I just saw Iron Man, the newest Marvel Comic brand to explode on the Silver Screen. I say 7 out of 10..the other guys I saw the movie with gave it an 8 of 10: Bottom line is that it was good.
Robert Downey, Jr. really made this movie happen. The plot was pretty run-of-the-mill (war profiteer's brush with death gives him a conscience AND cool new powers) so it was essential that Downey do his thing here, adding some laughs and style to a flick that might be a bit lifeless otherwise.
Downey is a rare talent. I think we tend to underestimate him as an actor because of his flamboyant lifestyle and frequent comic sidekick roles, which can diminish his authority. Mick LaSalle of SF Chronicle got it right this week: he's so good it's almost like he's not acting, he's ad-libbing. He really can carry an entire movie. Check out A Scanner Darkly to see what I mean.
Not to say that the other actors didn't shine. Actually, Iron Man was brilliantly cast overall. Terrence Howard, another under-rated actor, had an amazingly straight-faced performance as the man-of-reason military general, ever loyal to his country but learning, like Iron Man, that friendship can transcend all loyalties. I haven't really seen him around since Hustle & Flow, and I hope I see more of him soon.
Jeff Bridges is brilliant as the token villain, but it still feels weird to watch him drink anything other than White Russians, a la Big Lebowski. Betrayal is a bitch.
Gwyneth Paltrow is cast as the obligatory hot worthless female. Weird. Comic movies, well comics, at least, have been on the vanguard of exploring identity and even civil and human rights (outcasts, minorities, etc.) but for some reason the comic movies of late have had laughably underdeveloped stock female leads- whose only functions are getting trapped, screaming, and wearing short skirts. (Hulk, Batman Returns, and worst of all, Kirsten Dunce in the Spiderman franchise).
Don't get me wrong; that's all good, but if these movies are supposed to be about identity and personal motive then let's really do it.
The special effects were stellar, thanks to The Orphanage of San Francisco. It was all CGI but it didn't even really look like it.
Next up: Indiana Jones.
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