I took my whole family to watch IRONMAN on opening day. I'll admit that I was probably more excited than my kids (aged 11,10 and 8) in watching the movie (being a nerd and all that). They initially had their minds set on running wild in TimeZone (you know, the arcade place) before we watched the movie like I promised them. But what can I say? It was well worth it. It seems my kids actually paid attention during most of the movie after all since we had a lot to talk about IRONMAN even after we got out of the movie house! I was glad it turned out as well as I had hoped it would :)
Now on to my review. I'll make it short and sweet (WARNING! Possible Spoilers below)...
THE GOOD STUFF:
1)
SPECIAL EFFECTS - Let's just forget for the meantime how you can pack all that high-tech gadgetry in a form-fitting suit of armor. This is, after all, a movie about a comic book hero! The effects were better than I expected. Obviously,
Robocop and Terminator have nothing on good-old shell-head here (well, maybe not
T-1000 or T-X). But anyway, I liked how they visualized Stark's heads-up-display (HUD). I always wondered how'd they get around to doing that since I believed it was crucial to show how Stark saw the outside world from inside his suit. Stark tech was impressive to say the least, especially the tech shown in his personal workshop. It totally showed that Stark wasn't just some rich kid with lots of hi-tech toys. He knew how to build things from scratch and he was undeniably a genius at inventing things. I was impressed by the balance between the technology grounded in reality and what was possible. Nothing too fantastic (except for Stark's chest implant though). I bet the guys who made the scene where Stark dons the suit of armor are the same guys that did the video for StarCraft where a space marine suits up. I kept seeing that scene in mind only with hot-rod red and gold as the colors of the armor. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining here! I loved it actually. Another thing, repulsor and uni-beam technology. Loved it! My inner geek just went to geek heaven... :)
2)
THE ACTION - no dull moments here folks. Fast cars! Lots of stuff blowing up! Lots of terrorist butt-kicking! Lots of heavy metal mayhem! My kids actually didn't bother me too much (except for 2 kiddy bathroom breaks which my wife graciously handled for me, she knew just how much I wanted to watch the movie).
3)
CAST - a very solid cast. My initial doubts about Robert Downey Jr. being IRONMAN have all been erased. He is definitely Tony Stark! His portrayal of Stark wasn't too light-hearted nor too serious. He found a very good balance for the character while effectively portraying all his inherent flaws (a tendency to drink too much and get laid a lot). I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't looking for more action with Ironman. Robert Downey really showed that even without the armor, he could mesmerize the audience with his acting. He surely didn't need any high-tech armor to impress me here (very well done sir)! Pepper did a very good supporting role as well as Rhodey. Happy Hogan didn't have too much screen time though but they still managed to give him some quality moments nonetheless. Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane was an excellent choice as well. He definitely knows how to play a back-stabbing villian! Truly evil!
4)
CAMEO BY STAN LEE - priceless! Watch the movie, I don't want to ruin it for you. :D
5)
IRON MONGER - A rampaging engine of destruction. The special effects guys certainly gave shell-head's nemesis a lot of weight on screen. The movements and digital rendering plus the metallic rumble of this heavy-metal bad guy was actually more believeable than what I saw in the Transformers movie.
6)
SEQUEL - you can smell a sequel with WAR MACHINE in it from a mile away! 'nuff said!
To Marvel I say, it was money well spent! Awesome and totally MARVELous!!!
MY RANTS:1)
Jarvis - he's an A.I. instead of a real butler? Anyway, Jarvis is able to upload himself into the suit and acts as Tony's virtual co-pilot. Ok, I get it. They didn't want Tony talking to himself while in the suit so they make Jarvis into an A.I. that could be uploaded into the armor to make things more interesting. Ok, I'll buy that.
2)
S.H.I.E.L.D. - now what did this stand for in the movie? I keep forgetting... I just remenbered "H" stood for "Homeland". "S" probably stood for "Strategic"... Duh... But then again, it sounded more realistic than what the actual acronym stood for in the comics... "Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division". Now that's a mouthful!
3)
Stark's chest implant - So he had a hole in his heart... Literally. I can understand putting in a metal barrier around his heart to keep the shrapnel from sinking any deeper. But I always wondered what he needed the mini-power plant for? I'll probably have to do a bit of research on this later...
4)
Nick Fury - WTF! No cameo by Nick Fury? They just sent an agent? I can understand the agents wearing your typical men-in-black suits instead of the tights. But come on, after the stunt Stark pulled off in that middle eastern desert with the fighter planes? It should have at least merited a quick visit by Nick Fury himself! Oh well, maybe I'm just too much of a Samuel Jackson fan...
5)
Rhodey - the portrayal was a bit too weak in my opinion. I always thought of Rhodey as a bit edgier than what was shown in the movie. But that's just me. I like the parts where Stark always manages to get Rhodey to go along with his shenanigans... Shows the tremendous trust and friendship between these two guys.
6)
Scene where Stark gets laid - ok, ok, I know were all mature people here. I know Stark's an alcoholic and ladies man in the comics. But c'mon, this is a movie that will definitely have kids watching it! Not just adult comic fans! They could have toned down the torrid kissing at least. I'll concede that they probably just wanted to put it in there to make their point that Stark was a real lady killer. But having to see my kids squirm and cover their eyes in their seats during that scene kinda made me wish they just edited out that part and replace it with maybe a scene showing Tony and the reporter lady kissing and then turning off the lights in the bedroom. I'm sure we'll all understand what that meant. :P
In any case, this is one movie i'll be buying when it comes out in DVD! Worth every cent! Mr. Favreau, you just made a fanboy very happy indeed!
P.S. I'm looking forward to seeing
Hellboy 2,
Hulk and
Dark Knight. Hopefully, I'll see all of them on opening day as well (preferably with my family again). Movie day sounds like a good family tradition to me... :D
