Ironman

As a huge movie lover, there are two times of year I live for- summer and winter. I live for May-August and then November-January. I live for them for two different reasons of course, because summer brings big action movies and winter brings thought provoking Oscar bait. Each year summer comes earlier and earlier. In fact, it used to start on memorial day but with more summer releases every year, they had to push it forward. I feel like the first summer movie of the season sets the tone the rest of them. Last year Spiderman 3 set the tone for the rest of the threequels and this year it is up to Ironman to set the tone.

Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr.) is a genius and he has used his genius to build an empire with weapons. He creates all kinds of new weapon technology for the Military. He is cocky, witty, womanizing and he loves his alcohol. When the film opens he is riding in a Military vehicle with some young military people. He is cracking jokes and taking pictures but soon one of the army vehicles is blown up and Stark is kidnapped. Then it cuts back 36 hours earlier and we find out all about Stark's life. When it cuts back to the present, Stark wakes up to see himself attached to a car battery. The shrapnel from a bomb has punctured his chest and the car battery is keeping the shrapnel from puncturing his heart. His kidnappers want him to somehow create his newest weapon, The Jericho, using makeshift tools. The man kidnapped with Stark, Yinsen(Shaun Taub) somehow convinces Stark to find a way to fight back. Stark creates a suit fights his way out and is rescued. He comes back a changed man, though. He vows to stop making the weapons and secretly he is hard at work to create a better version of that superhero suit to fight global terror. His assistant, Pepper Potts(Gwenyth Paltrow) is by his side no matter what. His best friend, Rhodes(Terrance Howard) knows he is up to something but stays away from Stark because Rhodes is a military man and Stark is not working with the military anymore. Obadiah Stane(Jeff Bridges) is the second in command at Stark Enterprises and he is resistant to the change Stark wants to make.

If this movie is really setting the tone for the rest of the summer, we are in for one hell of a summer. Who knew the guy who directed Swingers, and Elf-Jon Favreau- could create such a perfect superhero movie. If you look at the cast, you see they are all amazing actors and how the studio allowed the director to Cast Robert Downey Jr. is beyond me, but thank god they did. As Stark, RDJ finds every ounce of humor and humanity to the playboy. He is the most perfect casting for a superhero I have ever seen, yes that includes Bale as Batman. Paltrow looks liek she is having more fun than she has in years and really helps find the heart of the story and Howard, in a glorified cameo adds an element of fun to the relationship between Rhodes and Stark. Jeff Bridges is the one who nearly walks off with the movie though. He is brilliantly bad in the way Willem Dafoe was in Spiderman. He totally makes you forget he is "The Dude." The opening sequence is about as intense as a movie can be and I liked that Favreau opened with that and then went back to the back story. Also, the creation of the Ironman suit served about 3 or 4 purposes, if you are paying attention. First it is the creation of the super suit. Second, it shows how much of a genius Stark is, as opposed to just telling us. Third, the whole thing is hilarious. However, another very important purpose is that the entire time he is creating the suit, he is watching T.V and seeing what is going on in the world and with his company. Instead of having to pause the story to cut to some news story or something, we get the dual action and we see the news the same way Stark does. It helps keep the movie in this very tight and amazing rhythm.

Once the suit is up and functional, the movie takes a whole new turn, the way way Spiderman did when Peter embraced the Powers and was soaring through New York. I love that RDJ appears to be having the time of his life as he is soaring through the air in this gorgeous looking suit. The in-helmet camera was a great touch as well. The first time we see Stark use the new suit, we are witness to rockets shooting, flares snipering and Stark maneuvering awesomely between two military jets. Basically the fun does not ever stop. By the time we get to the big climatic battle, we have not only bought the transformation of Stark, we believe he is willing to die to save the world. The final battle between Ironan and Iron Monger is a dazzling mixture of special effects and fight choreography. Using cars as weapons the scene is brutal, fast, furious and action packed.

My lone complaint about the movie is that when the villain steps into the Iron Monger suit, he seems to be able to work everything right away. He is a pro the first time he uses it. It doesn't make sense since Stark struggled at first and he created the technology. However, that complaint is minor compared to how much awesome is to be found inside the movie. Ironman is an example of how Superhero movies should be made. There is an overwhelming energy that permeates throughout the entire picture and it is the kind of movie that looks like it was so much fun to be in, you wish you could have been in it yourself. With the announcement this morning that Ironman 2 has already been set and with Marvel having its own studio and announcing the release of no less than 4 more movies all revolving around the scene after the credits, I suggest staying after, really.

Final Grade: A