Written by Nick Da Costa | Monday, May 5, 2008 | Comment on this article | + Share
As this very site announces, this is the year of the Superhero. The big tent pole movies are lined up for the critical summer months ahead and with ‘The Dark Knight‘ and ‘The Incredible Hulk‘ still to come, first up to the plate is old shellhead himself: ‘Iron Man‘
This being Marvel’s debut as a film studio, it’s curious that they’ve gone with the relatively untested (at least in terms of action) Jon Favreau and the troubled Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role of Tony Stark. Well as an industry, film is mercurial and a gamble can often be the surest thing. In the case of Marvel that gamble has paid off. They have a huge success on their hands.
Not only has Favreau and his team produced a superhero film to rival the previous champion, Spiderman 2, they’ve also produced a superb film in its own right. While it’s fair to call this an origin story, it’s certainly not the melodrama of Batman, the pulp of Spiderman or the cosmic of Superman. At its heart, it’s a very human story of one obscenely wealthy man who faces death, and is irrevocably changed by it.
In a slick, energetic first act to the film, not only are we entertained by the excess; the pole dancing stewardesses, the seduction of antagonistic reporters, his camaraderie with military pal Jim Rhodes or the soft spot for assistant Pepper Potts, we’re also pleasantly surprised at how maturely the themes are handled. The film does not shy away from military casualties, kidnap, torture and the carnage inflicted by the weaponry Stark’s company is producing along with sly nods to Stark’s alcoholism and his rabid work ethic. This is certainly not a compromised kiddy movie.
Though Stark’s imprisonment is slightly didactic; a fellow captive teaching him a lesson in humility as he builds the first prototype Iron Man armour, the exhilarating action sequence that follows more than makes up for this. In fact it’s a far more satisfying experience than say, fellow blockbuster ‘Transformers’ because of how meticulous the film is. In a perfect fusion of ILM’s CGI, Stan Winston’s practical effects and Favreau’s direction, everything from the prototypes in breathtaking motion to Stark’s hi-tech workshop, with its extraordinary holographic displays, are a sight to behold. As visceral as the clash of Autobot and Decepticon, but superior for the details, and the witty, warm heart at the centre of the movie.
Yes, not only does the film slip in organic, well engineered action, it has a wealth of well rounded characters that actually make up some of the best moments the film has to offer. Stark’s quiet, tender courting of Potts is a delight; Paltrow surprising us with a far from irritating performance. Not only does she compete with Downey, she’s almost as charming. Bridges is the second shock casting, and it’s a pleasure to see ‘The Dude’ having such fun playing the Machiavellian bad guy, Obadiah Stane. Lastly, we have Terrence Howard’s Rhodes who while the straight man to Stark’s Errol Flynn, brings a warm sense of history between the two men and judging by one hell of a teaser, has a much bigger part to play in later films.
In fact, this is one of the biggest things the film gets right. Not only is this a film fans wet dream it’s also a fan boys. While other superhero or comic films seem scared to embrace the history of the character they are adapting, Favreau embraces the rich tapestry, embellishing the film with nods to both future allies, villains and characters. It’s a further testament to his talent and growing confidence as a director.
But what really marks out the film is this. Irrespective of your thoughts about the movie as a whole; whether it has more heart than Spiderman, more brawls than Hellboy or more soul than Batman there is little doubt that it has the best central performance in any superhero movie to date. Not only does Downey exude just the right amount of charm and wit to nail Stark perfectly, his own anarchic life not only makes the gung ho Americana mentality palatable, but bitingly ironic. It’s truly a tour de force performance with an absolute belter of a final line that suggests a franchise literally drunk with potential.
