Downey steels the show as irrepressible 'Iron Man'
MOVIE REVIEW | Comic fans won't be only satisfied customers
The well-crafted "Iron Man" is one of the smartest superhero films to come down the pike in some time.
(Paramount Pictures)
Rhodes Terrence Howard
Obadiah Stane Jeff Bridges
Pepper Potts Gwyneth Paltrow
Paramount Pictures presents a film directed by Jon Favreau. Written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Based on the Marvel Comics character. Running time: 126 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content). Opening tonight in late-night screenings at select locations.
Robert Downey Jr. again reveals why he is one of the best actors of his generation -- allowing himself simultaneously to be playful and poignant as he adds enormous depth to the title role. Downey has carved out his own interpretation of Tony Stark/Iron Man, and yet he delivers on the established premise of the Marvel Comics character -- so not to disappoint Iron Man's legions of fans.
We don't see the actor as Iron Man until about a half-hour into the film, when Tony Stark becomes the supercharged flying agent of destructive power -- used for good to vanquish evil.
That process helps deliver a contemporary anti-war message, but thanks to the movie's packaging as a superhero romp, director Jon Favreau pulls off his pacifist statement in a way that's bound to be more successful than any number of recent films touching on Middle East warfare or terrorism.
Heir to a jillionaire arms manufacturing fortune, Stark also happens to be a genius inventor in his own right. On a trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate his latest uber-weapon for U.S. forces, he is kidnapped by terrorists presumably modeled after Taliban revolutionaries.
After imprisoning Stark in a deep cave, the terrorist leader tells him he can win his freedom in exchange for developing a powerful rocket for them. Instead, he builds a crude yet effective metal suit, infused with all kinds of powerful weapons and propellants. He makes quite the explosive departure from deep within his mountain fortress -- in just one of many spectacular examples of artful special effects used in this film.
When he returns to America, Stark sets out to change his company's direction from military procurement to global improvement. That sets him on a collision course with his father's protege (played by a bald Jeff Bridges), who nurtured the young Tony and helped build the family firm into the world's most powerful "agent of death." Almost unrecognizable in the role, Bridges gives a deliciously evil performance and holds his own against Downey's screen-dominating presence.
The same can be said for Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark's loyal and ever-efficient assistant Pepper Potts. She exudes a subtle sensuality that becomes far less subtle as the movie rolls on, but she also adds some terrific twists of humor, often communicated with only a glance, wink or head toss.
But in the end, it all comes down to Downey, who's having a ball with this role. This supremely gifted actor will please several generations of filmgoers. His fit form and edgy humor will appeal to younger audiences; the opportunity to watch an actor of a certain age (he just turned 43) also will make a lot of older moviegoers smile. There's something reassuring about watching a superhero who isn't in his teens or early 20s.
"Iron Man" is simply great escapism. It deserves to be the first blockbuster of the summer.
