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Jon Favreau, Iron Man
05/03/2008 Look out, Spider-Man, Superman, and the Fantastic 4. Your sequels have been disappointing audiences for some time now, but director Jon Favreau has rejuvenated the superhero flick with the kickoff of the summer movie season, Iron Man. At first glance, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is not the superhero type. He didn't have any traumatic experiences during his youth, the ladies love him, and he's made a place for himself in the business world by putting his engineering genius to work designing weapons of mass destruction. While in Afghanistan to demonstrate a new weapon, the Jericho, Stark's convoy is attacked by terrorists and he is wounded by a weapon of his own design. When he comes to, Stark finds that he is being held captive in a cave with a doctor, Yinsen (Shaun Toub), and is being kept alive by an electromagnetic device and a car battery. Though the terrorists, who are well equipped with Stark Industries weapons, want Stark to build them a Jericho weapon, Stark instead builds a suit of armor that helps him escape his captors. Returning to the United States, Stark is deeply affected by the reality of weapons dealing and the realization that his company has been dealing under the table with terrorists without his knowledge. He removes himself from the company and with the help of his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his friend Lt. Colonel Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), he begins building a series of suits so that he can undo what his company has done. Only one man stands in his way, Stark's business partner Obadiah Stone (a balded Jeff Bridges), who's been making a few deals on the side. You can probably guess how they settle their differences. Dutifully doing my research before viewing Iron Man, I came across a worrisome fact. Typically, when more than three writers are involved on a script, it's bad news for the film. Iron Man was penned by four writers working in two teams (Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway). When each pair of writers had a final product, director Jon Favreau and studio Marvel merged the two scripts to create what we see on screen. However, despite a few cheesy lines (mostly when Stark is in the suit; I didn't know making the dialogue suck was a superpower possessed by the suit) and a rather obvious twist that lacked appropriate dramatic buildup, Iron Man held together and ran like a well-oiled machine. The script was clearly tailored for Downey, playing up to his snark and allowing for his own additions and improvisations. That brings us to Downey. Iron Man is his first big-budget studio flick since his 1997 incarceration for drug possession. He's been sort of a running joke in Hollywood and certainly a flight risk for studios, but Iron Man offered him the much-needed career boost and opportunity to step back into the spotlight. He does it well, proving that a hole in the chest is the new sexy. He is perfectly cast as Stark; Downey is not afraid to bare his slightly flabby physique and act his age. He's not as young or as spry as some of his Marvel counterparts. Rather, he's been around the block a few times and has done so with a glass of Scotch in his hand. I wish I could commend Downey's supporting cast as well, but many of the roles needed either more development or lesser-known actors to lower expectations. Terrence Howard is wasted as Lt. Rhodes - a great actor is here given a relatively small part and is thus reduced to "token black guy." Likewise, Oscar-winning Paltrow is a bland and conservative Pepper Potts. If she returns in the next installments, I hope she does more with the character. A few instances hint at the chemistry present between her and Downey, but she seemed to be holding back. Jeff Bridges also seemed conservative in his role as Obadiah. The actor, who has played many a creepy part, doesn't take advantage of the darkness offered by this role. Despite Iron Man's claim that it is not an origin story, the first film in a franchise can't help but be just that. Favreau, however, offers viewers a very dark opening to the film, contrasting the freewheelin' tendencies of Stark's playboy character with a frightening and eerie portrayal of his captivity. With his electromagnetic chest implant, Stark transforms into more of a cyborg than a superhero. Unfortunately, the final fifteen minutes of Iron Man are a bit of a letdown. The action and determination of the character give way to a cheesy attempt at romance, a rather silly battle, and an open ending for the next installment (apparently due out in 2010), bringing what was a welcome departure from a typical entry into the superhero film canon back down to the genre's consistent mediocrity. Hopefully the next film will be more Batman Begins and less Spider-Man 2 or 3. Aside from being a great action movie and a fun summer flick, the reason that Iron Man will be so successful is that audiences can read just about anything into the political nature of the movie. On one hand, Iron Man can be viewed as a statement on America's lack of control over into whose hands weapons fall. But, on the other, Stark's mission can be seen as a metaphor for American power and how sometimes, the only way to fix the abuses of power is to meet it head on with even more power. Either way, the film is pro-military and pro-government. Ultimately, it looks like the Iron Man franchise is here to stay, and as long as Downey Jr is the man in the suit, I'm game. Comments [post a comment]
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Iron Man Tony Stark Jon Favreau Marvel Comics Jeff Bridges Superhero Movie Cinema Review