Review: Iron Man

-Editor's Note, I initially wrote this review, unaware that Shandeaux had also begun work on one, as he is more a film expert than I, I would recommend his before mine...but this was written, so go ahead and read it. Don't judge me, the Bible says not to-

I was recently given the opportunity to attend a pre-release of Iron Man, so I'm pleased to say that for once I can provide you with a review that is available to you the weekend the game/movie is released. 

Now I know what most everyone is thinking I've seen so many Superhero movies and walked away disgusted, is it really worth dragging my lazy self to see it when I have GTA IV at home? Short answer: yes, yes it is. Don't misinterpret my words and assume I am not a fan of ol' Liberty City. I just don't think it should monopolize your entertainment time this weekend. The Superhero genre, has rapidly become just that, a genre. It used to just fit snugly into action, back in the days of Christopher Reeve. Like any genre, there are the bad ones: Catwoman, Elektra, there are the good ones: Spiderman, X Men, and of course they are the excellent ones: Batman Begins. Iron Man fits snugly into the middle, but has a slight edge above the average superhero movie.

That edge is better known as Mr. Roberty Downey Jr. Now, I was a comic book reader, but never really touched Iron Man, but from what I've been told, Stark is portrayed  very accurately. Tony Stark seems to be the character Downey was made to play. I wouldn't even say it's great acting really, it's just who he is.  Tony Stark is that billionaire, bachelor, inventor, that we all like to pretend we are at parties. He's that combination of genius and suave, that sadly does not really exist in a human, and can only be shown in movies. I was really afraid that the previews would be the achilles heel for this movie, as they often are for anything with comedy. Once you've seen the three funny parts and laughed, there is nothing left to the movie. Well that's not really the case. A lot of Downey's cleverly written dialogue is shown in the previews, but so much that it ruins my opinion of the movie. These clever little additions are what makes this movie a cut above the rest. 

Supporting roles are decent, but vastly overshadowed by Downey. I have never understand any level of fascination in Gywneth Paltrow, I just have never really found her very attractive. But looks are not actually necessary for acting(in fact, its my personal theory, that the hotter the actress, the less the acting ability.) Paltrow compliments Downey well as his assistant Pepper Potts, doesn't sound comic-booky at all does it? Jeff "the dude" Bridges( puts in a fine performance as the sneaky villain Obadiah Stone(again, comics were made in the 80s), as strange as it is to see him out of a bath robe and slippers.  This is the first I've seen of Terence Howard who plays Stark's Army liaison, and I'm guessing his sidekick in some sequel. 

Marvel is shooting out these superhero movies like a pregnant irish woman, and they tend to be hit or miss. Some stories are just not meant to be on the big screen, and I really though Iron Man was one that would fail. But it is saved in form of Tony Stark. A last word to the wise, don't go expecting non-stop action, this is an origin movie, so it spends most of it's time setting up to that first real test of his abilities, which of course is the end of the movie. This shouldn't be seen as a bad thing, but you should also be prepared.

Rating: 8/10