Comic book movies have never been that impressive; the translations of their counterparts have always left a sour taste in my mouth. Does Iron Man follow this trend? Well, for some parts, yes. It's an action packed thriller than will keep you tense during the fight scenes, as well as make you chuckle here and there at the well written dialogue. Paramount Pictures brings a less candy-coated version of the typical superhero movie while still keeping it playful enough to be appropriate for all audiences.
The premise of the movie begins with Tony Stark, a military weapons engineer, getting captured by an Afghanistan organization. Due to an explosion, pieces of shrapnel punctured his chest and headed towards his heart. To counter this, a doctor implants an electromagnet in the center of Stark's chest to prevent the pieces from reaching his vital organ. Secluded in a cave hidden within Afghan mountains, he's forced to replicate his weapons technology for the demanding terrorists. Instead, he begins building the prototype of his infamous Iron Man suit. The primitive first model suit is enough to help him break free from his captors and escape back to the states. Once home, he has a life changing realization towards his career in producing weapons that harm innocent people. He begins rebuilding a newer version of his metal getup to help fight against those people who were using his weapons for evil.
The main factor that plays into the negatives of the movie is mostly the assembly of the Iron Man suit itself. Tony Stark is a billionaire and he doesn't have a family, meaning he has all the time in the world. However some of the high tech gadgets and robots that Stark uses throughout the movie, pushes the envelope of believability. He talks to his robots as if they were real people and somehow they understand his tone and exactly what he's saying. Also, while designing his suit, he uses 3D modeling software that can somehow detect when he wants to virtaually try on the 3D model with his own arm. These minor flaws aren't so farfetched that it takes you out of the experience, but it's excessive. I suppose the robots do make for the friends/family he doesn't have.
One thing that Max saw in the movie, which was pretty hilarious, was during a scene when one of the characters was downloading top secret files from a directory on a computer. The label of this confidential file was, "Ultra Secret." Subtle I know. Obviously the creators must have realized how corny this way and maybe they wanted some people to catch it. Either way, it was pretty awkward for Max and I to be the only ones laughing during that scene.
The adaptation of comic book to movie isn't terrible. To give a comparison, it's better than Fantastic 4. In my opinion, the strongest point of the movie was the casting of all the characters. Robert Downey Jr. makes an irreplaceable Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gwenyth Paltrow interprets incredibly well as the caring secretary, Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard pulls off a decent military commander for the character Rhodey, and Jeff Bridges brings a passable evil sense to his character Obadiah Stane. Stan Lee even makes an appearance in the movie as Playboy headman, Hugh Hefner.
The film's not bad though; it kept my interest all the way through. Downey does makes for a very believable Iron Man with his comical personality, which is developed quite well throughout the movie. However, personally I believe bad boy Obidiah Stane could have used a little more character development to truly bring a deeper sense of evil. Beyond Tony Stark's gizmos and gadgets, which seemed to be way ahead of the time period, the movie is enjoyable for all audiences. Fanboys will be satisfied with the representation of their beloved red and gold hero, but the film will also break through its preemptive comic book mask and appeal to older audiences. It's one of those movies that's good enough to hold your bladder for until the credits are rolling.
One thing that Max saw in the movie, which was pretty hilarious, was during a scene when one of the characters was downloading top secret files from a directory on a computer. The label of this confidential file was, "Ultra Secret." Subtle I know. Obviously the creators must have realized how corny this way and maybe they wanted some people to catch it. Either way, it was pretty awkward for Max and I to be the only ones laughing during that scene.
The adaptation of comic book to movie isn't terrible. To give a comparison, it's better than Fantastic 4. In my opinion, the strongest point of the movie was the casting of all the characters. Robert Downey Jr. makes an irreplaceable Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gwenyth Paltrow interprets incredibly well as the caring secretary, Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard pulls off a decent military commander for the character Rhodey, and Jeff Bridges brings a passable evil sense to his character Obadiah Stane. Stan Lee even makes an appearance in the movie as Playboy headman, Hugh Hefner.
The film's not bad though; it kept my interest all the way through. Downey does makes for a very believable Iron Man with his comical personality, which is developed quite well throughout the movie. However, personally I believe bad boy Obidiah Stane could have used a little more character development to truly bring a deeper sense of evil. Beyond Tony Stark's gizmos and gadgets, which seemed to be way ahead of the time period, the movie is enjoyable for all audiences. Fanboys will be satisfied with the representation of their beloved red and gold hero, but the film will also break through its preemptive comic book mask and appeal to older audiences. It's one of those movies that's good enough to hold your bladder for until the credits are rolling.