They say clothes make the man. So what does that say about Tony Stark, an alcoholic womanizer wearing a billion dollar suit?
That suit is made of fancy materials that don’t include iron, but earn Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) the moniker “Iron Man” nonetheless. The costume can soak up tank shells, fly miles into the sky at supersonic speeds, and blast bad guys with lasers. Pretty cool, eh? At least much more so than anything you can buy at your local department store.
The film, directed by Jon Favreau, is based on a Marvel comics superhero not popular enough to have been brought to the big screen before characters like Spider-Man or the Hulk. It’s sleek and loud, filled with marvelous (pun not intended) special effects emphasizing the technical wizardry of American military might.
Lost in the muzzle flash of expensive weaponry is a story and a plot, those pesky vestigial organs that big-budget summer blockbusters can often do without. “Iron Man” doesn’t feel so much like a movie as it does a pilot for several more movies.
What passes for an excuse for the four or so action sequences entails Stark, a genius and CEO of a top American weapons manufacturer, being captured by terrorists in Afghanistan. They order him to build a missile for them, but instead he hammers out that suit and blasts them apart. The destruction causes a crisis of conscience for Stark, who then pulls the plug on his company’s arms production. How American forces having less advanced weaponry will save the lives of our soldiers, I don’t know, but it certainly sounds like a trendy philosophy, doesn’t it? Those proud of America’s status as a superpower should fear the day that our weapons manufacturers adopt the political views of Dennis Kucinich.
Meanwhile, Stark’s business partner (Jeff Bridges) begins working with the terrorists and builds his own iron man suit. Why would a filthy rich executive do this? For the sake of the screenplay, of course! Back in the 1960’s, Stark fought the communists, but now, other than a couple of skirmishes with the Taliban, he mostly battles the American military. What, were the filmmakers concerned about the grosses in the northern mountains of Pakistan?
Much of the film’s strength rests in the hands of Robert Downey Jr., whose career has seen a great resurgence lately. He’s undeniably charming, infusing the character with the right amount of roguishness and gravitas, despite being so thinly written. Jeff Bridges steals his few scenes as the sleazy executive who turns evil for no reason whatsoever, while Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard collect their paychecks as Stark’s assistant and best friend, respectively. Comic book geeks should stay tuned through the closing credits for a pleasing cameo from one of the hippest actors out there.
Viewers desperate for explosions and laser beams should enjoy this silliness. Nonetheless, this film might have a neato suit, but there ain’t much underneath it worth seeing.
2.5 out of 5
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