Marvel's "Phase Two" officially kicked off recently with the release of Iron Man 3, so naturally I wanted to see the film (I had wanted to since seeing Iron Man 2!), and even more naturally I wanted to review it immediately after. But even though I've seen it I've held back on the review, as difficult as it's been. It felt as if it'd be a travesty if I didn't first review all of its predecessors before I got to it, and the more I think about it the more I agree! So here we go, kicking off my review series of Marvel's "Phase One" with the very first film in the ongoing saga:
!SPOILER ALERT!
!READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Directed by Jon Favreau
Running Time: 126 minutes
After surviving an unexpected attack in enemy territory, jet-setting industrialist Tony Stark builds a high-tech suit of armour and vows to protect the world as Iron Man. Straight from the pages of the legendary comic book, Iron Man is a hero who is built - not born - to be unlike any other! - Synopsis
When Iron Man was first announced my initial reaction was excitement. I had never been a huge Iron Man fan as a kid, but I had always appreciated any and all things superhero or comic related, and a new addition to the seemingly ever-growing list of live action superhero films was a welcome one. But that thought was also worrying. By that point we hadn't, in my opinion, had a decent superhero film since Spider-Man 2 back in 2004! And by the time Iron Man was about to be released there had been an additional 5 co-produced Marvel films that had been released that had all been WAY below par. Nevertheless, Marvel was producing this film on their own and it was their first film doing that, so why did my hopes remain optimistic for Iron Man? One reason; Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Tony Stark.
Robert Downey Jr. as a narcissistic, egotistical, alcoholic, playboy superhero? I don't think any character in any film adaptation has ever been so well cast. It was almost as if Iron Man back in March 1963, when he made his first appearance in issue 39 of 'Tales of Suspense', had originally been created just so the character could be played by Robert Downey Jr.; he even grew his facial hair to match the trademark moustache and goatee Tony Stark is known for. Its well known that Downey Jr. has struggled with addiction problems throughout his life, which made his connection to the character that much more intense and noticeable on the screen. Was he a gamble? Perhaps, but a beautiful one. Did the gamble pay off? Undoubtedly.
We begin in a war-torn Afghanistan, Tony Stark there for a demonstration of a new weapon that Stark Industries has created for the United States military. However, their convoy is attacked, Stark is critically wounded and then imprisoned in a cave by a terrorist organisation known as 'Ten Rings' (an early nod to all you Mandarin fans out there). His life saved by Yinsen (Shaun Toub), a scientist who has also been captured, who then grafts an electromagnet into Stark's chest to keep the inoperable pieces of shrapnel from reaching his heart and killing him. Stark, his life now saved, finds himself surrounded by illegally obtained weapons from his company, and is forced to create missiles for his continued survival. But Stark doesn't accept his doomed fate and instead of making weapons he creates the Mark I Iron Man suit, using it to escape captivity.
This is where Favreau's film really shines, the characters origin aspect. Its gritty and shows a side of our hero that isn't expected (for those who don't know the character well), not to mention Stark is nothing short of completely awesome. It isn't until he's hurt, captured and completely out of his comfort zone that we can finally begin to relate to him. Though relatively early on in the film, the transition from the unquestionably carefree, reckless womaniser, to the caring, selfless hero we eventually come to know, was just done fantastically, because we make the journey with him it makes it that much more enjoyable.
Back in America Tony Stark calls a press conference and announces that Stark Industries will no longer be building weapons, much to the utter shock of all present; it is here, or just before, that we are introduced to his assistant and clear love interest, Virginia "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and the equally clear antagonist, mentor and business partner, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges). The acting from both of them was good, more so from Jeff Bridges, but their characters were far too obvious and lack development; I can't be the only one who knew Obadiah was the big bad guy from the first moment we all saw his bald, bearded head. Not forgetting Stark's best friend Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes (Terrence Howard), who we met slightly earlier in the film, and who also acts as a counter-balance to Tony Stark's personality - almost his polar opposite.
The next part of the film may just very well be my favourite. Tony Stark begins to create the Iron Man suit we all know and love. We're met with this really cool set of scenes where he begins to build from his original design, only now he has the time, equipment and resources to do it properly. We see him refine the designs and the technology, step-by-step, as he creates the Mark II Iron Man suit. There are a few really good scenes where he's testing bits of the armour, and hilarity obviously ensues - thanks mostly to Downey Jr's fantastic comedic timing and improvisation. This side of the character, his pure genius, might be my favourite side of Tony Stark. I don't know about any of you, but I found myself mesmerised by the process of him working and how he built the armour.
Finally the armour is completed and it's almost as we all know it to look, which leads to some interesting reminders about Tony Stark as a character. He refuses to listen to "J.A.R.V.I.S." (voiced by Paul Bettany), a sophisticated A.I. system created by Stark that's - humorously - an acronym for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System", when the A.I. advises that the suit not be used until safety checks had been run. We then get this really fast-paced scene where an overly excited Tony Stark recklessly uses his suit for the first time; like a child with new toy on Christmas morning. But this comes to an abrupt end when we're shown that the suit has a major flaw in that it freezes when he flies too high. Tony Stark's genius is far from perfect, but the failure spurs him on to the creation of the Mark III Iron Man suit, and finally my excitement is at fever-pitch; Iron Man has arrived and the suit looks as good as I ever could have imagined it would.
The latter part of the film is incredibly predictable, especially in regards to the films obligatory villain. In the last battle Obadiah has a much larger Iron Man suit (uncredited as Ironmonger, as he's known in the comics), created by having stolen the broken Mark I Iron Man Suit from earlier in the film, which he then uses to try and kill Stark. There are action packed scenes of fighting, self-sacrifices and despite how this now all too familiar notion has been done countless times by this point, it still doesn't disappoint.
Iron Man as a whole is an incredible amount of fun, and doesn't go awry like many other superhero films have in the past, and there is a much grander feeling to Iron Man as a superhero. He isn't a teenager who's fighting petty criminals while stalking city streets or a hero that's in it for glory and appreciation but rather someone who's taken a stand against global injustice. Even his opening scene as a hero is away from the eyes of the world and instead in a small Afghanistan village, saving villagers that can't even speak English. It's a refreshing change from what we've had previously, and Tony Stark revealing to the public that he is Iron Man?! That was a twist I just didn't see coming
Tony Stark is a man who's got flaws, DEEP flaws, and the film touches upon this well, though I would have preferred if they had focused on them a bit more than they had. It leaves you with the distinct feeling that the future of the franchise will have a lot to work with, especially if you notice some of the more geeky references that are hidden throughout. This fact is especially true with the after credit scene, where we are introduced to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who with one line sets us all on an almost five year long roller-coaster of speculation and excitement that only recently culminated; "I want to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."
4 Rebel Symbols out of 5!
Though fantastic and refreshing in parts, with incredible action scenes and Robert Downey Jr. on perfect form, the films second half struggles to be anything other than predictable. Does it matter? Hell no. Watch this film!
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