There is not turning back now -- superhero movies are here to stay.
Evidence of that is the 100+ million take that "Iron Man" brought in on its opening weekend, bolstering Marvel studios with the iron clad opening it was hoping for. Not only will there now be a series of follow-up movies for this franchise, but now Marvel has the bankroll it needs to fund future superhero epics the way they want to.
So, legions of moviegoers flocked to the cinema to see the movie but was it as good as everyone, including critics, claim that it was?
Not quite, but it's close.
While I am here to say that "Iron Man" isn't the darling that everyone is making it out to be, I am happy to say it is pretty darn good entertainment, especially for being a superhero movie. Let's face it, for as much money as this genre has been making over the years, there still hasn't been a feature that has flirted with greatness other than "Batman Begins" and that needed 4 preceding titles and a reboot to get it right. For Marvel, "Iron Man" is their answer to the dark vigilante as being their finest cinematic title (with X-Men 2 coming in next).
Robert Downey Jr. deserves all the accolades that he has been receiving for his performance as Tony Stark. He delivers a superior leading man performance and knows how to balance the witty one liners with the characters' serious side just enough. It's his charisma that helps get viewers through the first hour in which the origins of Iron Man are probed.
After the back story is set aside, and Tony focuses in on building his suit, the movie's finer sequences are set in motion. It was really enjoyable to see Iron man's first ups and downs as he figured out how to operate his new, hi-tech suit. It was even better yet when he deployed himself on his first mission, heading to the middle east to battle a marauding group of terrorists in a remote village. These are where the "money shots" materialize in a series of fan friendly battle maneuvers that were both inventive and damaging. Hey, who doesn't like seeing terrorist bad guys meet their doom??
When the film gets back into the comic book reality, that's when the picture is at its weakest. You see, the villainous Iron Monger that Iron Man is forced to confront in the film's climax felt like a throw-in; a battle that had to happen since the comic book says it does. For me, this clash didn't really translate too well onto the big screen and came across hurried and without a true payoff. Also, the setting didn't help either (how many times are we to see a battle royale on a bustling city street at night??). I hope that screenwriters begin to rethink the whole strategy of showcasing a superhero-supervillain confrontation as they always seem to under whelm. Perhaps these showdowns were created for a comic strip panel for a reason.
Aside from the questionable last act, there is a whole lot to like. For one, updating Iron Man's origins from Vietnam to Afghanistan was a shrewd move, as was the sequencing in which the body suit eventually becomes refined. Terance Howard was perfectly cast as Rhody as was Jeff Bridges as the vengeful Iron Monger. Gwyneth Paltrow felt as though she was just reading her lines as Pepper Potts, though, perhaps the only weak performance in the movie.
Overall, this is a must see in the movie theater, even with its routine comic book strokes that it offers. In addition to the entertaining performances, the special effects and tech gadgets are so sweet to look at that it really does deserve the big screen treatment.
Good job, Marvel...you guys are getting close.
