Friday, May 2, 2008

Iron Man (2008)

First, there were super fantastic previews before this movie (if you ignore what I'm sure is retarded, Love Guru): Frank Miller/Will Eisner's The Spirit, The Dark Knight, and The Incredible Hulk. Yay!

Then, there was the actual movie. I have to admit to loving just about any movie whose first sounds are "Back in Black" (I don't know of any others so I may revise that statement to include, while Robert Downey, Jr. rides in a military vehicle with a drink in hand). Regardless, this is a fun, smart, uncomplicated superhero movie. RDJ is super and sexy. Gwyneth Paltrow is great at being present and good at what she does without taking over. Terrence Howard is good-ish but seems to fall a bit flat in the buttoned-up role of an army man. Jeff Bridges is almost unrecognizable and great, especially at almost 60.

The movie involves a great deal of technology that may or may not be possible in reality but the film is great at just letting it be, making it a part of that world, and making us suspend any sort of disbelief. And RDJ's character is believable as well. We don't have the aging man who suddenly is invincible in his everyday life. We don't have the sudden turn from cad to saint. Instead, the film keeps 90% of RDJ's bad habits--drinking, flirting, unpredictability, etc--and shows why and how he changed in the ways he did in a completely believable way.

Overall the movie is wry, funny, smart, well-paced, and very entertaining. Definitely one to see, probably one to own. (And, something to look forward to: Downey reprises this role in The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man is left wide open for super sequels)

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