Iron Man (2008)

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: This Summer: Heroes Aren't Born, They're Built.

Plot: When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.



My Rating: 8/10

Would I watch it again? Does the pope wear a funny hat?

Marvel kicked me in the balls...and I took it and liked it. Everybody's seen this so there's no need for too many details. I can't think of a single thing I didn't like about IRON MAN. The casting was great. Downey was hysterical and his portrayal of a disillusioned billionaire was spot on. And I should know because I've know a few disillusioned billionaires in my day. It was also awesome to see Jeff Bridges play a bad guy for a change.


The subject matter was treated with respect by everyone involved and it shows. You take a good script with GREAT actors, a director with a reverent vision and a studio to back them all up 100% and you get IRON MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and THE DARK KNIGHT. WOW! What a great summer for movies this has been!!!

The special effects were great. I really like how we got to see Tony Stark's failed attempts at making his Iron Man outfit and gadets. The story was fun and the action was just enough. A lot of people have bitched about how there wasn't enough action. Shit, the movie's over two hours long. How much is enough? It seemed just right to me. Sure, I would have liked and taken more but I'm satisfied. I left the film just knowing that they're really going to ratchet things up for the next one. This is the origin story. The next one doesn't have to burden itself with explaining the "why". Now we're going to get some grade-A asskickery.

I LOVED that Samuel L. Jackson shows up after the credits and introduces himself to Stark, giving us a little taste for what's coming up with THE AVENGERS movie that's in the works for 2011. That'll feature Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, with the latter two having their movies out over the next two summers.

Now that Marvel has their own movie studio and are doing their properties the way they want to, they are proving themselves left and right - first with IRON MAN and then with THE INCREDIBLE HULK. Hopefully, they'll be getting control of Spider-Man and The X-Men soon so they can right those wrongs.


It just dawned on me the one issue I have with IRON MAN. When Stark makes it back to the US after being in captivity, one of the things he wants is a cheeseburger. So his people get him a Burger King cheeseburger. WHAT THE FUCK? Of all the fucking places to get a burger from - ESPECIALLY in Southern California with its abundance of GREAT burger joints - they get him a burger from BK? I don't fucking think so. The only reason it exists is for product placement. It's disgusting. That's the only think I can find wrong with the picture and I've seen it twice. I guess it could be worse. He could have gotten McDonald's instead.