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My review of the film Iron Man
Copyright © 2008 by Zack Smith,
All rights reserved.

Acting: *****
Plot: ****
Story: *****
Dialog: ****
Direction: *****

When Iron Man was released, people swarmed into the theaters to see it. It was called the blockbuster of the summer before summer had really even begun. And it is a great film.

Robert Downey Jr. played the protagonist and ladies' man Tony Stark. Reviewers have remarked that he was the perfect fit for the role because Downey is a bit of a playboy in real life. This matters not, given the result. He played the part perfectly.

With any adaptation of a comic book series, there is always the risk of making any of an array of common mistakes: Excessive special effects, excessive muscles, cardboard characters, corny dumbed-down lines et cetera.

Luckily, as has been the case with Marvel Comics adaptations as of late, Iron Man was done tastefully:

  • Special effects for this film were not excessive, nor were the muscles.
  • The dialog, while a bit too witty and clicheic, seemed true to the comic book and Starks lines were not unlike the quotes one reads of Internet-bubble millionaires and other rich egotists.
  • Both Downey and Jeff Bridges (playing his nemesis Obadiah) are character actors. They are accustomed to acting with some depth. If there was a risk of cardboard characters, the actors solved that problem.

Note, if you've never encountered the Iron Man comics, you're not missing anything with the movie. The film stands on its own. It is a must-see.

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