What did I think of Iron Man?

Was it a smashing superhero hit or metalheaded flop?

READ ON!

NOTE: Hope you enjoy this review of this movie, as it will be the first of many I will be reviewing in this “geeky” summer.

Wow. What a movie this was. I will even be as bold to say that this was one of the best superhero movie that I have seen in a long time. I really enjoyed it. Like I said, it was awesome. Now, my favorite superhero films, up until this moment have been: Batman Begins, Spider-Man 2, and X2. This movie, I think, even deserves to be placed well above those amazing flicks.

This movie seemed to have everything that a comic book fan should want in a comic book movie: action, humor, emotion and strong character development. It was pure awesomeness! What more could a guy want out of a movie? Not only was it a great movie for the comic book fan, but I think it was a great movie for any passersby moviegoer.

Now, I am not a fan of Iron Man by any means. Of all the characters in the Marvel universe, he is the character I am least familiar with. But I do know that Tony Stark is Iron Man, and I do know the basics of the character. But I really loved this movie. I don’t think I can say that enough.

With some superhero films, it takes a while to build the characters and situation before they can get the action started. Not so with this movie. The movie had not commenced five minutes before the action started. In the course of the movie, we had just been introduced to Mr. Stark. Then, the action immediately commences, with an awesome opening title that reminded me of a Heroes episode (which is nothing to be ashamed of).

One of the highlights of this movie for me that we have not seen in many of Marvel’s recent debacle-films (Ghost Rider, and the Fantastic Four movies) is a solid development in the main character. You really saw the constant development from the beginning of the movie to the end of Tony Stark. It was awesome to see that development take shape throughout the core of this movie. I think Mr. Downey Jr. played that development extremely well from the carefree billionaire playboy to the hero that we know of Tony Stark.

Something that also developed throughout the course of the movie was what makes Iron Man, Iron Man: the suit of armor. Throughout the comics, Iron Man has had a various array of armor types over the years. I think seeing that armor kind of develop in the movie in that way was quite amazing. I mean, Stark had at least three types of armor throughout this movie until we finally got to see the armor that us comic book fans are all so familiar.

So what did I think of this awesome suit of armor? It was like Iron Man had been brought straight out of the page of an issue of Iron Man. It was awesome. When Stark unveiled the final armored product, I must confess I had chills. This particular suit of armor design that they used for this movie resembled the armor design used in Ultimate Iron Man. I, for one, would love to see this suit of armor develop even further in future films, to kind of mirror the development of armor that was in the comics.

A noteworthy highlight of the movie is obviously Tony Stark himself: Robert Downey Jr. I have not seen Robert Downey Jr. in many films, but I have to confess I was really floored by his performance in this movie. He really captured the essence of everything that Tony Stark is. It also didn’t hurt that he was the spitting image of Tony Stark, as well.

Another note on casting. I really thought the casting on this movie was spot on. Everyone in the cast seemed to bring their A-games to these roles. It was a great ensemble cast. One particularly of note is Gwyneth Paltrow in the role of Pepper Potts. Now, Iron Man fans might know who this particular character was. I, for one, had no clue what I was getting into ads far as her character is concerned. Like with Mr. Downey Jr., I have not seen Ms. Paltrow in many films in a long time. So it was nice to see her playing a role that had many layers as Pepper’s did. Ms. Paltrow also had great chemistry with Robert Downey Jr., and that sold their budding romantic relationship onscreen a lot.

Another character that was well-played was the character of James Rhodes, as portrayed by Terrence Howard. I, for one, loved this character in this movie, and it is the character that I want to see developed the most throughout the course of more movies. As most comic book and Iron Man fans alike are aware, James Rhodes dons his own suit of armor in the comics as War Machine. On the same note, I think his character could’ve been more developed, but ‘twas a minor thing. I really bought that Stark and Rhodes were really good friends and that friendship was sold onscreen.

A character that surprised me throughout the course of the movie was the film’s antagonist, Obadiah Stane. What surprised me about the character was the actor portraying him. I didn’t know that Jeff Bridges was playing him until his villainous side was revealed. His hairstyles and acting mannerisms were so well-hidden in this movie. It was such a pleasure to watch. This might be my favorite role for this particular actor. But, I confess that I had a sense of his villainous side when Stane said the word “Iron Monger” to Stark just shortly after his return. But, like I said, Bridges portrayed the role of Devil’s Advocate to Tony Stark well.

Now, no comic book movie would be complete without references to the Iron Man mythology and history. Now, the pacing and story of the movie didn’t really call for too many references to those old comic books. But, being familiar with the Marvel universe, I did catch them when they were. What I liked about these references were that they were very subtle, which is what they are supposed to be. They are not unsubtle “anvils” that call attention to themselves. In fact, if you’re not paying attention, you’ll more than likely miss it.

But one reference to the Iron Man comics was the existence of Jarvis. Now, when Jarvis was introduced, I must confess a smile was brought to my chin. For those unfamiliar with the comics, Jarvis is the mild-mannered butler who tends to the affairs of the Marvel superhero team, the Avengers. Now, I personally would’ve loved to see an actual butler in this role, but I think the robot Jarvis was able to provide a lot of comic relief that is much needed in a deep-seeded serious comic book movie such as this.

Now, I’m sure everyone wants to know what I thought about the “secret” ending to this awesome film. I loved it. I must confess after the scene was over, I applauded. I think Samuel L. Jackson is the perfect Nick Fury. I hope that we will see him in this role a lot more. As followers of this film know, his appearance was very much the attention of a lot of the media. It was even debated whether this appearance would even happen in the course of the movie. Especially with press screenings, when this scene was not shown. I was glad that it was saved for the actual release of the movie.

Regarding this special scene, I think it is genius that we are getting a kind of crossover between all the other Marvel superhero films that are coming in the future. I very much look forward to all the tie-ins in all the other Marvel movies in the pipeline. But, of course, I look very forward to when the Avenger Initiative bears its final fruit with the Avengers film due out in a few years.

This movie was directed by Jon Favreau. I thought he did an outstanding job with this film, and I would love to see him direct further outings of Iron Man in the future. I think he really directed the action very well. I have not seen many films directed by Mr. Favreau but I will be sure to, because this man knows how to direct! The success of this movie can be very well contributed to his amazing direction.

One thing that I should mention about this movie was the amazing visual effects. I think all the visual effects were just golden (with a little bit of red, of course)! But they weren’t too distracting that they detracted away from the story of the movie, which sometimes visual effects can do. I think realism and effects were blended really well in this film.

In conclusion, I would like to say something about this film that I have said before. This movie was amazing. The pacing was great. Once the film started, it didn’t let up until the final words by Tony Stark. Even then, I was left wanting more. I hope more is to come and that this is the first of many films that Marvel Studios will produce.

RATING: 10/10