May 2, 2008 -- Lately there have been a lot of superheroes leaping off the pages of comic books into movies. The latest in that long line is “Iron Man,” another superhero from the Marvel Comics stable. Unlike previous films, “Iron Man” is the first self-financed film for Marvel, which is taking a bigger role in film development of its characters. If “Iron Man” is any indication, Marvel knows what it is doing in the film business as well as the comic book business. “Iron Man” is not only a soaring adventure story, but it combines social commentary with cartoonish comic overtones, and even adds a bit of romance.

The movie starts right off with action as an American convoy is attacked by terrorists. Then it flashes back to a few months earlier and then skips back to the aftermath of the attack. The object of the terrorist attack is a prominent American industrialist, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. of “Charley Bartlett”). Stark is not only an arms manufacturer, but an inventor of great skill and intelligence. The terrorists want Stark to build them a working model of a very deadly short range missile armed with cluster bombs. They have all the parts. Stark was badly wounded in the attack (by one of the weapons made by his own company) and is being kept alive by an electromagnet which keeps the shrapnel from working its way into his heart. This ingenious rig was built by the Muslim doctor who operated on him, Yinsen (played by Shaun Toub of “The Kite Runner”). Stark, having seen the terrorists are well stocked with weapons made by his company, is determined they are not getting any more.

Stark, threatened with death, agrees to build the rocket, but betrays the terrorists by working on a power suit, aided by the good doctor. He almost gets the power suit working by the time the terrorists figure out what is going on. Yinsen provides a distraction, holding off the terrorists for a few minutes until Stark emerges from his prison as Iron Man. He routs the terrorists, but finds Yinsen dying. After narrowly escaping death, and not knowing how much longer he will live with the shrapnel still in his body, Stark makes a stunning announcement to the world upon his return to America. He tells a packed news conference that Stark Industries will stop weapons manufacturing and will concentrate on more peaceful enterprises. This causes the company's stock to plunge and sparks a revolt on the board of directors, headed by Stark executive Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges of “Seabiscuit”).

In secret, Stark continues to refine his power suit until he has perfected it. After living most of his life as a playboy billionaire, he has a change of heart, determined to fight evil in the world as Iron Man. The forces of evil, however, are not ready to give up without a fight. Stark can't win this battle alone. He finds unlikely allies within the U.S. government and in his trusty administrative assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow of “Proof”). The forces opposing each other build up to a suitable big final battle.

The main force of this movie is Robert Downey Jr., who is perfectly cast as the flawed hero who finally finds his true calling and his moral center. Downey's own life story has more than a passing similarity to Tony Stark. The romantic chemistry between Stark and Potts seems natural and there are some very good villains in the story. Rounding out this fine cast is Terrence Howard of “August Rush,” who plays a military officer, Jim Rhodes, and Clark Gregg of “In the Land of Women,” who plays mysterious federal agent Phil Coulson. The script is solid. There is some very good dialogue exchanges in the film, particularly between Stark and Potts. There are some nice cartoonish physical comedy touches here and there. The special effects sequences and overall production quality is very high. This film rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2008 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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