Robert Downey Jr. has to be one of the most interesting actors working today. I think he's on par with Johnny Depp when it comes to making a possibly bland character into something a tad more interesting. Because Robert Downey Jr. is starring in "Iron Man" is the main reason to see this movie just as Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow was reason enough to see "Pirates of the Carribean".I'm not saying Downey is the whole show, he's just most of it. Some of the show belongs to Gweneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard who provide excellent support in what is a run of the mill comic book film.
"Iron Man" is the story of Tony Stark a wealthy, and brilliant weapons manufacturer who is one day taken hostage by a group of terrorists who force Stark to make them the latest advanced rocket missile. Instead what Stark does is build himself a pretty hefty (and cool) suit of armour where he blasts his way to freedom.
After he returns, Stark turns over a new leaf and decides the only way to help the world is to destroy the weapons he helped create thus transforming into Iron Man.
What makes "Iron Man" interesting is the fact that Tony Stark isn't your poster boy do-gooder, we see him early on as a heavy drinker, womanizer who is only interested in himself, I must admit it is rather refreshing to see our hero not be such a boy scout. Downey is perfect as Stark since it's he also doesn't look the hero type especially if you look at most of the roles he's done. He provides the character with great humour and at times some pathos.
My favorite scenes usually include Stark with his gal Friday Pepper Potts (Paltrow), their dialogue is always snappy and entertaining. Jeff Bridges brings his usual gruff presence to his role as Stark's business partner Obadiah Stane, and even though he's given little to do Terrence Howard brings his own kind of warmth and humour to the role of Stark's best pal Jim Rhodes.
The film has some very interesting moments, such as the scene where Iron Man goes to Afghanistan to save some refugees from terrorists. It's the ultimate fantasy to see your hero kick butt on bad guys that we know truly exist and it's something you never see in a super hero movie.
Director Jon Favreau has a great fanboy flare for the superheros genre and gives fans what they come to expect, however that is also "Iron Man's" weakness. The film falls into the trappings of its genre during the third act as it goes for the usual bad guy, good guy showdown that we come to expect, and too many times I felt like I was just watching a promotion video on why this will be a successful franchise.
However I am still recommending "Iron Man" mostly for the performances and the few times it does actually surprise us, it's a nice beginning to the summer, but just don't expect anything too memorable.
3 stars out of 4
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