interfaces for advanced prosthetics. I absolutely loved the graphics and electrmechanical characterizations, the way the suit was designed and built (ha, ha), how a user would interface with it, get in and out of it, the various ways it could be employed,etc. This movie and its central theme of exoskeletal, cybernetic enhancement of the (human) body and it actually paves the way for a correctly re-done Starship Troopers movie in which similar technologies were central to Robert Heinlein's original story. Even before this movie came out the US Army had a project called Land Warrior 2000 whose objective was to integrate the infantryman into a battlefield-wide network; piping his sensory inputs (visual, infra-red, aural)to the network and receiving the same from his fellow soldiers on the field and various other "off-board" sensors such as JSTARS, predator, guardrail, scan eagle, etc. The purpose of the program was to give the infantryman and his commanders a complete, "God's eye" view of the entire battlespace. As it currently stands, it's been folded into a successor program called Future Combat System (I wonder if they've simplified it and gotten it light enough and small enough to carry around)... Not all, but most of what's in the movie is plausibly within reach of near-future technologies. I also liked Jeff Bridges character, Obidiah Stane (hope that's the right spelling). He reminded me of Christopher Plummer's General Chang in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country; both very well done. Even if you couldn't begin to understand the engineering and science upon which the story is rendered, you can't help but get carried away by the fast paced action, the special effects, and the fully developed characterization. This movie is a top shelf item of the action adventure genre. If you are a fan of the genre Iron Man is a must-see.Read full review
Talk about a man for the job. He IS Tony Stark and is perfect for this role. Another notable performance was Jeff Bridges, who was coldly brilliant...or is that brilliant at being cold? There were parts that had me laughing, parts that had me wanting to yell at the screen, parts that I wanted to cheer in and a lot of the rest had me on the edge of my seat. AWESOME movie that beautifully sets the stage for many, many more to come (I hope)! The biggest downer is that it wasn't nearly long enough to do all that needed to be done.
What a fun genre! Though I enjoyed the movie very much, overall, I was a little disappointed as my expectations were set way too high. It was a fun movie filled with great action and I'm sure we'll watch it again soon. What a great delicious role for Jeff Bridges. I don't know how Jeff Bridges could have been any better. Gwyneth Paltrow is awesome and had just the right edge too. If you like Super Hero movies, you will most likely regard this in your top ten ever.
For both comic book fans and those who can't tell the Green Lantern from the Green Arrow, IRON MAN is the type of summer blockbuster whose appeal lasts far beyond the season. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy and genius who puts as much effort into chasing skirts as he puts into chasing his next big idea. A trip to Afghanistan to sell weapons quickly devolves into chaos, and Stark finds himself at the mercy of a warlord who wants him to build a missile. Instead, Stark creates a powerful suit of armor, turning him into Iron Man and allowing him to escape. When he returns to America, his assistant Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow), friend Rhodey (Terrence Howard), and right-hand man Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) all marvel at the change in the man they knew. IRON MAN is the first film to be self-financed by Marvel Studios, and they should be proud of their freshman effort. They didn't take any obvious routes with choosing the cast or crew, and it pays off. Director Jon Favreau, who also has a small role in the film, is best known for directing ELF, but his first action-driven effort is nearly flawless. Casting Downey was gutsy but inspired: this is his first big action picture as well, but the wit he displays in films such as the cult hit KISS KISS, BANG BANG works perfectly for the character of Stark. IRON MAN features nods to its beloved source material, as well as to the classic animated series of the 1960s. But even for the uninitiated, this film provides an interesting entry into the Marvel superhero's universe. Audiences who keep watching after the credits have rolled will be rewarded with a bonus scene.Read full review
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