Comics To Film: Iron Man (2008)


Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard
Director: Jon Favreau
Country: USA
Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
Official Trailer: Here


Editor’s Note: The following review of Iron Man is apart of Umar’s ongoing series entitled Comics to Film.

The results of a Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. collaboration is one that creates an unexpectedly entertaining, funny and strong film that chronicles one of comic’s lesser known superheroes. Iron Man is a surprisingly good addition to the comic book movie industry, while also making new ground as it hints at the possibility of a team of superheroes in the near future.

The results of a Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. collaboration is one that creates an unexpectedly entertaining, funny and strong film that chronicles one of comic’s lesser known superheroes.

The film starts off with the violent capture of Tony Stark, the wealthy industrialist of a weapons manufacturer, and then immediately shifts back to the day before those events to show the audience what a day as Stark is like. As a prisoner, Stark is told he must build weapons to earn his freedom, but instead builds robotic armour to help himself, and he fellow prisoner Yinsen, escape.

Once he returns home, the once selfish and carefree Stark begins building more advanced armour that would allow him to stop people who are using his company’s weapons to harm innocent people and also protect humanity as a whole.

The two most impactful aspects of the film are Downey’s performance as Stark and the construction and use of the Iron Man suit. Downey Jr. plays the part of Tony Stark/Iron Man expertly; he truly embodies the spirit of the character, while at the same time making it very much his own creation as well. One wonders if there was even a script, as it seems the majority of Downey’s lines were all ad-lib, with the rest of the cast trying to stay on par with his improvisation. He truly is the star and focus of the film’s narrative, with all the other characters doing the best they can to support his performance. Favreau chooses to use the first 20 minutes of the film to show off the world Stark comes from and to solidify the person he is. The first scene is meant to give you a first impression with the following flashback scene to give his character further depth by showing a regular day in his life and introducing the few people in his life who care about him, and who he actually cares about as well. As the film progresses, and Stark becomes the hero Iron Man, Downey shows the change in behaviour in a realistic way. He is still the same egotistical genius playboy, but now he is building a suit to protect people instead of weapons to make his company, and himself, rich.

Downey Jr. plays the part of Tony Stark/Iron Man expertly; he truly embodies the spirit of the character, while at the same time making it very much his own creation as well.

The other aspect of the film that will hook the audience is the creation of the Iron Man suits, and the subsequent use of those suits in battles. Favreau lets his imagination run wild, like a true fan would, in the sequences in which Stark creates the modern day Iron Man suit. He also does a good homage to the very first incarnation of the Iron Man suit in the comics during Stark’s escape from his captors. Thankfully, the technology exists to convey the spectacle of creating the suits, with a certain degree of realism, the way the director and fans have envisioned for years. Favreau further draws in the audiences with not only the designs and creation of the suits, but also by showing Stark’s ‘trial-and-error’ sequences in learning how to fly, which owes its success mainly to Downey’s comedic monologues. Favreau does a great job of mixing in realism and sci-fi fantasy so that everyone, fans and non-fans alike, can enjoy the film and the action sequences thoroughly.

The rest of the cast, for the most part, provide a very good support system for the film, with only Terrance Howard’s performance feeling out of place compared to the rest of the ensemble. It seemed as Howard was trying to keep up with the pace and tone of the film, but it seemed forced and while also being one step behind the rest of the cast, especially with his scenes with Downey. Both of Paltrow and Bridges performances were very good and they did a great job working together and with Downey to create an enjoyable female lead and villain respectively. But the surprise came more from the lesser known Shaun Toub, who played the endearing Yinsen, who became like a Jiminy Cricket to Stark that helped him realize his faults and provides a base for the conscience that transforms him into a superhero without losing his comedic or self-obsessed ways. The subtlety of this very short, but profound, relationship and its impact is clearly set in a few scenes throughout the film, which make Stark a different man.

Overall, Iron Man captures the attention of all who watch it with the mix of a variety of factors such as humour, action and sci-fi technology. Since this is meant to be the beginning of a series of films that will lead to the Avengers film, Favreau starts it off with a bang.

75/100 ~ GOOD. Favreau does a great job of mixing in realism and sci-fi fantasy so that everyone, fans and non-fans alike, can enjoy the film and the action sequences thoroughly.

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When I was 6 years old, my mother showed me the 1978 Superman movie. I watched that maybe 1000 times by the time I was 7. Ever since I have loved movies, and comic books. Fast forward 20 years, a couple film courses, several thousand comic books and over 2000 movies, and you get me. I continue to watch films of all genres and read comics. It is apart of my identity and it is something I love and hope to be able to continue loving and enjoying until the end of my days.