First Spiderwick and now Iron Man; if 2008’s movies are going to continue to be this fun we’re looking at a contender for Best Year Ever. (Although I think any year, no matter what its lineup, would be hard pressed to beat 2004’s Hellboy/Incredibles/Harry Potter 3 hat trick.)
This is probably going to be a pretty short review, because I find that I don't actually have a lot to say about Iron Man except "Go watch it!" Robert Downey Jr. was (predictably, and as everyone has been saying) the best part, and the movie wisely knew to keep him on screen most of the time, but everyone did great, including Gwyneth Paltrow, who doesn't normally do it for me. Terence Howard didn't have a lot to do this time out, but that's fine. Also be sure to watch (listen?) for Paul Bettany as the computer AI Jarvis (though you couldn't prove it by the IMDb).
There are lots of nods to comic stuff throughout the movie, but never overt ones that come across as annoying. It's also set up perfectly for a sequel (which had better involve Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom), and they even drop a setup for an Avengers movie that will probably never happen. (Be sure to stay 'til after the end credits.)
The pacing is fairly breakneck, but doesn't really feel like it, and most of the scenes are given room to breathe without ever wearing out their welcome. In a perfect world I could have asked for a better climactic fight scene (mostly just with the camera pulled back further so I could see more of the action), but as it is Iron Man was way too good for niggling complaints. As I already said up there: "Go watch it!"
May 4, 2008
Review: Iron Man (Orrin's Take)
by
Orrin Grey
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2 comments:
I agree that the climax left a bit more to be desired, but the movie was a lot of fun as a whole and Iron Man's rescue of the Afghan village was fricking magic. I'm so happy to see my favorite comic book superhero get treated so well. Incidentally, I'm betting there will be an Avengers movie; The Hulk is right around the corner, and apparently Thor and Captain America are in some stage of production (those will be very easy to mess up, though). Also, Marvel has taken over the reins producing its own movies -- this one was the first -- so as long as civilization holds out, I bet we'll see it.
By the way, I love the new site. Tell you co-contributors to get off their butts! Get this thing rolling!
@ Nathan
Looks like Marvel agrees.
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