Iron Man (2008)

Introduction:

I was never a huge fan of comic books, but I remember as a kid that the costume for Iron Man fascinated me. But beyond that I didn’t know much about him. Then this movie comes along with a solid cast and an eager director. I decided to give it a shot.

Summary:

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a millionaire, engineering mastermind and playboy. When he isn’t living it up with a series of hot women, he’s showing off his latest weapons to the highest bidder. But things take a turn for the worse when he is abducted in Afghanistan, and forced to build a powerful new weapon. Instead Tony forges a suit that will enable him to escape his captors. But this technology puts Tony in the sights of Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) a man with few scruples and a ton of ambition. Can Tony with the help of his military pal Rhodey (Terrence Howard) and his gal pal Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) stop Stane and create a hero the world can depend on?

Good Points:

• Robert Downey Jr. creates an excellent character in Tony Stark
• An engaging origin story for a superhero
• The script keeps things fun and not too dower

Bad Points:

• Stane is not the most compelling villain
• At a little over two hours the movie drags a bit
• The score distracts from the film

Overall:

“Iron Man” delivers a fun evening of super hero entertainment. It tells the origin story, so it does get a bit predictable, but its seeded with plenty of witty banter and a compelling performance by Downey Jr. that you just go along with it. The musical score is a bit distracting and trying to hard to be cool. But its easy enough to get sucked right back in. One of the most entertaining of the recent superhero movies.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 2

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 3

Total: 3

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.