Our good friend Robert Workman (AOL GameDaily) had a chance to check out the new Iron Man movie last night and gave us brief review of the much anticipated film! You may now commence in jealous envy.
So many of you are on the fence about whether this is a good kind of comic book movie (Batman Begins, Spider-Man 2) or a laughably bad kind of comic book movie (Spider-Man 3, the Fantastic Four flicks). Well, let me put your minds at ease. This is a GREAT comic book movie. Not the best ever made, mind you, because of a hiccup in casting and a little flimsiness towards the end, but it’s a better movie than I expected it to be. It’s a thrill ride that not only represents the comic book to its fullest, but paints Tony Stark as — gasp! — a human being.
Granted, Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) starts the movie as eccentric, but a terrorist act and the actions of his partner Obediah (Jeff Bridges, relishing in nastiness with a baldness and a thick goatee, think The Dude but opposite) open his eyes and put him to task of building the ultimate power suit, thus becoming Iron Man. What’s cool about the movie is the trial-and-error process he endures along the way. He doesn’t automatically build the suit and become a super bad-ass. He learns from his tools of the trade, building them to perfection and eventually taking to the skies, only to find that Obediah is right on his heels, leading to an entertaining climax and an obvious set-up for sequels.
Jon Favreau directs with a great deal of passion. Yeah, there are special effects shots, but they’re meaningful ones, unlike the “hey let’s map that 70’s Show guy with black goo” crappy ones. The way Iron Man blows up the tank is just for starters — wait until the others enter the picture. You’ve seen hints of them in the trailer, and, yes, they’re awesome. Kudos for the jet fight, too — what a rush.
Favreau also knows how to pace out the story. Again, it gets a little flimsy in parts, especially with Obediah’s somewhat dysfunctional behavior. Nevertheless, it entertains superbly, a fun ride while it lasts. Robert Downey Jr. nails the part of Stark, right down to his eccentricity and imperfections. Watching him tinker around with the Iron Man gadgets is a blast, especially as he discovers their faults and perfects on them. Bridges, again, is a GREAT bad guy, and Terrence Howard does great work as Jim Rhodes. The only thing that felt out of place is Gwyneth Paltrow’s character. It’s not like she’s not gorgeous or anything, because she is, but she seems somewhat out of place.
Again, Iron Man turned out to be better than expected. And yes, comic book geeks, there are hints at things to come in the sequel, including War Machine, Iron Monger, and some others. Keep your eyes and ears peeled — and STAY FOR THE END CREDITS!
No spoilers here. Just go see it Friday. 
April 30th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I can’t wait to see this!!! Everyone in the office is going tonight…but i opted out to go with the hubby…I am too nice…LOL
April 30th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I am so excited about Iron Man!
Its going to rock!
Aww thats sweet that Virtual Girl is going to go with husband “N” I hope that you guys have a great time
April 30th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I have to wait until Friday to check this one out. But I am sure it is going to be worth it. It seems like it will be a blast. Glad to read your words, DCD.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I didn’t read this review solely for the reason that I don’t want to spoil it for myself! I’ll be checking it out tomorrow after I’ve seen it.
May 1st, 2008 at 12:23 am
Cool review, man!
Every time I hear another great review about this movie I get even more pumped …
May 1st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Tonight’s the night! Who’s seeing it?
I’m actually seeing it AGAIN. I’m insane.
And VirtuaGirl, nice of you to wait for your hubby. But don’t have him force you to wait too long. Heh.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 am
Love………..this…………movie. Can’t wait to see it again.
I actually contemplated seeing the next showing tonight at midnight (I saw that one at 8:30), but I have work as a minor inconvenience in the morning.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:49 am
Oh man … I have to wait just under 12 hours to see it and it is freaking KILLING ME. …
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
movie was freaking awesome, definantly seeing it again
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Oh yeah. Just got into work from seeing this movie and it was freaking worth the chewing out I just got. Man, I am definitely going to go and see this movie again tomorrow.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Amazing! I too waited to see the movie with my sig. other. I LOVED it! I’m def. going to have to see it again.
My fav line:
Pepper: and occasionally, I take out the trash for him.
LOVE it!!!
May 16th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
The movie rocked!
May 17th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Finally saw it, eh Steph?
June 25th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
“So many of you are on the fence about whether this is a good kind of comic book movie (Batman Begins, Spider-Man 2) or a laughably bad kind of comic book movie (Spider-Man 3, the Fantastic Four flicks).”
My fence would include all of the movies you listed in the same place… I loved ‘em all. I don’t have the problem with them that everyone else did. I just watched Spidey 3 on HBO the other day for the first time since the theater, and once again couldn’t see anything I disliked.
My liking everything tends to have people start throwing out the “well you don’t know anything about movies” quip at me… which I find funny since I studied audio/visual production (including movies and television)! =P
June 25th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Haha!
Hey, man. Film is literature. It’s art. You’re totally entitled to your opinion and no one has the authority to enforce theirs upon you.
Critics are schmucks and yeah, moviegoers often nitpick way too much … All that really matters is whether or not you enjoyed the film. If you liked Spidey 3, then goddamnit, you liked Spidey 3!