Review: Iron Man

When Iron Man was announced as the next major Marvel Comics film franchise, expectations were probably more on par with Ghost Rider than Spider Man. While Iron Man is certainly an established character, the series of comics never achieved the type of mainstream crossover success as the Webslinger or, say, X-Men. However, when word spread that, in a major casting coup, director Jon Favreau placed Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, the situation started looking up. In hindsight, by placing the weight of the film of Downey's very capable shoulders, Iron Man positively soars as the first huge surprise of the summer.

Downey Jr., in brilliant summer performance that comes along too infrequently, plays Tony Stark, a weapons dealer, multi billionaire and professional womanizer rolled into one. Up until a trip to Afghanistan, which winds up with him in terrorist custody, Stark rode a wave of unparalleled success. However, as it often will, being gravely injured, captured and held in a mountainous cavern complex brings Stark back down to Earth. After seeing the entirely negative effects of the weapons he has been designing and selling for the better part of his adult life, Stark rededicates himself to good, building a rough, proto-Iron Man suit from scrap metal that allows him to escape from his captors' grasp. When he returns to the US with a hero's welcome, he begins to create the more recognizable Iron Man suit and begins to take out the trash.

The story, while certainly not much more than the stereotypical superhero origin tale, is exciting and quick paced. Favreau wisely moves quickly from scene to scene, from character to character, which benefits the wonderful supporting cast assembled here. Gwenyth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant, and contributes her most likable performance since at least Shakespeare in Love. Terrence Howard, as Col. James Rhodes, is in fine form with a sidekick performance that takes nothing away from the film's central performance while also not annoying the audience. Equally as impressive is Jeff Bridges as Obidiah Stane, in his best role since 1998's The Big Lebowski. Bridges brings an uncomfortable terseness to Stane and when the narrative takes its first twist, Bridges in right there to make it seem believable.

Jon Favreau, who has turned from a passable actor to an efficient handler of big budget studio productions in a short time span, is in full control here. Iron Man is easily his best film to date, combining the sly sense of humor one would expect from Favreau with a number of expertly directed action sequences that will undoubtedly be remembered as some of the best of the season. While there isn't anything particularly innovative being done here, the results, nonetheless, seem fresh due to the high level of execution. It’s a beautifully mounted, quick moving and exciting blockbuster.

As mentioned above, Downey is simply spectacular, blending in sly comedic touches into his performance to make a heartfelt, humanistic portrayal of a surprisingly complex character. Assuming that a sequel will be on its way (Favreau is on record as saying that he envisioned the series as a trilogy), given the continued evolution of Stark throughout the comics, Downey will find more and more to latch onto. Much like the Pirates of the Caribbean launched Johnny Depp into the stratosphere, I can see a similar effect for Downey. His life story is nothing short of improbable and with that history in mind, its amazing to see the man continue to work at such a high level. Over the past few years or so, he has contributed great, underrated performances in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, A Scanner Darkly and Zodiac, to name a few. is a former star continuing to reclaim his past glory and then some. Downey is one of the best actors in Hollywood today and with a few more choice performances, he'll solidify his spot in history, not for his colossal personal problems but for his considerable skill and charisma. Without Downey, Iron ManIron Man would have been another summer film; with him, its one of the best Marvel films to date.