5Q Movie Review: iron Man

Q: Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you get off posting about a movie you admit you had 3 false starts on, a movie it took you a week to get through?

A: Well we had baby issues come up! And in my defense, once we got a half-hour into the movie, we were good to go and made it all the way to the end.

Hey, how did you know that, anyway?

Q: Is this the COMIC BOOK MOVIE OF THE YEAR?

A: Uh, well, I haven't yet seen Dark Knight, Hulk, or Hellboy [hangs head in shame], but I can say that "Iron Man" certainly is indicative of many comic book movies. Unfortunately, that's not an entirely good thing. While I like many aspects of Jon Favreau's big-screen rendition of the character, the film itself is too much setup, too little action--sadly true of many comic movies that rely on "origin stories" for much of the plot. It takes about 30 minutes to see Tony Stark use the armor, and afterwards there isn't enough payoff to justify the time investment.

Q: What about Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man? Does he pull it off?

A: I think he's great. The way this movie is constructed, anyone could play Iron Man, really--well, OK, maybe it would be a stretch for even the delightful and talented Swoosie Kurtz--but playing Tony Stark is the key, and Downey excels here. He captures the roguish charm of the wealthy playboy/munitions manufacturer without turning him into the often-dickish figure he's flirted with becoming in recent years' Marvel comics. Downey is the best thing about the film, and while not on the level of, say, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow as far as making a blockbuster a must-see, he delivers a credible performance--more importantly, an entertaining one.

Q: How about the supporting cast? Do they match up well with Downey?

A: Gwyneth Paltrow is fine as Pepper Potts, and she has a fun chemistry with boss/possibly something more than just a boss Tony Stark, but the character is underwritten.

Speaking of underwritten, you have to laugh at the notion of Terence Howard demanding ANYTHING to be in the sequel and getting booted off this gravy train. Fans speculate that his Jim Rhodes character, who becomes War Machine in the comics, will be a big part of the sequel, but he does almost nothing interesting in the first one. In fact, I believe Swoosie Kurtz could play Jim Rhodes without difficulty.

As for the villain--who I'm not naming here even though I think it's common knowledge and you can just think of the star I've left out--it's a massive miscalculation on the story level to have this individual be the big threat Iron Man faces. The effort to "buff him up" as a physical equal is weak, and this makes the climax uninteresting. What's a superhero movie without a worthy villain? It's "Iron Man."

Q: What are you talking about? This movie is a huge smash, it has earned great reviews, and even the comic book geeks love it! Why are you hating?

A: It's a fun flick with some cool effects, and I imagine it was a blast in a movie theater. I just think it came up short story-wise. However, I think director Jon Favreau showed enough signs that he "gets" the character, and I enjoy Downey's performance enough, that I'll gladly give this team another shot when the sequel arrives. Just unleash the armor and let Shellhead fight some cool bad guys!