05 May NERDY FOR THIRTY #9: IRON MAN

IRON MAN

dir. John Favreau, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, and Gwenyth Paltrow

Iron Man, the movie that jump started the most successful franchise in Hollywood history and birthed the modern era of the superhero genre, focuses on Tony Stark, a brilliant but emotionally stunted weapons designer who is kidnapped during a presentation in war ravaged Afghanistan. Severely injured by a bomb of his own company’s making, Stark is held captive alongside Ho Yinsen and forced to make weapons for the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Instead, Stark and Yinsen create a suit of metal to help them escape. With Yinsen sacrificing himself in the process, Stark vows to change both his life and his company to help build the world instead of destroying it, incurring the wrath of those within his Stark Industries.

Iron Man is beloved for a number of reasons: Robert Downey Jr is electrifying, the action scenes are well done, and the supporting cast around Downey to include Terrence Howard and Clark Gregg are all great in their own right. Still, the number one reason this movie, going into its 15th year, is still as loved today as it was on its release date is simple: it’s wall-to-wall fun. Setting the tone for everything that would come after it, the blend of action, humor, gravitas, and weighty decisions is all born from the half-assed script director John Favreau crafted magic from. Unfortunately, Iron Man also gave audiences the beginning of a years long problem within the MCU: the Phase One villain. Hardly more than a watery reflection of the hero, the Phase One villain is early and often the most underbaked element of their stories. With the decision to focus more on the hero than the villain (which is mostly understandable, that hero is usually the one the moviegoers are there to see), the continual underdevelopment and discarding of some great Marvel Comics villains was an early hindrance to their storytelling, an issue it took them years to surpass and still seem to falter back to at times in present day.

Starring Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, the movie fully and completely rests on his shoulders. Just as much an origin story for the second half of his career as it is for the MCU’s first superhero, Downey was catapulted into superstardom after this role. Radiating a charm and self-assurance that oozes off the screen, his Tony Stark (genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist) is ripped from the pages of Marvel Comics as one of the best casting decisions in Hollywood history. Here, Downey plays Stark as the consummate know-it-all, until his world caves in (literally) and is forced to reevaluate things and make his new lease on life worthwhile. Downey plays with the vulnerabilities of Stark just as much as his braggadocio nature and manages to nail almost every scene.

Gwenyth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts is the solid rock of the film. Without Pepper, there’s no Iron Man and in this initial outing, Paltrow’s airy, aloof personal secretary to the billionaire man child is handled perfectly. The beginnings of one of the best rocky relationships in the MCU, Paltrow holds her own against Downey during even his most manic moments, managing to return volley on some of his most rapid-fire barrage of quips and deflections.

Also starring Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane/Ironmonger, the movie’s antagonist, Bridges more than lives up to the role, using his size and presence for intimidation and bullying throughout the movie. Power hungry, Stane’s quest to control all of Stark Industries is a weak but all too often realistic motivating factor for the man who kept the company afloat during teenage Tony’s absence after his parent’s deaths. Building the Iron Monger suit, Iron Man follows the well-trod trope of David vs Goliath as Stane dons a bigger, more powerful armor, forcing Tony to be ever-increasingly more inventive during their third act clash. Not without his own charm and friendly aurora, Bridges presents Stane as Tony’s staunchest ally while becoming his worst enemy.

Terreance Howard is also in this film.

Directed by John Favreau in his first big budget outing, Iron Man is even more impressive when it was revealed that they shot parts of the movie with no script. Favreau’s eye for developing characters, first glimpsed in movies like Elf and Made, takes the center stage as Tony Stark is given far more screen time than Iron Man is. Able to balance the development of Stark’s character, installing a hint of romance with Pepper, and large-scale action scenes is handled by Favreau wonderfully.

Overall, Iron Man still remains one of the more beloved movies in the MCU filmography. Thanks in large part to the incredibly talented and charming Robert Downey Jr, as well as the innovations from John Favreau, the initial entry into Hollywood’s most successful franchise works on almost every level. While the villain problem also began here, Jeff Bridges is still charming in his own way as the surly tech giant, a perfect foil for Tony Stark’s nonsense. Great action, great humor, and a fun ride from beginning to end.

Review by Darryl Mansel