So I went with my wife to see Iron Man last week. All I really need to say is that it's the best superhero movie ever and you should go see it. But since I haven't posted for a while I should expand on that.
First of all, it's true enough to the comics for me. Now I was a Marvel fan for years, and I read Iron Man for years, but I'm not exactly an expert on the details of Iron Man's origin. But I do know enough to say this fits in as well--or better--with the original story than most comic book movie adaptations. The special effects are great. And by great I mean they're used just enough--at the right moments and in the right amount to be exciting but not silly.
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly:
Good: Fast paced, exciting story. It clocks in right around 2 hours, but I was left wanting more. Wanting more in a good way, that is. It's like a trip to Chuck E. Cheese*...you never want to leave, but eventually you run out of tokens. Downey and Paltrow are excellent as well...great chemistry/tension and a believable interpretation of the characters. The suit looks fantastic. It's much like the "ultimate" version, which makes sense given the age of the original version. Overall, everything succeeds in being a modern interpretation of the classic story and characters.
I thought the actor playing Rhodey was...interesting, but he does the part well. Watch for subtle hints about "War Machine."
Be sure to stay all the way through to the end of the credits for an extra scene. I won't spoil it except to give a very "shielded" hint that if you miss it you'll be "furious."
Bad: Hmmm....hard to say....I could have watched about 2 more hours of it, so maybe I'll complain that it's too short. But that's just silly...it should leave me wanting more. I guess I'll use this space to say that the action figures are only so-so. Of course I went out and bought Iron Man and Iron Monger right after the show. They're okay, but not great. Iron Monger is the better of the two.
Ugly: Jeff Bridges. Of course the character is ugly, so it works, but man...he's just a nasty old man.
My favorite moments: the whole Mark I armor/escape the terrorist scene. You can hear the gears whirring and the whole thing looks very real. His first "mission" to liberate some people being harassed by the bad guys has some great moments as well...love the precision targeting from his shoulder guns.
*I know, Chuck E. Cheese is soooo not retro cool. But I thought it was more recognizable these days than Showbiz.
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6 comments:
Great review. Glad you enjoyed it. I loved Peter David's novelization and hope to see the film in the coming weeks.
Just got back from the theater.
Best superhero movie ever? I heartily agree.
The acting was perfect. The suits were perfect. The effects, both digital and practical, were perfect. The tight, witty script was perfect.
As you may be able to tell, I truly thought it was a perfect film. And my Dad, a kid of the Marvel Age, said much the same.
Favorite scenes: Equipment testing with Stark and his pet robots.
Perfect...that's exactly how I felt. It's the first movie I've seen in a long time where I wasn't offering advice and criticism as soon as the credits rolled. Usually I tear movies apart--even if I like them. It seems like they're never "perfect." But this time, I had nothing to say.
The equipment testing was good. Just the right comic relief, but believable and fitting to the story.
BTW...did you catch Stan Lee's role? This was one of his funniest.
I just remembered something that I thought about last night.
I was watching Jimmy Kimmel and the guy who played Jim Rhodes was on. (I still can't remember his name...d'oh!)
He hinted that a sequel with him in the armor is very possible. Makes sense to the original story.
I hope my original post calling him "interesting" didn't cause confusion. Apparently there are rumors about his "orientation." I didn't know that. As Starbuck would say "I don't care who he fraks." I just meant that he was a little different than my original image of Rhodes. He certainly did a good job, though. Like you said..."perfect."
ooooh...I almost forgot...did you stay to the very end? If not, you might be "furious."
Thankfully, I saw several reviews (yours included) which told me to stick through the credits. It really patched things up. (See what I did there? Clever? ... No? ... )
I did see Stan's cameo. Me and Dad shared knocked elbows and grins when he came on. Thankfully they didn't have him shout "Excelsior" like in the novelization. That would have taken it just over that edge.
My favorite Stan-eo (as I shall dub them from now on) was being barred from the wedding in FF2.
I get what you were saying about Terrance Howard. He was most certainly an interesting, unconventional choice for the role, but really brought some great stuff to the table and I look forward to War Machine in a future installment.
I didn't have much knowledge of 'Iron Man' coming into this [other than the old cartoon; made by the same people who did the classic Spider-Man and Captain America toons from the late 60's].
I can't say I didn't like it, because I did, but I just didn't love it. I really need to see it a second time though.
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