"Iron Man" Review
| Movie: Iron Man * Trailer | In Theaters: | May 2, 2008 |
| Runtime: 126 minutes | Directed by: | Jon Favreau |
| MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content. | Gecko Rating: |
When a movie begins with AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” you know that no matter what happens, it’s got that going for it.
But when a movie gets as much hype as Iron Man, you really hope it lives up to your expectations. This one comes close, but didn’t wow me as much as I hoped. The action is good, the heavy metal soundtrack is AWESOME (yes, that’s in all caps on purpose), and I love Robert Downey, Jr. as ladies’ man Tony Stark.
Still, the movie dragged a bit for me. I took my 13-year-old son and his friend, and all three of us felt the movie took too long building to where Tony builds the main suit of armor and gets into the “saving the world” part.
More after the jump…
The story begins with industrialist billionaire Tony Stark in a war zone to introduce his new high-tech weaponry to the military. But things go awry when Tony’s Humvee is hit by fire and he ends up in a cave being tortured by the enemy. They force him to build some weaponry for them, but instead, he builds his first crude “iron man” suit of armor, busts out of there, and makes his way back home, thanks to his military-friend Jim Rhodes. (Terrence Howard).
At home, Tony re-connects with his able assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). In fact, the two nearly share a kiss at a party (the chemistry between these two is steamy-hot). Also on the scene is Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges, pictured below, who gets the award for most unrecognizable actor in a role), who was the right-hand man of Tony’s dad before he took over the company.
Back in his own high-tech shop — complete with lots of hydraulics and a robot that seems more like a puppy — Stark builds a new ultra-powered incarnation of the exoskeleton that made his escape from the cave possible. With a few amusing hits and misses, he creates “Iron Man,” a superhero that can battle both terrorists abroad and criminals closer to home.
And yowza, when Iron Man takes on the terrorists, you’ll be wishing we had a real-life Iron Man to go over there and kick some terrorist butt.
Also playing into things is a metal “can” (for lack of a better way to say it) that was implanted into Tony’s chest during his stay in the cave. Seems he took some mortar during the Humvee raid, and the only thing keeping the mortar from entering his heart is this metal can in his chest. Of course, he creates a newer upgrade for that, as well.
I really did like this movie, but as mentioned, it didn’t wow me. Robert Downey, Jr. can do just about anything and I’ll like it. He has great chemistry with Paltrow, and you can tell he was having fun playing the beloved comic book character. However, if I was in charge of the movie (not to diss director Jon Favreau, who did a great job), I would have sped the first part along and had Iron Man take out a few more terrorists. You can tell the audience really loved that part.
Note to Parents: There’s a ton of action, weaponry, and explosions, and some peril with a few characters, not the least of which is Tony Stark in the cave. Also some sexual innuendoes involving Tony’s women — he’s quite the ladies’ man. Still, this movie is fine for kids 13 and older.
Images: Iron Man, Paramount Pictures, 2008
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Action/Adventure, Celebrity Pictures, Crime, Fantasy, Film Genres, Film Industry, Movie Stars, Personalities, Posters & Production Stills, Science Fiction, Thriller, War
19 opinions for "Iron Man" Review
What’s Next for Marvel after "Iron Man"?
May 4, 2008 at 1:25 pm
[...] Iron Man ripping up the box office this weekend, people are wondering what’s next for Marvel. [...]
Box Office: May 2 - 4, 2008
May 5, 2008 at 10:28 pm
[...] a look at Fandango’s box office numbers from this weekend. Not surprisingly, Iron Man scored high, with a whopping $102.1M! Haven’t seen a number like that in a [...]
patrick
May 6, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Iron Man was practically flawless as a super hero flick; it drops pretty obvious hints that would indicate a sequel as well… i’m thinking the next one should be equally great
Robert Downey, Jr. on "The View" - VIDEO
May 8, 2008 at 8:43 pm
[...] my adoration for RDJ is showing, and I don’t care! He was on the daytime talk show talking up Iron Man, the smash-hit blockbuster in which he plays Tony Stark/Iron [...]
Box Office: May 9 - 11, 2008
May 12, 2008 at 4:47 pm
[...] surprisingly, Iron Man is still miles ahead of the other movies this weekend. What Happens in Vegas and Speed Racer are [...]
Summer Blockbusters 2008!
May 14, 2008 at 1:23 pm
[...] Iron Man and Speed Racer have dropped in theaters — the first with great reviews, the second, not so [...]
Box Office: May 23 - 25, 2008
May 26, 2008 at 2:55 pm
[...] 3-Iron Man: $25.65M [...]
MTV Movie Awards: I’m Just Not Sure
Jun 2, 2008 at 1:54 pm
[...] pretended to smoke pot before handing out the award for “Best Summer Movie So Far” to Iron Man. I was embarrassed for them, as was Robert Downey, Jr., who picked up the award and said, [...]
"The Incredible Hulk" Review
Jun 15, 2008 at 11:06 am
[...] I didn’t like this movie as much as Iron Man, it still gets four out of five geckos for intense action, terrific CG special effects (Wow! When [...]
Box Office: June 13 - 15, 2008
Jun 16, 2008 at 1:04 pm
[...] Incredible Hulk didn’t do quite as well as Iron Man on its first weekend out, but still some impressive numbers. Here’s the scoop from Box Office [...]
Box Office: June 20 - 22, 2008
Jun 24, 2008 at 11:42 am
[...] 9-Iron Man, $4.03M [...]
"Iron Man" on DVD Sept. 30, 2008
Jul 24, 2008 at 12:12 pm
[...] Flash! Iron Man is coming to DVD and Blu-ray Disc on Sept. 30, [...]
"Iron Man" DVD / Blu-ray Details!
Aug 8, 2008 at 10:35 am
[...] finally got some details on Paramount’s Iron Man DVD/Blu-ray, hitting store shelves Sept. 30. There’s a single-disc version, which includes [...]
"Flash Gordon" Gets Writers: Is This Exciting?
Aug 9, 2008 at 11:03 pm
[...] Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and The Dark Knight (I’m sure I’m missing some), could it be [...]
"Disaster Movie" Preview and Trailer
Aug 17, 2008 at 10:06 pm
[...] one is safe from satire — from Indiana Jones and Iron Man to Amy Winehouse and High School Musical. Ok, maybe it doesn’t sound all that [...]
New on DVD: Sept. 30, 2008
Oct 2, 2008 at 1:42 pm
[...] Edition). You can expect great things if you cast Robert Downey Jr. in the role of a cool hero. [Gecko Review] [Bonus Features] [Official [...]
Kevin McKidd in for "Thor"?
Dec 2, 2008 at 8:34 pm
[...] role last year when Marvel was actively working on it. Production was halted briefly - to see how “Iron Man” fared, I’ve heard - and they’re now aiming for a July 2010 release [...]
How One Guy’s Flickr Photo Ended up in "Iron Man"
Dec 4, 2008 at 5:09 pm
[...] him revealed that “it’s for a movie that’s currently in production called ‘Iron Man,’ starring Robert Downey, [...]
Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau in "Couples Therapy" - VIDEO
Dec 13, 2008 at 10:14 am
[...] (the kid from “A Christmas Story” and a frequent producer on their projects, including “Iron Man”), the story follows four couples vacationing on an island getaway. One of the couples is there to [...]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: