Cinema Update

Review of Iron Man

By: Raymond Valinoti, Jr.

It may be still be spring according to the calendar but for Hollywood, summer has already begun with the release of the first potential blockbuster Iron Man. Does the long awaited film adaptation of the Marvel superhero comic book live up to all the hype? Well, it’s no masterpiece but Paramount, which is distributing this film, realizes the average summer moviegoers don’t care about cinematic art. The studio is determined to make Iron Man thrilling popcorn entertainment for them. For the most part, Paramount succeeds with this unpretentious goal.

Robert Downey, Jr. stars as wealthy, devil-may-care industrialist Tony Stark. His fame and fortune are mainly due to manufacturing and selling high-tech arms all across the globe. While in war-torn Afghanistan to demonstrate a new missile, Stark is kidnapped by insurgents who use his company’s weapons to destroy his convoy and kill his Army escort. Waking from unconsciousness in a cave, he learns that another captive named Yinsen (Shaun Tomb) has inserted a magnet in Stark’s chest to prevent the shrapnel from reaching his vital organs. The leader of the insurgents Raza (Faran Tahir) orders Tony to build a missile for them. Stark outwits the insurgents by creating a powered and armored suit that not only saves his life but helps him escape from Afghanistan.

Safe at home, a chastened and devastated Stark announces to the press that his company will renounce military profiteering. His business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) detests this plan not only because it will affect the company’s stocks but because he has been secretly dealing arms to suspicious types, particularly Raza. Meanwhile, Stark perfects the armored suit and dons it to single handedly battle warlords in Afghanistan. Thus, Iron Man is born. The superhero’s arrival could not be more timely since Stane plots to create a similar powered suit for nefarious means.

Four writers are credited for Iron Man’s screenplay but in this case, the quantity of scribes is not proportional to the scenario’s quality. The plot is rife with loose ends. For instance, how do Stark’s captors expect him to build a sophisticated weapon in a cave and with a blast furnace? And even though the insurgents observe his actions via video cameras, how come they don’t catch on until it’s too late for them that he’s making an armored suit for himself? Fortunately, Jon Favreau’s smoothly paced and vivid direction distracts the audience from the plot shortcomings. He particularly handles the action sequences impressively, making them thrilling but not overwhelming. Live-action stunt work is smoothly integrated with CGI effects.

Iron Man’s greatest asset, though, is Robert Downey, Jr.’s solid performance. Before he’s abducted in Afghanistan, his Stark is a shallow hedonist. Nevertheless, he immediately beguiles the audience with a sly grin and a rakish gleam in his eyes. When he’s imprisoned, Downey projects the shock of a soul suddenly wrenched from the bliss of Shangri-la to the harshness of the real world.

But unlike other superheroes in recent movies, Downey’s Stark doesn’t brood over his situation. He quickly regains his joie de vivre, only this time, it’s for altruistic reasons. And Downey always mitigates his character’s solemnity with wit. For instance, when his loyal secretary Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) catches him trying on the metal suit of his secret superhero identity, Downey quips, “Let’s face it, this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.” Paltrow enlivens her standard Gal Friday part with spunk and wit. Jeff Bridges, devilishly resplendent with bald dome and gray beard, conveys a smooth white-collar villainy as the treacherous Stane.

If you want to see Iron Man, be sure to stick around until the very end for a sequence that suggests follow ups in the superhero saga. Considering the first film is flawed but promising, one hopes the filmmakers will improve on the premise. Robert Downey, Jr. is superb in the title role and such perfect casting should not be squandered on substandard material. Playing at Clearview’s Beacon Hill Cinema 5, this movie is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content.

Raymond Valinoti, Jr. is a resident of Berkeley Heights, NJ. He has a Master’s in Library Science from Rutgers University and is a freelance researcher. His articles on film have been published in the magazines Midnight Marquee and Films of the Golden Age. He can be reached at rvalinoti@thealternativepress.com