We believe all of it on that marvelous level that transcends our pedestrian reality.
“Iron Man” is everything a summer blockbuster should be. It has a hero, a
villain, a love interest, and a sidekick - each portrayed by a highly respected
actor known for versatility. These are, of course, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff
Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard. When actors of this caliber lend
their talents to a big Hollywood movie, the result is likely to be especially
rewarding – a busman’s holiday of sorts. Though this is a remarkable team
effort, Robert Downey Jr. is riveting in his wit and endearing in his
vulnerability. He is a genuinely stylish actor.
If you like
James Bond, if you melted to Christopher Reeve flying through the sky as
Superman, or if you read the earliest Superman comics, you will love this movie.
Referencing bits of all of these, “Iron Man” adds a good plot, crackling
dialogue, a fine score, and special effects that produce a huge “Wow” factor.
Director Jon
Favreau takes only five minutes or so to sketch our hero’s background. Tony
Stark, CEO of Stark Industries is the maverick son of the founder of this
company that manufactures and sells weapons to anyone who wants them. Tony, the
passionate inventor of new products, takes a trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate
his newest missile only to be blown up by his own weapons. By the time the scene
is over we understand the father, the company, and the son. Captured and held in
a mountain cave, Tony questions his own assumptions as he works on a prototype
that may eventually become a force for good.
The rest of
the movie is Tony’s headlong race to shift his company’s philosophy from evil
(Jeff Bridges’ Obidiah Stane) to good (the new Tony). He can depend on his loyal
assistant, Pepper Potts (GynethPaltrow) and his military advisor (Terrence
Howard), but the momentum is his own. Tony, enduring the risks and accidents
that attend the inventor’s trade, works in a spectacular garage/lab on level #1
of his even more spectacular house. Carved into a Malibu mountainside, it is
unattended by staff or peripheral characters. This is a man who works alone –
unless he happens to need Pepper Potts for special tasks.
Downey endows
Tony with a conscience, a warm heart, and a glib tongue. We laugh at his
one-liners, root for him to love Pepper, and hope he blows the terrorists sky
high as he protects Afghan citizens. We even feel protective of this guy,
impaired as he always is by the accidents of his trade. By the time his superb
creation – Iron Man – lifts off with his foot thrusters, we believe all of it on
that marvelous level that transcends our pedestrian reality. Tony and the
audience sail into the land of comic books and into the inspired sky fight
between the powerful villain and the glorious red and gold titanium alloyed man
who has become the symbol of conscience.
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