Check Out the Trailer

While Marvel Comics considers Iron Man one of their premiere characters, no one would put him in the same league with Spider-Man, or DC Comics icons Batman or Superman. Well, that might change. Though the character is 45 years old, today seems a perfect moment to reintroduce him to a new generation. Director Jon Favreau has done for Iron Man what Sam Raimi did for Spider-Man and Christopher Nolan did for Batman. Given great actors and a well-written script, IRON MAN is a big piece of popcorn entertainment with a real movie underneath.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., CHAPLIN) is the head of Stark Industries, the world’s largest and most profitable weapons manufacturer. He’s a playboy drunk, who happens to be an engineering genius. If it were not for his dedicated assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), his life would be in shambles. His best friend Colonel Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard, HUSTLE & FLOW) tries to look out for Tony, but Tony has a way of messing things up. Then, while on a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, Tony is taken prisoner by the terrorist Raza (Faran Tahir, CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR), who demands that Stark build him a version of his latest missile. Aided by the doctor Yinsen (Shaun Toub, CRASH), Stark builds a powerful robotic suit, a walking fortress that allows them to escape. Upon his return to the States, Stark rethinks his purpose in life, rededicating his life to protecting the innocent from the weapons that he has been building. This new founded humanitarian motivation worries his longtime partner Obadiah Stone (Jeff Bridges, THE BIG LEBOWSKI), who fears that peace is less profitable than war.

First and foremost, Downey Jr. is infinitely charming as the wisecracking ladies man, who has a change of heart. His report with Paltrow is sweet and funny. She gives one of her best performances in years as a woman who has dedicated her life to his flawed, but brilliant man. Howard and Bridges are given much, but they have a few good moments over the course of the film. Toub provides a simple performance in a key role, one that helps transform the main character.

The screenplay, credited to Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, never beats in its message about war profiteering, but always it to be a part of the characters. The story also has patience, which is surprising for a summer blockbuster. In taking its time and not deafening the audience with explosions from head to tail, IRON MAN builds suspense thus making the action pay off more enthusiastically. His first big heroic gesture is actually touching. One of my chief complaints about mindless American action movies is that they turn off the character development when the action begins. This is not the case with IRON MAN. In many of the action sequences, we get humor mixed with Stark’s genius at work, along with his risk-taking experimentation.

In a world in turmoil, Iron Man seems the right hero for the age. More so than many superheroes, Tony Stark is a flawed man whose heroic turn is a way to make amends for the life he has lead. This franchise launch allows room for him to grow, which is promising for future installments. With this film, Marvel has taken control of its own creations, focusing on telling the stories of its great characters over pandering to demographic studies or crass theatrical profiteering. And in doing so, the studio, the filmmakers and the actors have made an iconic movie, which ranks among the best superhero films ever made.