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2007
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IRON
MAN
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STARRING:ROBERT
DOWNEY JR.,GWYNETH PALTROW,TERRENCE HOWARD, JEFF BRIDGES,LESLIE
BIBB,SHAUN TOUB,SAYED BADREYA,CLARK GREGG,JON FAVREAU,SAMUEL L.JACKSON
BASED
ON THE MARVEL COMIC BOOK CREATED BY DON HECK,JACK KIRBY,STAN
LEE & LARRY LIEBER
SCREENPLAY
BY MARK FERGUS,MATT HOLLOWAY,ART MARCUM & HAWK OSTBY
PRODUCED
BY AVI ARAD & KEVEN FIEGE
DIRECTED
BY JON FAVREAU
GENRE:ACTION/ADVENTURE/SCIENCE
FICTION
RATED:AUSTRALIA:M/UK:12A/USA:PG-13
RUNNING
TIME:126 MIN
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For
the first time in a long time a superhero movie has been released
which more than meets expectations. Said film is Iron Man,
a Marvel Comics character who - although not as popular as Spider
Man or The
X-Men - has been around for decades as one the
pillars of the Marvel Universe.
In a perfect piece of stunt casting, Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony
Stark, an incredibly wealthy military arms manufacturer who is kidnapped
by terrorists whilst demonstrating his deadly new product in Afghanistan.
Suffering from a life threatening injury during the siege, Stark is
kept alive - thanks to a device of his making which stops shrapnel
from penetrating his heart - and forced to build a missile for his
extremist captors. Instead, Stark uses his ultra technical smarts
and builds an invincible suit of iron which he uses to escape from
his confines. Once back home, Stark announces he will seize all the
development of weapons within his Stark Industries, to the surprise
of his close friends Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Jim Rhodes
(Terrence Howard), and the disdain of his business partner Obadiah
Stane (Jeff Bridges). Furthermore, he perfects his armour design and
becomes the ultimate protector of the innocent: Iron Man.
Origin stories can be a bore mainly due to the fact that many directors
fail to keep the audiences attention between (often sparse) moments
of action. Yet Iron Man is a completely different superhero
movie thanks to director Jon Favreau's deft hand at creating a film
which not only delights visually, but also engrosses with a very well
adapted, character driven story of a redemptive figure who becomes
the ultimate global hero, while also providing thought provoking commentary
and damnation of the military industrial complex and war profiteers.
The casting of credible character actors in pivatol roles works a
treat. Robert Downey Jr. uses his sharp wit and charm to create a
highly memorable characterization of one of Marvel Comic's more complicated
figures, and whilst doing so positions himself as Hollywood's new
golden boy who has the talent to back up the drawing power, much like
Johnny Depp before him.
An almost unrecognisable Jeff Bridges serves the role of the villainous
Obadiah Stane very well, and Terrence Howard does his best in limited
screen time, which I am sure will be different in future sequels (as
if they wouldn't!), since his character of Jim Rhodes dons an iron
suit of his own and becomes War Machine. However, the casting of Gwyneth
Paltrow as Pepper Potts is a glaring fault, for try as she might Paltrow
lets off a regal vibe which goes against the films fun tone. She may
be a great actress, but does not have the versatility or charisma
to tackle such a light weight role, which would have been better suited
for another actress.
The various armour designs created by the magnificent Stan Winstone,
along with the visual effects provided by George Lucas's Industrial
Light and Magic, are handled nicely by Favreau who desired a much
more realistic and not too CGI heavy approach to his effects, which
he has accomplished.
Several sequences demonstrate how well these effects look on screen;
Stark's often humorous experiments on his iron suit which feature
Downey Jr. in all of his witty glory; a dogfight between Iron Man
and two American fighter jets; and a spectacular but all to brief
battle between Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Bridges' Iron Monger.
As the first film from the newly developed Marvel Studios, Iron
Man is a well crafted comic adaptation that raises the bar in
what was becoming a failing sub-genre.
Note: Stick through the end credits for an extra juicy scene which
will make the fanboys go crazy! |
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