‘Iron Man’ breaks out on the big screen
By Jack Huang
I wouldn’t call myself a giant comic fan, (something about men in tights who never reveal their true identity beneath their flamboyant costumes just turns me off) but I would still classify myself as a devotee of the Marvel Universe. Thus, I decided to witness the midnight premier of this month’s newest superhero blockbuster, “Ironman.” Without sacrificing the latter contents of this review, I am assured to qualify this movie as a satisfying and unique brand of superhero movie that made me leave the theatre with a wide grin.
I must admit I wasn’t looking forward to seeing this movie and I was mostly goaded by my (many) fanboy friends. OK, truth be told, the man behind the iron suit (Tony Stark) is not a popular character these days in the United States, after he accidentally murdered Captain America, then became drunk, ultraconservative and proceeded to ruin the entire Marvel “Civil War” storyline. But enough of the exclusive background lore that nerds excel, let’s focus on the movie.
The movie introduces Stark’s character rather effortlessly, so any newcomers into the lore of Ironman will comprehend the protagonist smoothly within the first five minutes of the story.
This is largely due to the suave and charismatic performance of Robert Downey Jr., the lead and Ironman of the movie. Throughout the scenes, Downey’s wit, clever rebuffs and engaging charm reflected a Tony Stark that radiated his essential playboy characteristics while seamlessly conveying an intimate and deep struggle that is larger than life and appropriately hero-like. It’s in those scenes that a personal (and believable) perspective is formed, as we see him turn against his former weapon manufacturing occupation, and owning up to his ignorant mistakes, while he tries to protect the people he has unintentionally harmed through his weapons deals.
Fans who had always compared the erie similarities between Ironman and Batman’s hero-billionaire characteristics will also be pleased with this movie, since Stark’s character departs from the selfless vindicator-hero Batman thrives on being. Stark is introduced as a semi-villain that recognizes a real mistake that is plaguing the modern world and becomes a hero in order to fight injustice and the unbalanced forces that seeks to control the world through weapons.
The majority of the movie is innovative in the superhero genre as most of it combines high-tech action with impressive explosions. The action (and some performances by the minor characters), however, dwindles near the end. But don’t worry, the movie ends on a surprisingly unexpected note.
That’s the most I can reveal to you about this movie, which has brought satisfied feedback from the various parts of the theatre, including fans and newcomers. If you are looking for the first of this summer’s quality movies, start with this one (preferably paired with “Forbidden Kingdom”) and make sure you stay until the end of the credits to see the explosive extras.
Photo provided by Paramount Pictures
