Certification. 12A
Running Time. 2 hours 6 mins
Director. Jon Favreau
Cast. Paul Bettany, Leslie Bibb, Jeff Bridges, Robert Downey Jr, Jon Favreau, Clark Gregg, Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Shaun Toub.
Rating. 80%
In May 2008, a matter of weeks ahead of Christopher Nolan's second instalment of The Dark Knight trilogy, Marvel Studios released Iron Man. More than a decade later it is nigh on impossible to review Iron Man as a stand-alone film. You cannot consider Iron Man without reflecting on the films that followed. You cannot consider Iron Man without recalling the excitement of the opening weekend of Avengers Assemble and the emotive conclusion in Avengers: Endgame.
Whether Iron Man holds up today is somewhat irrelevant. The film moved beyond a single film to being something more than that and altered the cinematic landscape forever. Iron Man launched a multi-billion-dollar media empire unlike anything ever seen before. Perhaps for the first time in cinema, Iron Man would authentically translate comic book characters to the big screen. In doing so, Iron Man spawned a completely new genre of cinema for an entire generation.
Inspired casting sees Robert Downey Jr assume the role of Tony Stark, a multibillionaire businessman, inventor and playboy. Downey Jr delivers the perfect blend of charisma, wit and egotism,
Christine Everheart: "Mr Stark, you've been called the Da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?"
Tony Stark: "Absolutely ridiculous, I don't paint."
Robert Downey Jr produces a flawless performance and, let's face it, goes on to make the character his own in subsequent films. He was born to play this role and I would argue, the actor brought aspects of the character to life in ways that even Marvel Studios couldn't have imagined.
Iron Man very much remains true to the original source material and delivers a solid origin story. In 2008, the superhero origin story was not over-exposed or clichéd. The film is well-paced, with a believable character arc for Tony Stark. Yet, the director, Jon Favreau appears in no rush - the film takes almost an hour to establish the plot and introduce the central characters to the audience.
Iron Man boasts impressive action sequences, particularly early on and in the middle of the film. Favreau uses a light touch with the CGI, instead making good use of pyrotechnics. The CGI appears to complement more practical effects and as a result, there's a level of realism to the film that helps bring Iron Man to life. In an almost perfect translation from the pages of the comic book, the suit looks fantastic.
Iron Man lays in place the foundation for what's to come. The film is a well-written, intelligent, and compelling superhero origin story with a surprising degree of humanity. However, it is also impossible to ignore that, despite how influential the film is, the end result is far from perfect. The third act, in particular, is particularly troublesome.
But, despite its flaws, Iron Man is still one hell of a film more than a decade after its release.
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