Stark raving

Even with as busy as I have been, I still managed to keep my yearly tradition (dating back to 1998!) of seeing the first big movie of the summer box office season in its opening weekend. And if the first movie is any indication, we should be in for a great summer. This year has gotten off to a great start (much better than last year with the underwhelming Spider-Man 3), both in terms of quality and financial success (Weekend box office numbers)

And unless you've been trapped by Afghanis in a cave, you'd know that I'm talking about Iron Man. The film, which is latest adaptation of a Marvel comic superhero, is about Tony Stark, playboy weapons developer, who, after being attacked by terrorists using the weapons he created, decides to do something good with his life and destroy the very weapons he made. In order to do so, he creates a special suit and thus becomes Iron Man. And that is about as crude of an explanation of the story's background as you'll ever see.

What clearly makes this film as good as it is, is Robert Downey Jr. playing Stark/Iron Man. He, moreso than any other actor currently portraying a superhero in film, is the perfect embodiment of the comic book character. Not only is he a perfect fit for the role, but he also makes the character really appealing and entertaining. Playing an intelligent, yet sarcastic playboy billionaire could be offputting or too familiar (comparisons to Bruce Wayne/Batman perhaps), but Downey rises above those potential problems and delivers an outstanding performance. It's wonderful to see a guy who's dealt with so many personal problems in his life, finally start to get things together and provide a performance that is likely going to be enjoyed by so many.

Luckily for Downey and the film as a whole, he doesn't have to carry the film on his back, as he is surrounded by a very capable cast of characters. Gwenyth Paltrow plays Stark's dutiful assistant/potential love interest Pepper Potts. I've never been crazy about Paltrow's work, but she's really great here and has some wonderful chemistry with Downey. I'm glad to see they casted someone who was a little bit older and mature, like her, because I think the dynamic would have been off if they would have chosen pretty, young, flavor-of-the-week actress instead.

Rounding out the cast is Terrance Howard as James 'Rhodey' Rhodes who is Stark's friend and military liason and Jeff Bridges, playing Obidiah Stane, Stark's business partner, who clearly doesn't share Stark's newfound oppositional viewpoint on war profiteering. I would have liked to seen more from them (a lot of time is spent solely focusing on Stark and his creation of the Iron Man suit), but in the time that they are given, they provide solid performances.

The film follows a typical origin storyline. While the variables are obviously different, the basic remains familiar here. In addition, the film uses a handful of movie cliches that I could have done without (false drama created through computer download counter, scenes setting up later plot points being hammered home, etc.). The overall sense of familiarity/cliche I think is a result of director Jon Faverau. This is Faverau's first foray into the big budget action flick territory and it is apparent. He doesn't quite have the ability yet to rise above these overused tactics, in the way that Christopher Nolan has. Still these are minor problems with the film and don't really detract from the film's enjoyability.

I mentioned earlier how I felt the Rhodes and Stane characters could have gotten more screentime. The Stane character in particular could have been more fleshed out, I felt. Without spoiling too much, I felt many of his actions needed more explanation. Also, Iron Man's final battle with the film's villain could have gone on longer as well. The film takes its time in having Stark not only design the suit but also perfecting how to use it as well. If it weren't for the fact that those scenes are so damn enjoyable, I might be more critical of the time management issues of the film.

I will say that for as good as the film is, I left the theater not feeling as amped up as I have been seeing that I absolutely loved. And what's bugging me is that I'm not sure why I didn't feel a stronger connection to the film. It could be that the final battle scene wasn't as cathartic as it could have been. It may be that I'm not as familiar with the Iron Man character as I was with other comic book heroes and thus don't have as strong of an emotional attachment to the character. It may have been the people I saw the film with (I ended up going with a bunch of CRDM students). I'm not sure what the explanation is. I can't really pinpoint a major problem with the film, so I don't know why I'm not embracing it more. I'm thinking though that maybe another viewing of the film will hopefully either make me appreciate it more or give me some clarity on a flaw that I'm missing.

Despite, what I'm saying here, I wholeheartedly recommend everyone check out this movie. The film never drags and it provides an excellent balance of action and comedy. The nagging issues I mentioned will not and should not affect your enjoyment of this film. Downey alone makes the film worth the price of admission and I definitely think we have a new comic book franchise on our hands. But we can look to the future at another time, for now, go out and see this movie and pray that everything else this summer will be as good as this.

One final recommendation...please do yourself a favor and stick around past the credits. There is one final additional scene that includes a surprise cameo and is very tantalizing. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Grade: B+