Let the Marvel madness begin!
Back in 2008, I was incredibly excited to see Iron Man, the debut feature from Marvel Studios. This was partially due to my love of all things super-powered, despite my love taking some hits like Ghost Rider. Still, Iron Man's promotional material made it look like a very cool, fresh and funny superhero film with a bad-ass lead in Robert Downey Jr. Luckily, Iron Man proved to be all that and much more. This is still one of the most entertaining superhero films I've seen to date.
Weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is living the high life. He is, to quote a future Marvel film, a genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist. He can build, buy, charm and seduce just about anything or anyone he wants. One fateful day following a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, his convoy is attacked and Tony is injured and kidnapped. When Tony awakens, his terrorist captors demand that he build them his latest weapon using materials they have acquired from his company. Using his gifted brain, Tony tricks his captors with the help of fellow hostage Yinsen (Shaun Toub) and builds a suit with which to make their escape. Once safely home, he continues to build and improve the suit with the intention of stopping those who would use his technology for nefarious purposes. Meanwhile, his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and friend James Rhodes (Terrence Howard) worry about Tony's change-of- heart, while Tony's business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) has his own plans...
From Iron Man's brilliantly constructed opening sequence, director Jon Favreau and Downey Jr. prove that they know what they're doing. The opening to Iron Man is easily one of my favourite opening scenes out of any of the Marvel Studios productions, showing Tony quickly charm the soldiers in his Humvee before all hell breaks loose in a surprisingly brutal attack. There's little blood, but the visceral impact of the sound design is terrific in emphasising every bullet and piece of shrapnel. And when Tony gets injured, it firmly establishes that, underneath all the swagger and charisma (which arguably serve as the figurative armour when he's outside the Iron Man suit), the character is still a vulnerable human being. This is where Downey Jr. is to be praised big time. Before Iron Man, he was a talented actor who had already come two comebacks (1992's Chaplin and 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) amidst his personal struggles with substance abuse. Here, Downey Jr. was given a huge gift of a role and he knocked it out of the park. There are parallels which can be drawn between the character of Tony Stark and Downey Jr. Both men lead lives which, while perhaps personally fulfilling, result in a somewhat blinkered view of the world (which I've heard is an effect of addiction for many people). However, through harsh experiences, both men strive to change themselves for the better. I honestly think that Downey Jr. identified with the character in the same way because he flat-out inhabited the character of Tony Stark to the point where he IS Tony Stark. Downey Jr. captures all of the charisma, charm, quick-witted humour and swagger of the character, but he also shows riveting glimpses of Tony's soul and insecurities. His scenes with Paltrow's Pepper and Toub's Yinsen are genuinely sweet, human and occasionally moving, as they are really the only two people he bares his soul to, and Downey Jr. effortlessly sells the moments when Tony's defences drop. Overall, there's a big reason why Tony Stark AKA Iron Man is the one many would name their favourite Avenger. Not only is the character truly captivating and intriguing, but he is brought to life by an utterly electric performance. Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is a spectacular and inspirational example of the phoenix rising from the ashes.
Elsewhere, there are other highly effective performances which, while not as euphoric as Downey Jr.'s, are still worth mentioning. Gwyneth Paltrow is wonderful and slyly energetic as Pepper Potts and makes a great comic foil for Downey; their scenes together crackle with humour and romantic tension. Meanwhile, Jeff Bridges is great as Obadiah Stane, nailing the moral ambiguity of the character; a late scene between Stane and Pepper is expertly played by the two actors and simmers with a suggestively tense undercurrent. Terrence Howard does solid work as Jim Rhodes, whose friendship with Tony is brought to life with the believable chemistry between the two actors. It is a shame that Howard didn't get to reprise his role in the sequels (especially getting the teaser indicating where his character could go), but what can you do? Besides, Don Cheadle might just be a better Rhodey, but we'll have to wait and see... Meanwhile, Shaun Toub turns Yinsen into a likeable and sympathetic character, Leslie Bibb makes a snarky impression as a reporter looking to burn Tony for the casualties of his business and Faran Tahir deserves credit for his menacing portrayal of Raza, the leader of the terrorist group that kidnaps Tony. Making smaller but no less noteworthy contributions to the cast are Paul Bettany as Tony's electronic butler and confidante JARVIS, Clark Gregg as 'SHIELD' Agent Phil Coulson (who would go on to become arguably one of the most unexpected fan favourites of the Marvel Universe) and director Jon Favreau as Tony's bodyguard Happy Hogan (whose role is expanded in the Iron Man sequels).
Given that this is a superhero film, there is almost a necessity to talk about the quality of the visual effects and the action sequences. Fortunately, the film is exceptional on both fronts. The visual effects on display in not only the big 'blockbuster' moments but also the smaller moments of Tony designing and perfecting the Iron Man suit are terrific (and huge credit must go to Stan Winston Studios for the practical Iron Man and Iron Monger suits - seeing those suits as an actual reality is awesome!) The scene where Tony first attempts sustained flight in the suit perfectly encapsulates the excitement, fear and overall rush of being a superhero through Downey Jr.'s performance, Ramin Djawadi's pitch-perfect score, Favreau's direction and the fantastic effects. The action sequences are exceptional, with wonderful build-up and plenty of cheer-worthy moments once the thrills get under-way. However, I have to give credit to the film-makers for never losing sight of the film's humanity along the way. There is always a human element to these action sequences; even the final clash, which many have accused of turning into a visual effects extravaganza (then again, when hasn't the finale to a Marvel production been accused of that?), allows time to emphasise the humans both inside and outside the armour. One of my favourite moments from the aforementioned flight scene is the reaction of a young child who sees Tony flying across the sky; I'm pretty sure that any child seeing something like that would have a similar reaction, and that gives the scene a welcome sense of human connection. Far from detracting from the story and characters, the visual effects and the action sequences embellish them, which is precisely what they're meant to do rather than the other way around.
Apart from 2006's Zathura, director Jon Favreau had little experience with big-budget films before Iron Man, which makes his expert handling of the film even more impressive. Favreau not only crafts the action sequences with unexpected skill, but he brings a great understanding and patience to the character moments. These moments are imperative to establish these characters as human and therefore making them worthy of care, affection and fear, and Favreau knows this and gives the scenes and actors time to breathe and explore their characters. A lot of the directors for Marvel's films are more well-known for character work than blockbuster action, and this is why most of them work. When you are dealing with super-powered, larger-than-life characters with abilities far beyond any ordinary person, you need to work hard to make them identifiably human. Favreau was the first (but not the last) director to achieve that, and he should get a lot of praise for accomplishing it. Equal credit should also go to the script by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway; the dialogue in the film is fast-paced, smart, revealing and often hilarious (one of my favourite lines is Pepper's happily vicious put-down of Bibb's character), although apparently the actors, particularly Downey Jr., deserve a lot of credit for the dialogue as much of it had to be ad-libbed due to an incomplete script. Whatever the case, it's great to listen to these people talk.
Final Verdict
Iron Man is nothing short of awesome. From the opening scene where AC/DC's Back in Black blares out (and makes AC/DC the unofficial band for the Man in the Iron Suit), the film oozes effortless charm and sheer cool charisma. The supporting cast is fantastic, the script and direction allow the characters and the story to naturally develop without rushing and the visual effects and flight/action sequences awaken the sense of child-like awe and wonder that comes from seeing a superhero thrillingly brought to life.
Rating: 4.6 out of 5
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