Iron Man Review

John Campea 99 Comments

Iron-Man-Review.jpgThanks for checking out our Iron Man Review. If you’d like, you can watch the video version of our Iron Man review at the bottom of this post:

Well, it’s finally here, and now I get to do (a little late) my Iron Man review. It’s been well documented around there that when they first announced that they were doing an Iron Man movie, I thought it was a terrible idea. To be frank, I don’t even think Iron Man is much of a comic book character… really nothing much more than a poor man’s version of Batman (Oh gee whiz… a superhero with no actual powers who is a rich multi-billionare who uses his money to buy gadgets that he uses to fight crime. Why does that sound so familiar?)

But then news started coming out about the decisions they were making. Jon Favreau coming on to direct, ILM doing the visual efects, Jeff Bridges cast as the “bad guy”, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark…. it looks like they were doing everything right. Then the first trailer came out and it won me over…. I’ve been looking forward to Iron Man ever since and so have a lot of other people. So did it live up to the hype? HELL YES!

THE GENERAL IDEA

The synopsis of Iron Man looks something like this: “Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the CEO of Stark Industries which produces advance weapon systems for the U.S. military. Tony’s father started the company after WWII, and after his death Tony inherited the company, worth billions. Tony lives the life as a hard drinking, rich playboy ladies man, but he is also a genius who has invented many high-tech items for the company. Tony flies to Afghanistan to demonstrate a new weapons test to the army. On his way back to his plane, his convoy is attacked by terrorists, and Tony is wounded by a Stark Industries missile. Tony is captured and held hostage in a cave with Raza (Faran Tahir), a doctor who saves his life. The terrorists force Tony and Raza to reproduce the new destructive Jericho missile Tony was demonstrating from parts of other weapons. Instead, Tony decides to build a suit of armor with Razas help. The suit gives Tony the strength and protection to be able to escape the terrorists. Back in America, Tony builds a better suit of armor which gives him superhuman strength with the ability to fly. With the help of his personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), Tony vows to protect the world as Iron Man.”

THE GOOD

Let’s start with Robert Downey Jr. It’s amazing that his name was never even mentioned in most online discussion about “who should play Iron Man”? And yet when he was announced, everybody agreed that it was perfect casting. After seeing the movie, I have to concur. Robert Downey Jr. was beyond the perfect Tony Stark/Iron Man. He brought so much of that playboy crossed with undying genius to the role that you instantly bought him as Tony Stark if you’re familiar with the comic, and he brought so much raw boyish charm and charisma to the role that you bought into him as a character even if you knew nothing about the comic book or what Tony Stark is supposed to be like. If this wasn’t a comic book movie, I’d dare say some people would be talking Oscar nomination for him… no, I’m not kidding and I’d happily debate anyone about that point.

The visual effects were masterful! Everything looked so convincing and so real. We shouldn’t be surprised by that… after all it’s the same visual effects company who did the stuff on Transformers last summer and is going The Incredible Hulk in a few weeks as well. The wizards at ILM did such a good job you can never quite tell when you’re looking at a costume and when you’re looking at CGI. Never once in the movie did a poor effects shot pull me out of the movie (that’s the ultimate compliment you can give a VFX supervisor).

Go figure… it was a good STORY! Some people are going to hate that I say this… but it’s the truth. There is less “action” in Iron man than there was in the first Hulk film. No really… it’s true. But here’s the thing… because the story had such a good pace to it and was characters and backstory so well set up… and it was just a good story, the lack of action never becomes an issue. Don’t get me wrong… there is some great action in this flick… just not as much as you might expect… but the quality of the story and the pace at which it’s told more than compensate for that to the point that it never really becomes an issue.

The film does a wonderful job at never alienating audience members who many not know ANYTHING about the Iron Man comic book, and yet at the same time throw in lots of little nods to those who do know it. That’s a fine line to walk, but they did it well which really added to the charm of the movie and allowed comic fans to feel more engaged with it.

This is not The Dark Knight. There has been a (good) trend in some comic book movies like Batman Begins to make things “DARKER”. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, and depending on the characters, that is often a very good thing. But Iron Man chooses not to go down that path and that was a very wise decision. It’s a light, fun and exciting film which is exactly how it should have been (Then again, I’d still be interested in a darker Iron Man film where Tony Stark’s alcoholism is explored)

THE BAD

As was mentioned before, the film could have stood to have a couple of more set pieces with more action. Yes the story made up for that, and it’s not like the movie was suffering for a SERIOUS lack of action… but I still feel like one or two more sequences could have made it even better without making it feel over stuffed.

There is about a 15 minute segment of the film about a half hour before the end of the movie that did start to feel like it was dragging a little bit. It wasn’t serious and never felt boring… but for that brief time it did feel like the film had lost its sense of pace… thankfully it found it again and ended with a BANG!

The only other bad thing I can say about Iron Man is that it may have set the bar so high for comic book movies this summer that it may ruin the rest of them.

OVERALL

Iron man is a fun, exciting, interesting, entertaining comic book movie that even non-comic book movie fans will enjoy. It’s funny, looks great and has some great performances. Yes it could have stood a couple of more action sequences and yes it seemed to lose its sense of pace for a little while, but these are minor complaints that didn’t effect the overall enjoyment of the film for me. While I certainly don’t think this is the best comic book movie ever made (I still say X-Men 2 has that title) the bar for all the comic book movies this summer has now been set VERY high. Frankly, I have my doubts even The Dark Knight can match it. If it does, then we are a lucky audience indeed! Overall I give Iron Man an 8.5 out of 10.

You can watch the video version of our Iron Man review below.

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99 thoughts on “Iron Man Review”

  2. OMG,fabulous movie.. Really not in comparison..Normally i don’t comment on movies bt after watching Iron Man Movie I just couldn’t hold my hands..All what i could say that it’s once in a life time kind of material.. Really Awesome. You too Can enjoy this movie Guys..

  4. I’m sorry guys who didn’t like it, but I’m a firm believer that there are such things as works of art that are OBJECTIVELY good. I am also a firm believer that Iron Man is one of those works.

    Absolutely fantastic from start to finish. I do share the “gripe” that it could have used more action, but the way I see it, they just left themselves room to grow in IM2.

    Oh, and whoever it was that said that the scene with the Mk3 suit taking out the terrorists brought out the little boy in you, I agree 100%.

  5. (Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so)
    i watched it and it was kool but if you know mavel then stan lee is setting his self up good cause you kno daredevil meet spiderman, and so did tha x men and ironman had a different suit in tha early dayz and he was wit tha advengers

  6. naaa the movie sucked, most of everyone who likes it has apparently never even flipped through the pages of an ironman comic, or they no nothing of him and his enemies, plus i hate all this stupid humor in marvel movies, please can they just direct one marvel movie toward the original fan base, instead of directing it toward the crowd that hangs out at wal-mart

  7. I’m not much of a comic book fan, or a fan of movies based on comic books. Having said that, I have to admit that Iron Man is quite an enjoyable movie.
    The plot is what most comic book hero movies would be expected to bring, but that is to be expected as they are all based on the same good vs evil premise.
    The one thing that I really liked about Iron Man is how it portrays Tony Stark as the spoiled, womanizing a*hole that is used to getting away with everything. A nice departure from all the other superhero movies where the hero is always this vanilla, pg rated, almost perfect human being that has no demeaning character flaws.
    That and the fact that Downey Jr. was able to put his comedic chops to use and make Tony even more appealing made it into a nice movie going experience. I went in thinking I’d be watching an action movie, but it turned out to be a comedy with lots of nice action packed into it.

  9. Man, this film was a major surprise. Very entertaining, decent story line and excellent acting from Downey Jr and even Gwyneth Paltrow! Definitely the best comic book film ever made, and of this year.

    Rock on!

  10. Funny it’s a comic movie that ranks up to one of the best movies of the year so far. I’m not complaining. I’m glad that this is such a great adaptation of a great comic series. It had the humor and (some of) the action we come to expect from Iron Man’s well-rounded storyline. Like many others said, my only complaint about the movie is the lack of action. It doesn’t hamper the movie really, but I feel that more of it would have enhanced it.

  11. This movie is just great! And so entertaining!
    I dont’ mind if the battle is just 2mins or less but the characters are so perfect, Robert plays it very well. One thing that I disagree is Gwyneth, I think she is too old for this Pepper character.
    Well, over all this movie is fresh! I also write the review in other language

  12. This movie is great. Just great! It totally redefines action movies. We finally get an action movie with a good story in it.

    And for those who said it was lack of actions (in other words, battles), please consider yourself to be an Iron Man..you couldn’t move very agile in that kind of heavy suit..I would be very surprised if they made him do somersaults..

  13. (This movie sucked. it was boring and lacking action. a few 2 mins battle scens didnt keep me awake and just like spider man the build up to the final battle scen was a total letdown. wft is up with comicbook movies haveing 2 mins battle scens at the end?? please dont do a Ironman 2. just because a movie open up #1 at the boxoffice dosent make it a good movie. ppl went because of the hype and came out dissapointed as well as I did. stop I love comicbooks but please stop with the movies. it;s becoming like music same ol thing. time for somting new. writers now that the strike is over do your job please.

  14. Callie… keep in mind that this was a TECHNOLOGY company. And Stane ran it. They would know how to make their computers secure. No amount of genius keystroking could get past that. Even Tony knew he had to encode a jump drive with a password hacker that would only work on site.

    When Stane locked out Stark he locked him out of that computer as well. Why would Stane leave the IronMonger plans and a video of him implicating his involvement in the failed assassination of Stark on a computer that Stark could access from home???

  15. Actually Callie, the most secure server systems in the world are hard wired exclusively and can’t be accessed remotely. Lazy commenting just for the sake of commenting (Pathetic). What a waste.

  16. Crap! Gimme back my $12. Does anyone else find it strange that a guy with futuristic wireless technology is still has to send his assistant to the office to “download” files? Lazy writing – just to move the plot forward (Pathetic). What a waste!

  17. Anyone spot Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello as the first insurgent to die when they come to get Stark out of the cave? His widdly guitar skills evidently led to him getting the honour of being the first person smushed by Iron Man.

    I thought the Stan Lee cameo was hilarious too. I really enjoyed the scripting and direction of Iron Man and the little knowing asides about SHIELD and the cameo after the credits make me exciting to think that’ll be a big factor in the future. I also liked the final decision of Stark at the end press conference. Without spoiling, that is the main feature as I feel it about Iron Man compared to Batman and other superheroes, and it’ll be really interesting in the second film to explore the ramifications of his decision at the press conference. Very good film although I suspect TDK may well surpass it.

  20. It was a wonderful film. I say it did had its flaws. For example, the last act (boss battle seen) to me could of been better. For this reason the part when the Mark 3 suit made its first appearance to fight the terrorist, that IMHO topped the last seen for sure. That moment brought the little boy out of me with tears and said “now thats the iron man that I know” ;) This is a good start for Marvel Studios and hope that for the sequels have major improvements and details in the film itself. I give it an 8-8.5 rating. Oh yeah stay after the credits, everyone in theater went wild lol.

  21. This clever, quick-witted, tightly scripted adaptation of yet another superhero movie may actually turn into one of the most respected and highest ranked movies in this genre’s increasingly impressive collection.

    I am not a comic book guy for the most part and had never heard of Iron Man before the previews to this movie. I almost didn’t even go see it, but the good reviews by the critics made me decide to give it a chance. I was NOT disappointed. It was fantastic.

    My Social Standards now has my whole review. Check it out at our site, http://mysocialstandards.blogspot.com to see it.

  22. It seems like a lot of people liked this movie. I wish I saw what they saw in it because what i saw was a less than average film. I’m certainly not going to argue peoples opinion. Its hard to dispute the accolades its getting considering the ungodly 94% approval rating its getting over at Rotten Tomatoes. I just don’t get it.

    THE MOVIE INDUSTRY IS DYING

  23. True John, definitely easier to follow with the color coding and the size difference. I don’t know, just made it much more enjoyable for me. It is a tough comparison and I definitely see your point about how it was more difficult to put together the action sequences in Transformers, what with so many robots.

    I thought the fx in Transformers were great. Maybe it was the shaky cam that I didn’t like. I guess I just feel for what each movie was going for, they did a better job with Iron Man. Just my opinion.

  25. @ John I saw Iron man and I loved it. As far the FX in Transfomers vs. Iron Man, Iron Man beats the shit out Transfromers. Iron man’s FX are clear and you said it your self you can’t tell when you’re looking at the real armor or a cgi image. In Transformers the fights are blurry and they do the shaky cam and there’s lots of night scenes so there’s less detail. That ‘s just me.

  28. Hey Doug,

    I can’t disagree more. In Iron Man you just had 2 “robots. One giant and all Grey, one normal human size Gold and Red. It would be impossible to mix them up.

    In Transformers you had a dozen giant robots with various colors and more action sequences. So naturally it’s harder… but the effects in TF were much better…. but that’s a hard comparison because there were about 4x more efects shots in TF than in Iron Man… so it’s not really fair of me to compare.

  29. Hey John,
    No, I didn’t know that. Thanks for the heads up. That’s interesting. I really had a tough time telling the robots apart when they were fighting in Transformers, and I saw it twice in the theaters (2nd time in IMAX – thanks again for those tix)

    Kudos to them then for what is, in my humble opinion, a vast improvement.

  30. Hey Doug,

    You said:

    “I think the Transformers FX people should take note of how to have to metal guys fighting each other so everyone can see who is who”

    You do realize it was the same team right?

  31. Just got back from seeing it. Thought it was great. Possibly the best origin of any on screen superhero. They actually made it quite believable within the context of the movie. And I think the Transformers FX people should take note of how to have to metal guys fighting each other so everyone can see who is who.

  32. I just finished putting a short review on my blog about the release of Iron Man in South Africa and found my way here!

    There’s something about flawed heroes that people find irresistible, and Robert Downey Jr. is no exception. This has to be one of his best performances to date. I’m glad to see that movie makers are trying less hard to produce verbatim interpretations of fiction, to film, and are now trying to capture the essence of what makes a thing great.

    Just like Transformers.

    And now, just like Iron Man.

    Well done, team Iron Man.

  35. It was a pretty good popcorn flick. Nothing more IMO. What no one seems to have mentioned, perhaps because they disagree with me, but I thought the last fight was really weak. There was nothing really memorable about it. Perhaps it was because the badguy was kewler outside the suit than inside it. I like him more as an evil business man than a guy that jumps in an ironman suit.
    The escape sequence at the beginning of the movie was the highlight of the entire film. For me, that is kinda disappointing. I’ll rent it and watch the movie until he escapes and then just turn it off next time.

  37. Yes, Iron Man is a very fun ride and enjoyed it immensely.

    A well balanced intro to a superhero and ranks among the best mainly due to Robert Downey Jr’s charismatic performance.

    As for the action that many people gripe about, I don’t have a problem as it blended well in the context of the story. It was just right for me.

  39. Saw it and liked it looootsss!! Didn’t absolutely love it but it definitely was enjoyable and was just a great way to start the summer! Downey is perfect as Stark and the supporting cast was just as good! Had some storyline problems here and there but overall a pure fun popcorn movie!

    The trailer for the DK was awesome! And I so look forward to Heath as the Joker!! Will put Nicholson’s interpretation to shame!

    Was disappointed in the new Indy trailer…hope this does not let down! Waited way to long for this movie!!

    Now let’s look forward to Iron Man 2!!!

  40. I am nodding furiously to the review. Glad you changed your initial impressions of the movie.

    I think Marvel, if they choose to do so, are well on their way to making a successful Avengers movie. Compared to DC’s chances of making a JLA movie without messing things up horribly. The movie versions of Spider-Man and Iron Man actually look like they belong in the same universe. I wish I could say that about Superman Returns and Batman Begins. DC’s movies look more real-worldy to be sure. But that ends up being a handicap.

    And now, here is my one grouse against Iron Man. Why on Earth were the terrorists speaking in Hindi? Serious blotch up. Arabic mixed with Hindi? God help me! Did they just pick up the first translator they could find and realise only too late that he wasn’t too good with Arabic languages but knew Hindi?

    Besides, the part where Raza is talking to Yinsen (and ends up threatening to burn his face) is in Hindi. What’s more? The subtitles are WRONG!

    Seriously, that came really close to destroying my respect for this otherwise masterfully well done comic book adaptation.

  41. this movie was good for an origin movie but i hate those movies cuz they usually lack action.

    @ Phinny

    i think they should have shown MORE manufacturing of the suit AND more action. i mean it was good but when it ended i thought it was missing lots of stuff

  42. Dude, were you even paying attention during the movie? It’s shock full of social commentary against the weapon making industry and yeah that was a very blatant product placement but i’ve seen worse

  43. Oh I forgot to mention there’s a blatant product placement for Burger King in the movie, which, as cynical as I am, still had me wanting to get a Whopper after the movie. After all, if Tony Stark eats them….

  44. It seems the Marvel Comic movie franchise is now moving into the realm of war propaganda what with ‘evil’ Spidey battling the ‘sand monster’ cuz the oil-like substance infected him.

    I thought Iron Man was good but I sat there a bit sickened in the way they totally glorified and hero-ized a weapons manufacturer who gets to bang the only voice of opposition to what he’s doing. I guess we can all feel warm and fuzzy about weapons manufacturers now. Cuz they only blow up the bad guys, heroes that they are.

    As for the movie itself, I’d give it 3 stars, it could have spent a little less time on the manufacturing of the suit and had a few more action sequences.

  45. I really dug this movie but it was very lightweight. Apparently Favreau’s ambition was to treat the franchise in the way Nolan reinvented Batman but the depth just isn;t there – even though there is plenty of scope for a more complex treatment of the subject.

  46. Not to go with the flow or anything, but this film is as good as it gets. Okay, there were issues with why cast Paltrow in a secretary role, why did Jon Favreau spend so much time making a ten minute cameo, most of the cinema were confused by the after credits scene and the shaky cam made me feel slightly woozey. This is nit-picking people.

    This film (for an origin movie) was more than I expected. Downey was spot-on, Bridges was scary in a hug you and get in your face scary way (lots of ex-girlfirends like that).

    If this is the sign of what is to come in summer 2008, I for one am truly excited.

  47. Hmm only an 8.5 out of 10?? I reckon it deserves 9+

    My only gripe with the movie is Gwenyth Paltrow I thought she was awful and looked uncomfortable in that character but then maybe she was meant to play the character that way

  48. Small correction to prior comments:
    F-15 Eagle (not in movie)
    F/A-18 Hornet (not in movie)
    F-22 Raptor (this was the two jets in the movie)

    And just so this comment doesn’t get deleted for being off topic, great freaking movie. I can’t stop talking about it. I’m like a walking spoiler bomb to all my friends that haven’t seen it yet…

    Also I agree with the earlier comment about the review. The 50+ comments after show that it could have used a bit more detail.

    That said, love this site and love all you folks that take the time to write some great observations in these comments. Kudos!

  50. The Good- almost everything. Downey is as perfect as you can get.

    The Bad – the continuing downward spiral of Terence Howard. Hustle and Flow seems like ages ago. If you isolated only his scenes you would pull your hair our how bad he is (I saw this movie twice already and he gets worse believe me). Paltrow missteps every other scene-although it might just be in contrast to how flawless downey is-and jeff bridges-how much do I hate his smug character-and it’s not because he plays it so well. Let’s have a great villain someday huh guys (maybe Heath Ledger’s Joker?)

    Overall-the best super hero film since??? Bale’s Batman? Sure why not. And aleady at least 10 times better than the Tansformers (sorry John)

  51. LOVED IT

    I’m surprised at how varied everyone’s opinion is when it comes to the best superhero movie.

    I think the first X-Men is the best….

  52. “I have my doubts even The Dark Knight can match it.”

    You are joking right John??? I mean, come on, dont compare THE DARK KNIGHT with ironman…

    One is a character based story with a strong cast, it’s a FILM. The other one, is a SFX based story with chessey and “funny” scenes and that’s it.

    One will probably make some money while the other will make zillions, but that will not represent if the film was good or not. And Batman Begins raised the bar and NO comic book adaptation has reached that high so far. Not Iron Man, not Spiderman 3, not Superman Returns and probably not even Hulk.

    The Dark Knight will be a very special film, and if it reaches (at least) the same level of quality BB had, then TDK will be a classic.

  53. One error in your synopsis, the person who helped him in the cave was Yinsen. Raza was the leader of the Ten Rings…an obvious nod to Mandarin who may possibly be the villain of part 2.

  54. “9. ILM will win Next years Oscars, which they should have gotten for Transformers anyways. *You bet your a$$*”

    lol. Hopefully there won’t be another CG polar bear movie. As for Iron Man, it was fantastic. There was enough for comic book fans and was entertaining for those not into the comics. I thought the pacing was great. For me, it never dragged one bit.

    And please, don’t bring up Batman and Robin. Everytime you say that title, a child vomits. Damn, I made a child vomit.

  55. @Darren

    I did LOVE this movie, but just because I loved it doesn’t mean that I’m not allowed to find some faults in some characters. These faults weren’t big enough to destroy how much fun the movie was. I’m not saying that they were utter shit, but I don’t think that they deserve the high praise that they’re getting. That’s all.

  57. I agree with your rating John. I was so hyped up for this film that I’m almost dissapointed, but it’s my own fault for watching every trailer and reading all I could about it before I saw it.

    The lack of more action was ok in my books because what action we saw was of the highest quality. Some movies overdo it, I thought this one was perfect. WARNING SPOILERS BELOW.

    I agree with whoever said that the scene where Stane paralyzes Stark was way too cliche. I wasn’t worried about Stark at all.

    Also, Stane’s monologue at the end from inside the suit almost made me cringe. Like every other movie it gave the hero the crucial time he needed to win the day. I can only assume that it was done this way so that Bridges would have some screen time during the final battle. While I still liked it, I think that the final battle could have been a lot better.

    Maybe if I see it again I’ll feel differently.

  60. john

    yes dude i believe thats exactly what i sayd. he fought the goblin 2ce sandman 2 times venom once and the goblin fought sandman and venom at the end alongside sandman.

    so TO ME it was a good movie and it wasnt a “piece of shit” like john sayd and this website has been all over spiderman 3s balls comparing it to batman and robin while saying that its unfair to compare ironman with the dark knight because their different tipes of movie and thats completely hypocritical

    no offense to tmb btw i totally respect you guys. but its 2 completely different opinions

    and ironman wasnt bad it was good but i just thought it would be alot better and less boring after 2nd half of the movie

  61. @ Jamie,

    You think that SP3 was good because it had a lot of action sequences…???????? The first think that came to my head when i saw the initial fight between the ¨goblin¨ (if you can call him that, the character is not worth the name or any kind of similarity to the villain) and spiderman, was the folloqing ¨GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK!!!!¨. If you based that criteria to every superheroe movie ever made then you musted loved Batman and Robin……….

    @John,

    I dissagree I think the movie had enough action for it to introduced the character. Remember that there is still talks about the sequel, in which I do certainly have my hopes up that is going to be (quoting one of my favorite Marvel Character) Ït´s Clobbering Time¨ for Iron Man and soon to be War Machine…… That sequel should and must have the best action sequence of that Year and since here one of you guys mention Iron Man 2, 2010, it would be a nice way to finish the first decade of this millenium. Going Back to the subject…. (sorry for the off track there)Iron man brought me the same intensity as the first time I watched Spider Man back in 2002? don´t remember quite well.

    Saludos.

  62. The confusion over ILM doing Hulk is that they were behind the 2003 Ang Lee directed film. Not the new film.

    @Kristina:

    Are there two of you walking around? First you imply you liked/loved the film, excited about seeing it for the third time (regardless if someone treats you) and then a few comments down you rip into the supporting characters and the actors.

    1) Paltrow as Potts: I didn’t mind her character. After Stark comes back from his ordeal, he re-asses his life. That includes womanizing. He focuses on the woman he’s taken for granted for X amount of years and attempts to strengthen (or re-ignite) the relationship. I also liked the fact that she wasn’t a whiny, annoyance (like Alba in the FF films or Dunst in Spidey 3) and she wasn’t taken hostage by the lead villain.

    2) Bridges as Obidiah Stine: a disservice before the film opened was that it was said that he would be “a bad guy”. His villainy in the film is fine. He’s not even the main villain. More on that in a moment. His motivations are made clear (money, power and jealousy) and the character isn’t a screaming, over the top lunatic.

    The main “bad guy” of the film, however, isn’t Stine or the terrorists he help supply. It is… Tony Stark himself. That’s why the film had the flashback, Ezell. They show him as a charming, but indifferent character who abuses his knowledge and his life. During the rest of the film he is fighting against his own legacy- including the Iron Monger, a twisted and improved version of his prototype that he used to escape the terrorists in reel one.

    3) Terrence Howard as Rhodes: Served many purposes, but mostly for the fans of the comics. There is a strong hint of him becoming War Machine and set up for such [in fact, there was a moment where I thought Rhodes actually might attempt to put on the silver WM armor right then and there!] I also thought the character was needed during the “mistaken identity” problem with the F-15s.

    Will the real Kristina please stand up?
    Will I have to buy your tix for screening #4?

  63. Ok, I have to be an ass. I gotta ask: wasn’t John the guy who said he’d only write reviews of movies that haven’t already opened? Why only release this now, after its already a 94% on rotten tomatoes? Why not comment on Gwyneth’s acting (which i thought, as Howard’s, was really ok, couldn’t be more than that, or else it would ruin the main story)?
    I dont know man, it sounded like everything I heard out there, with two rather obvious criticisms, and one of them is just to justify not giving it a 9, cause the movie never lost pace. Sorry, didn’t like the review (duh!). Not bold enough.

  64. Yea I think with this movie me and John have the same level of scepticism that turned into a must see kinda movie. However, I will say that Batman Begins is still the best comic book movie ever made. The reason is because it takes ILM to make Iron man look good, where in Batman Begins it was all about story and actors. Also lets not us forget that the story of Tony Stark is pretty clean cut. He did a 180 in the movie from ego rich playboy to superhero in an easy way. In Batman Begins you can see the stages of evolution in Bruce to Batman and how everything leads up to a logical conclusion. Now with The Dark Knight we are getting great acting with great story. More action and chaos thanks to the greatest villian in comics. Will Ironman be better than The Dark Knight? It looks unlikely, Will Ironman make more box office cash? Its possible, but that doesnt matter now does it.

  65. I loved it from start to finish; i don’t think the film brought anything original to the table but being the 17th Marvel movie out of the gate since Blade does put it at a disadvantage in that respect.

    What i loved about the filme apart from what’s already been said is that you were constantly thrilled by every frame the suit was on screen because it was the real thing, it was a real suit, it was something tangible. The action sequences aren’t anything new but they’re more heart pumping than anything in Spider-man 3 because you believe the character is really doing those things, because he isn’t a CGI ragdoll. I think it”s my second favourite Marvel movie to date (it just pips past X2 but Spider-man 2 still has the crown).

    My favourite scene was the test flight at night in the mark 2 suit (a flying sequence more thrilling than anything in Superman Returns). There was one scene which i really disliked however, and that was the scene where the villain uses his paralyzing gadget on Stark and starts monologuing about what he’s done, what he’s going to do and how the hero can do nothing to stop him (while not killing him either). That really is one scene that’s in almost every comic book movie and i think it needs to take a rest. Otherwise though, i had a ball with it.

  66. @Jaye

    from what I seen of the hulk I doubt that they will beat ILM(but its much harder to do hulk in CGI then metal). Anyway good review john.

  67. Good review John.
    Just needed to catch you on something though
    The next Hulk film is not being done by ILM, they were too busy with this and Indiana Jones. Rhythm and Hues (Golden Compass, Alvin and the chipmunks) is doing it instead. It will be interesting if R&H beats ILM again this year at the Oscars.

  68. i thought it was “meh”, and a fairly standard superhero movie. pretty predictable the whole way through. kristina’s assesment above was pretty much exactly my thoughts.

  69. @Patrick

    General Thunderbolt Ross, Betty’s dad, was supposed to be in Iron Man but he wasn’t there. Tony Stark WILL be in Incredible Hulk. The scene has been shown at New York Comic Con, so that one is confirmed.

  72. Iron Man was fucking, fucking GREAT. I gave it an 8.5 as well. With your comment for Dark Knight not being able to match it because the bar was set so high, I think it all depends on your EXPECTATION of the film.

  73. I agree with the review, almost 100%. More action was my only gripe.

    And I might have got this wrong but wasn’t the Hulk supposed to cameo in the film somewhere? And then Iron Man was going to be in The Hulk? Did I miss something?

  75. Hey john you are wrong. Hulk sfx will not be provided by ilm or weta.

    The company that did cgi for first narnia film and golden compass is doing all the CGI for the new hulk movie. You should get your facts right man.

  76. And I didn’t think Jeff Bridges was all that great as the bad guy. He’s a standard bad guy. Anyone who didn’t know he was the baddie based off hs behavior during and after that first press conference must be a little slow. He didn’t do a bad job, but I wasn’t really impressed. Terrence Howard is barely in this movie and in the end, serves no purpose. I mean NONE. Really, in the grand scheme of things, what does he do? Gwyneth lost her spark halfway through the movie. She had a snap-crackle-pop going with Stark in the beginning that I liked, but her acting during that last fight scene was pretty damn atrocious. “Tony! But you’ll DIE!”

  77. I went and saw the movie this afternoon and though it was a pretty good film. The film did keep a certain pace and didn’t really seem to get boring at all, which is a good thing! Plus the effect from ILM & Stan Winston were absolutely amazing, no surprise there.

    Correct me if I’m wrong but ILM didn’t do the effects for The Incredible Hulk, the effects are being handled by Rhythm & Hues. I think that is a real bummer, cause if there was one company to handle the effects, I would certainly want it to be ILM!

    As far as best comic book being made, Superman the Movie still has a special place in my heart for that title. Christopher Reeve was an awesome Superman/Clark Kent!

  78. Ha! We gave it the exact same score!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Oh John, didn’t I tell ya? Didn’t I? I’m going to see it for the third time this weekend with a friend who hasn’t seen it yet, and he’s buying. Woot!

  79. Does the lack of talk about the fact that this was an origin story, mean that it was an example of an origin story done right?

  82. This was a great review I felt very much the same way about the film. I thought it was amazingly well done, the direction was great it had excellent performances a great story and some really exciting action sequences. As well as some of the most seamless CGI I’ve seen in a while. Although I do think Terrence Howard’s role despite the fact that, he turned in a strong performance as Jim Rhodes could have done with a little more character development IMO.

  83. @ john

    i know man i cant believe myself for saying this but i just seriously didnt like it. i was so exited about this movie and i watched it on opening day and everything

    and hey you didnt like spiderman 3 (neither did anyone else) and thats tottally cool but i loved it i thought it was awsome i just thought venom was too small but the rest was amazing TO ME. sm3 had lots of action fighting and a good story and the it has a little twist at the end- idk man i liked it and i could go ahead and agree with everybody else but id rather be honest and say that i loved it

    and im not arguing the whole rotten tomatoes thing- i read like all the ironman comic books and i love ironman but i dont know how to explain it- i just feel so bad. i just did not like it.

    and hell yeah it has a 94% rating its ironman and i LOVE ironman. and i hate to “talk shit” about it cuz i love ironman and it feels horrible but. wasnt good for me.

  84. Hey Jamie,

    Wow man, it’s hard to take you seriously when you suggest that Spider-Man 3 was even “ok”. That pile of shit was the worst film of 2007, and I’d put it just behind Batman and Robin as the worst comic book movie of all time.

    But then again, that is the most beautiful thing about film… the pure subjectivity of it.

    Just so you know, right now Iron Man is the Highest rated film of the year so far according to Rotten Tomatoes. Right now it has an 94% rating.

  85. @ john
    i disagree- i think TDK can be better then this SO EASILY. and i sayd ironman would be #2 behind the hulk but yes. i was wrong. i was DEAD WRONG. and i dont think this movie will ruin other superhero movies or the incredible hulk which happened to show its trailer in the ironman movie and it had more action then the whole movie.

    i can have a movie with no action and a good story but- idk dude ironman just didnt have it

  86. oh maaan

    i feel so empty. it wasnt what i expected, i dont know man the action was there once and the last fight shoulda been better.

    they cut out scenes from the trailer and i dont know man i feel so shitty right now

    john i dont mean to be an ass and i usually agree with you guys but the only good thing about the movie was the part with samuel jackson that leads me to believe the chance of an avengers film

    it had one good action scene and ah man idk it wasnt that great.

    hey dont mean to be a buzzkill guys im sorry its just my opinion.

    id put spiderman 3 over this i mena spiderman 3 was awsome if you dont count his gay dancing.

  89. I can’t wait for part 2. This film rock I don’t think it slow down at all. I just did not like that he lives in LA and not NYC. in this film but this is me just being a fan boy since Iron Man is one of my favorite comic books of all time. I have been reading it for over 24 years now.

  90. I hated the editing choice of Him getting captured then it flashing back that was not needed at all. It did have great acting and was fun. I would give it 8 out of 10.

  92. I wished for a bit more action to, but if one got out a “checklist”:

    1. Villain with motivation? *Check*

    2. Bad Guys who fight dirty? *Check*

    3. Superhero/Supervillain duel? *Check*

    4. Good/great FX that aid, but don’t distract away from the story? *Check*

    Now here’s where stuff gets tricky.

    5. Love interest isn’t a whiny bitch. * Check*

    6. Love interest isn’t kidnapped by bad guys. In fact, in this film, she’s only in the wrong place at the wrong time, is escorted by armed feds (SHIELD) at the time and aids our hero instead of being an crutch *CHECK*

    7. Hero happens to be well-written and comes equpipped with a character arc! *Check*

    8. There is a story involved. Heck, the movie even has social commentary without being overtly political either way *Triple Check*

    9. ILM will win Next years Oscars, which they should have gotten for Transformers anyways. *You bet your a$$*

    10. I agree Downey Jr. has a good shot an Oscar as well. Sure. Why not?

    11. Ang Lee Hulk fighting tanks was alright…Iron Man fighting f-15 Hornets was more exciting. Damn right.

  94. I also loved the fact that the writers didn’t shove a romantic entanglement down our throats. The attraction between Pepper and Tony was tangible but not overly elaborated on.

  96. i feel the same way to about the movie…awesome but wish there was 15 min more ass kicking…but i think they made up for it with

    1. 10 fingers
    2. Terrance howard tapping alt suit* “next time”
    3. SAM JACK FURY!
    4. and just throwing this out there…(Heath Ledger i think will be remembered as the guy who made jack nicholsons role as the joker looked soft….JOKER+LEDGER….LOOKS FRICKEN BRILLIANT IMO

  97. did you just say X2 was the best comic book movie ever made?
    woooow.
    and thats the problem with movie pundits.. they are the ones that ruin movies because they set the bar too high for movies that just want to entertain. thats like saying every movie in the same light as gladiator sucks because gladiator set the bar for them all. no need to compare them, just enjoy whats given and be thankful shit like Epic Movie isn’t being released.
    another thing.. your already pertty much bringing negative connotations into the game when you say batman won’t be good when compared to this. DONT COMPARE IT AND YOU WON;T BE LET DOWN.

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