| May. 3rd, 2008 @ 01:01 am Iron Man (non-spoiler review) |
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IRON MAN (PG-13): Starring Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Gwyneth Paltrow (Virginia "Pepper" Potts), Terrence Howard (Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes), Jeff Bridges (Obadiah Stane).
Totally blows away any other superhero movie out there, in my opinion. As someone who's a die-hard Iron Man fan, I had absolutely no problems with the changes made to the source material.
The nice thing about Iron Man is you can do that and still keep him relevant. Robert Downey Jr. was dead on as Tony Stark. He balanced the playboyesque nature of the character and infused him with a very infectious charm. He plays really well off Gwyneth Paltrow, who was surprisingly good as Pepper Potts. I was really worried about her, particularly because she's not one of my favorite actresses, but she really brought a great energy and vibrance to the character, and plays well off Downey's Tony Stark.
Next up is Terrence Howard as Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes. He definitely was great in the role, playing well with the military aspect of the character (which wasn't something he was originally, but it works well here) and his friendship with Tony Stark.
Last but not least is Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane. This was really my only complaint, because the nature of his character isn't as developed as it should be, and leads to a somewhat disappointing climax in the film, but the movie doesn't really suffer as a result.
As far as the suit and the visual effects go? Spot on. I really had a hard time telling what was CGI and what wasn't, and my hat goes off to Stan Winston Studios and ILM for really pulling out all the stops. Also, props go to Adi Granov for his awesome design of the Mark III red and gold suit. It's a sleek, workable design that is very modern and realistic.
What I liked most about this film was that Jon Favreau clearly paid attention to what the fans wanted in an comic book film and took it seriously. Everything about the film has those nice little details that make you appreciate how much work went into making it. Other comic book based films (including The Dark Knight and The Incredible Hulk) are going to have a hard time topping this one.
Overall, I'd say I give the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the main reason being Bridges and the end battle really kind of disappointed me, but I still really enjoyed the movie. |
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