Iron Man Reviews
What is “Iron Man”?
A 2008 movie.
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Iron Man Reviews
Featured Review
“Its iron man so its awesome. The thing I don't like though is that all the good movies on netflix aren't in HD. Other than that not bad.”
Reviewed by NateG
Comments
girlfriday
Way better than #2.
NateG
Yeah I think so too.
Other Reviews
“I love Iron Man 1 + 2, hoping for another great installment of the series.”
“If Superman has Lex Luthor and Spider-Man has Dr. Octopus and Batman has the Joker, who exactly is Iron Man's archenemy? He may engage in ferocious battle with an equally ironclad baddie near the end of the film, but I'm going to go in a much more existential direction and say that his greatest enemy is himself. In Jon Favreau's "Iron Man," billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) eventually realizes that the ultra high tech weapons he designed have done much more harm than good, so in a way, the climactic fight scene at the end was his own doing. What a perfect display of irony, especially for a superhero trying to free himself of his infamous reputation as a war-mongering mass murderer. Where exactly is the line drawn? At what point can weapons of mass destruction ever be considered a path to peace?
You don't normally associate moral dilemmas of this magnitude with a comic book adaptation. The thing is, the idea of a suited man fighting against an adversary plotting to take over the world is not lost in "Iron Man"--it just takes on a much different form. In this case the adversaries are war and injustice, both of which shake their threatening fists at the world every hour of every day. What is lost in "Iron Man" is the idea that a superhero has to be a perfect, emotionless drone that tirelessly fights for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Even with his money, his brilliance, and his specially designed suit, Stark is about as flawed as the average Joe walking down the street. He's stubborn, cocky, just a smidge arrogant, and after being held captive in Afghanistan for three months, he's far too willing place himself in scenarios he may not be ready for.
Before being held captive, Stark was a smooth-talking businessman that designed the most advanced weapons the American military has ever seen. While in Afghanistan introducing a new missile-launcher called the Jericho, he's attacked and kidnapped by a militant group of Afghani extremists. They demand that he manufacture the Jericho for them, and since they somehow have gained access to many of his weapons, this shouldn't be too difficult. But even with a metal device implanted in his chest (supposedly to keep the shrapnel in his body from reaching his heart), he refuses to be under their control; with the help of an Afghani scientist (Shaun Toub), Stark secretly builds a prototype metal suit that can throw flames and shoot bullets and protect him from enemy fire. An elaborate escape scene leads to his rescue, which paves the way for a hilarious moment back in Los Angeles: as he sits in a limo refusing medical treatment, he demands that someone get him an American cheeseburger.
Stark's experience triggers a newfound sense of responsibility, one that inspires him to shut down the weapons division of his company and focus on more humanitarian uses for technology. His colleague--Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges)--doesn't go along with this for reasons that are expected in comic book adaptations, such as being power-hungry. This doesn't stop Stark, who begins redesigning his metal suit in the comfort of his luxurious, technologically advanced Malibu estate. After installing a few upgrades, like rocket boosters and missile launchers, he tests his new red and gold suit by flying back to Afghanistan and attacking the same militant group that kidnapped him. How convenient that he happens to arrive just as they're raiding a village and taking civilians captive; superheroes save the day strictly because of convenient plot devices, and that's one of the reasons why we like these movies so much.
With the help of his personal assistant, the anxious but highly capable Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and his friend, Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), Stark spends the rest of the film trying to put an end to his past reputation, first by finding out how the Afghanis received crates of his weapons, second by battling against Stane, who has let his position in the company get the better of him. Yes, it's all enhanced by a wealth of impressive special effects, but that's not the point: Stark is introduced as a man who has everything while at the same time having nothing, and most of this stems from his unwillingness to acknowledge his effect on the world--he essentially got rich making and selling weapons, devices that kill and maim. Now that he's seen the error of his ways, he wants to redeem himself by fighting against the monster of his own creation. He does this all while maintaining a smug yet charming attitude, which is good because a superhero should be allowed to have a little personality.
Even better than that is not hiding that personality behind an alter ego, one that behaves as an obvious polar opposite to the hero. This story may be pure comic book fantasy, but Tony Stark brings a realism to it that's refreshing, more so than anything ever seen from Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne combined. It's essentially because of him that "Iron Man" transcends anything I've previously expected from a comic book adaptation. He says at a press conference that he's not the superhero type, and that's really funny because I thought the same thing about Robert Downey, Jr. when I saw the first ads for "Iron Man"; at the time, it seemed unlikely that he would be the type to fly alongside jetfighters or to shoot highly explosive missiles at tanks. But it's obvious now--he was exactly what was needed to realize the reworked idea of hero versus enemy. A lot of cool digital effects weren't a bad touch, either.”
You don't normally associate moral dilemmas of this magnitude with a comic book adaptation. The thing is, the idea of a suited man fighting against an adversary plotting to take over the world is not lost in "Iron Man"--it just takes on a much different form. In this case the adversaries are war and injustice, both of which shake their threatening fists at the world every hour of every day. What is lost in "Iron Man" is the idea that a superhero has to be a perfect, emotionless drone that tirelessly fights for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Even with his money, his brilliance, and his specially designed suit, Stark is about as flawed as the average Joe walking down the street. He's stubborn, cocky, just a smidge arrogant, and after being held captive in Afghanistan for three months, he's far too willing place himself in scenarios he may not be ready for.
Before being held captive, Stark was a smooth-talking businessman that designed the most advanced weapons the American military has ever seen. While in Afghanistan introducing a new missile-launcher called the Jericho, he's attacked and kidnapped by a militant group of Afghani extremists. They demand that he manufacture the Jericho for them, and since they somehow have gained access to many of his weapons, this shouldn't be too difficult. But even with a metal device implanted in his chest (supposedly to keep the shrapnel in his body from reaching his heart), he refuses to be under their control; with the help of an Afghani scientist (Shaun Toub), Stark secretly builds a prototype metal suit that can throw flames and shoot bullets and protect him from enemy fire. An elaborate escape scene leads to his rescue, which paves the way for a hilarious moment back in Los Angeles: as he sits in a limo refusing medical treatment, he demands that someone get him an American cheeseburger.
Stark's experience triggers a newfound sense of responsibility, one that inspires him to shut down the weapons division of his company and focus on more humanitarian uses for technology. His colleague--Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges)--doesn't go along with this for reasons that are expected in comic book adaptations, such as being power-hungry. This doesn't stop Stark, who begins redesigning his metal suit in the comfort of his luxurious, technologically advanced Malibu estate. After installing a few upgrades, like rocket boosters and missile launchers, he tests his new red and gold suit by flying back to Afghanistan and attacking the same militant group that kidnapped him. How convenient that he happens to arrive just as they're raiding a village and taking civilians captive; superheroes save the day strictly because of convenient plot devices, and that's one of the reasons why we like these movies so much.
With the help of his personal assistant, the anxious but highly capable Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and his friend, Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), Stark spends the rest of the film trying to put an end to his past reputation, first by finding out how the Afghanis received crates of his weapons, second by battling against Stane, who has let his position in the company get the better of him. Yes, it's all enhanced by a wealth of impressive special effects, but that's not the point: Stark is introduced as a man who has everything while at the same time having nothing, and most of this stems from his unwillingness to acknowledge his effect on the world--he essentially got rich making and selling weapons, devices that kill and maim. Now that he's seen the error of his ways, he wants to redeem himself by fighting against the monster of his own creation. He does this all while maintaining a smug yet charming attitude, which is good because a superhero should be allowed to have a little personality.
Even better than that is not hiding that personality behind an alter ego, one that behaves as an obvious polar opposite to the hero. This story may be pure comic book fantasy, but Tony Stark brings a realism to it that's refreshing, more so than anything ever seen from Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne combined. It's essentially because of him that "Iron Man" transcends anything I've previously expected from a comic book adaptation. He says at a press conference that he's not the superhero type, and that's really funny because I thought the same thing about Robert Downey, Jr. when I saw the first ads for "Iron Man"; at the time, it seemed unlikely that he would be the type to fly alongside jetfighters or to shoot highly explosive missiles at tanks. But it's obvious now--he was exactly what was needed to realize the reworked idea of hero versus enemy. A lot of cool digital effects weren't a bad touch, either.”
“Always good! Is it weird that I like the tony stark rolling stone cover,even though it's fictional? and the Obadiah Time cover? So many good lines but the one that always gets me is "this is the fun-vee, the hum-drum-vee's back there."”
“What's not to love about IronMan? Seriously, it has all the attributes you'd want in an action/comicbook blockbuster. Complete with out of this world robotics, cheesy one liners, and yes, even a little romance (when he can squeeze it in(no pun))!”
“Very good action movie, with dry humor. Robert Downey Jr. does a great job as the "I'm cooler than you" CEO of weapons company, and maintains an "I meant to do that" attitude whenever he screws up. I'm trying hard not to spoil anything - but the technology is awesome.”
“Truly brought a superhero to life. Iron Man not only rocked the special effects but gave us a bit of the history and pathos behind the hero.”
“Wasn't expecting much from a comic-book movie, but this one was really, really good. Robert Downey Jr. was perfect for Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow was wonderful as well.”
“Damn cool. Far and away, the movie I enjoyed best in 2008! Downey was in full form...a perfect fit for this role.
Well done!”
Well done!”
“After escaping from kidnappers using makeshift power armor, an ultrarich inventor and weapons maker (Robert Downey Jr.) turns his creation into a force for good by using it to fight crime. But his skills are stretched to the limit when he must face the evil Iron Monger. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard also star in director Jon Favreau's tongue-in-cheek superhero tale based on the popular Marvel comic.”
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