"Let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing." -Tony Stark
Before the movie, all the average person or casual fan knew about Tony Stark was that he was rich, cool, and was (or thinks he still is) an alcoholic. Some thought that putting out Iron Man first was a bit of a risk. After Eric Bana' s "Hulk" movie was a flop both financially (budget of 137 million and only grossed 132 domestically) and among the movie goers and critics, there was no guarantee that The Avengers would get another chance if Iron Man flopped as bad as Hulk did. But not only did "Iron Man" not flop, it was beloved by almost everyone who went to see it.
Robert Downey Jr. is quite possibly the best casting in comic book movie history. If he's not the best, than he is definitely one of the top five. RDJ nails the role of arrogant playboy Tony Stark perfectly. This didn't seem like a hard job considering the type of life he led and sometimes still leads. Being the life of the party and the guy who doesn't have to take anything serious was the easy part. What was really impressive were the moments when he had to be serious. Tony Stark has always been an arrogant jerk, but he was also very compassionate. He takes pride in his work and is very protective of the people he loves. RDJ shows those parts of Tony Stark better than a lot of us had hoped. Enough can't be said about how good Robert Downey Jr. was in this movie, but it wouldn't have worked without a great script.
"I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right."-Tony Stark to Pepper
The writers and directors of "Iron Man" did a phenomenal job showing Tony Stark's growth as a person and his supporting cast. Pepper Potts wasn't portrayed as some random bimbo who kept Tony Stark's books. One of Stark's one night stands decided to mouth off at Pepper, she quickly retorted with a witty remark to put her back in her place. Everything about Pepper Potts was perfect. Gwyneth Paltrow did an amazing job making sure Potts was portrayed as a strong woman and the closet person to Tony Stark. There are a few really cute moments between Stark and Potts that make the movie. One scene in particular is when Stark is laying on a table of sorts and needs her to reconnect his mini arc reactor to his heart. She is completely skeeved out by having to dig into her boss' chest and literally having his life in her hands. After she finished, she asked him to get someone else to do this and he tells her that he doesn't have anyone else. It was sweet and sad all at once.
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Terrence Howard plays Tony Stark's best friend Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes and while he didn't fit the personality or the look well, he did a serviceable job. Rhodes didn't have a giant role in the movie and was a good enough pick for the screen time he was given. The problem with Howard is that he was too soft for the lack of a better term. Rhodes walks around with a chip on his shoulder in the comic books. While he did show his disdain for Tony's drinking, partying, and lax attitude when things are supposed to be serious. He wasn't bad, just not great.
"When I ordered the hit on you, I was worried that I was killing the golden goose. But, you see, it was just fate that you survived it, leaving one last golden egg to give. You really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you? Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"
The villain of this movie isn't something that can be talked about without giving away the ending. So if you have not seen the movie, skip to the next section. Everyone here seen the movie or don't care about spoilers? Good. Jeff Bridges played Obadiah Stane. Tony's mentor, father figure of sorts, and, eventually, his betrayer. How It was gone about was a bit obvious if you know the Tony Stark story or picked up on the small clues throughout the movie. Regardless, he did a good job as the villain. Unfortunately because we as viewers expect everyone to be as good as Heath Ledger, Tom Hiddleston, or Jack Nicholson, Jeff Bridges won't be as appreciated for the solid job he did. He certainly won't be knocking people's socks off with his performance, but that wasn't his role. Bridges was supposed to compliment RDJ and that is what he did.
Action Movie Rating: 8 Actucal Rating:7.5
Iron man is a fun action flick. It gives you exactly what you want in a movie. If you spent the $20 to go see it in the movies you did not leave disappointed. The origin story of how he went from Tony Stark to superhero was well done and didn't drag on (which is a major complaint with people). The only downfall is that there isn't a memorable fight scene while Tony is in his armor. The Iron Man versus Iron Monger scene could have and should have been a bit more epic. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn't great. Since the final fight scene is a major part of any action movie that takes the movie down a point or two. Overall, it is great movie to have in your collection. There's ton of replay value.
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