Iron Man (2008) Mini-Review — The Analytic Critic
As much as I want to like some of Iron Man’s best comics, his arrogance and unfunny quips have always irritated me. So imagine my “excitement” when the first Iron Man film was announced. But surely he couldn’t be as annoying as he used to be, right? Let’s take a look.
WRITING:
Multi-billionaire Tony Stark has it all: overwhelming intellect, an extremely profitable business, multiple women, and a “charming” personality. However, when he decides to go overseas to demonstrate a new missile created by his company, Tony is captured by a terrorist group and forced to build one for the enemy. Tony realizes that his only way out is to build the first prototype of his infamous power armour (because, you know, power armour is the first logical choice one can make to escape from terrorists). He must continue his research into arc reactor technology and become Iron Man.
Let me start by saying that Tony Stark is unsufferable to listen to… at first. He begins his character arc as a ‘fat cat’ businessman with no care for the people under him or even those that admire him. Later, he progresses on a trajectory that grows slightly more interesting as the film continues, which gives the viewer hope for the future.
Note the key word here — SLIGHTLY. Stark is far from what I consider to be an intriguing character. Also, the plot is utterly generic and predictable with villains that ultimately fall flat. We’ve seen this story countless times before, and this is even far from a good iteration of that story.
The worst offender of the script is the overabundance of action clichés that fail to captivate the viewer. Iron Man should be fun to watch, but it’s just not. Of course, this can partially be attributed to the…
CAST:
Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, the film’s primary protagonist. While his acting is far from perfect at this point in his career, it is more than competent and hints at where he might eventually be able to rise thanks to his theatricality.
Next we have Terrence Howard as James Rhodes. Howard doesn’t really get that much screentime, but he does well with what’s written on the page. It’s unfortunate he never gets another shot at playing the character.
Then there’s Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. Paltrow is surprisingly good in this role, her delivery always on point and her chemistry with RDJ apparent.
Finally we have Jeff Bridges and Shaun Toub as Obadiah and Yinsen respectively. Toub plays his role decently enough, but isn’t given enough character development to truly care about what we’re seeing on-screen. Bridges, however, easily steals the show with his convincing portrayal of a man torn between his loyalty to Howard Stark and his own ambition. It’s a STARK juxtaposition (sorry about that).
PRODUCTION:
There’s no other way around it: Jon Favreau is not only an awful actor as Happy, he also poorly directs this first film in the Iron Man franchise. He crafts a generic blockbuster with little soul and no reason at all to ever return to it.
The cinematography is simplistic and unoriginal, barely maintaining my interest through the film’s slog of a script. The visuals aren’t that interesting in general, though, with numerous unnecessary explosions happening all the time. It honestly felt like a Michael Bay film; and no, that’s not a compliment.
Perhaps the worst facet of Iron Man’s production is its soundtrack. The movie opens with AC/DC, which sets the tone instantly — you’re in for a repetitive film that offers nothing new to the superhero genre. The rest of the soundtrack is just as weak.
The only things I liked about the production were the intricate use of lighting, the CGI, and the editing. These elements were generally ahead of their time. All aid in developing an excellent film, even if the final product wound up being quite lacklustre.
SUMMARY:
The worst offender of the script is the overabundance of action clichés that fail to captivate the viewer. Iron Man should be fun to watch, but it’s just not.
Am I being too hard on Iron Man? Maybe, but the film is objectively blockbuster trash that’s easily outclassed by many of Marvel’s — hell, even DC’s — later offerings. This isn’t the superhero movie you’ve been waiting for.
Iron Man gets a 4 out of 10.
