Iron Man Review

I went to see the new Iron Man movie a couple of days ago, okay, I went opening day, but I’ve been waiting a long time to see Iron Man come to life on the big screen. Iron Man has always been one of my favorite comic books, although I haven’t read any comics lately, and I plan to start again …well at least a little, it still remains one of my favorites. I’ve already seen my all time favorite comic come to life, the best comic book I ever read… ever, the Fantastic Four. Right now I’ve got hundreds of them that I’ve cataloged from when I used to collect them as a kid. I might even start collecting them again. I love seeing all my favorite Marvel Comics, starting with the X-Men up to the new release of Iron Man, on the big screen. They changed a lot from the comic book but the movies good as hell to me anyway.

Iron Man, the latest from Marvel Comics, didn’t fail to amaze me, like previous releases from the Marvel world, it had me captivated from the beginning. It strayed slightly here and there from the original, like he didn’t go through that clunky armor phase and went straight to his sleek modern shell, but I can understand why it was left out. The look of the new 21^st century armor took my mind off that real fast. The way they showed how the armor came together was brilliant and very realistic. I could actually see that happening. Unlike the old days where he kept his armor flattened in an attaché case. I didn’t buy into that when I was a kid, I knew then that the technology didn’t exist at that time, that sort of tech is still a long way off. The way it was done in the movie represented our level of technology nicely.

All of the effects appeared seamless between characters, other objects, the animations and CGI’s, as it has been in previous Marvel movies. The flight scenes were fearsome as well as believable. And the fact that he had to use his hands as well as control surfaces on the armor to fly made it even more convincing. I remember when the first Superman movie came out in 1978, they said “you’ll believe a man can fly”, I didn’t, till I saw Iron Man, now I believe. If there’s any way a man can fly without the aid of a motorized vehicle that was it. From the way Tony Stark began his creation on a holographic table, till his maiden voyage into the night sky, it all fit together in a plausible way.

The characters were also very believable and fit their roles to a tee. Robert Downey Jr., whose acting I’ve like since “The Pickup Artist”, was the perfect Tony Stark, who looked and acted as if he were pulled right out of the comic. The way he talked, his mannerisms, and attitude was exactly what I’d expect from his character. I hope to see him reprise his role in the sequel unlike the upcoming Incredible Hulk which appears to be like a whole new movie and not a sequel. The other characters, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard, also hit the mark in their performances. I can’t wait to see Terrence Howard as War Machine; I hope he’s in the sequel, what am I saying, of course he’s going to be in the 2010 sequel.

Overall it’s a must see movie, especially if you’re a Marvel “True Believer”, and have followed Marvels releases in the past. This one, the first from Marvel Studios themselves, is a great way for them to debut their awesome talent. The script was great, the direction was impressive, and Stan Lee’s cameo, along with Jon Favreaus’ appearance as a body guard, just added to the fun. However, there could’ve been more combat scenes with the Iron Monger, something in the daylight preferably. And since we are talking about Tony Stark, one more love scene wouldn’t have hurt either. I give Iron Man five Incredible Hulks out of five.