Ironman review

#MarvelMovieChallenge

#RoadToInfinityWar

If you regularly keep up to date with Marvel news and you have access to the internet I’m sure you’ll have come across these two hashtags already. I’ve seen it in a few places so I’m not sure if the challenge was put out there by Marvel or someone else but it’s a good one

The challenge is simple, from the start of the year you watch one of the now 18 marvel movies every week and by the then May release date for infinity was you would have seen them all. This includes Black Panther as well, although now that infinity war has been moved up to April I imagine people will need to watch more than one a week

I’m starting this super late so my plan is to watch multiple marvel films per week until April. Wish me luck 😄

So on to Ironman…..

This was the film that kicked off the marvel universe and technically the litmus test to see if the world was ready for marvel heroes (that weren’t Sony’s Spiderman) on the big screen. It’s the story of “mild mannered” Tony Stark as he went on a personal journey from being a selfish, self-centred warmonger to being a better man. He also becomes a super hero along the way

This is a typical origin story that everyone is now tired of but at the time there weren’t too many of these around (Think The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk and the Sam Raimi Spiderman films). Tony’s life went one way before, he then has a big life changing event that makes him different and then has to fight off an antagonist from his old way of life

It’s a very solid story and a good introduction to the world of Tony Stark for those who don’t know. It gives introductions to the important characters and teases developments for others well and also sets the tone and rules for future ironman films as well as the wider universe. Speaking of which, we get our first direct hint at a universe with the introduction of members of S.H.I.E.L.D which was a nice twist/shock. If there was a gripe it would be that the story was just your standard “I’m a bad guy, now I’m a good guy with abilities” story line which doesn’t allow for much complexity with the story or characters, but it gets a pass as ironman was technically the first

The animation and graphics are pretty good, at least for the time. Re-watching it this time I found there were a few sections that really took me out of the film as the CGI just didn’t fit the seen. However for the most part it worked. Instill think the film holds up very well 10 years later. It also helps that he didn’t spend too much time in the suit so it wasnt so jarring when the CGI looked wonky

The supporting cast did a great job in this film. Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) as the stern chauffeur/assistant/bodyguard, Pepper Pots (Gweneth Paltrow) as the…I guess main assistant? Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) as the family friend turn villain, James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes as the best friend/decorated military pilot (Terrance Howard). There are others but these are the main supporting cast. I think they all did well but in hindsight I do feel Don Cheadle is a better Rhodey. Terrance Howard was a bit too serious and stern in my opinion. I don’t know too much about Rhodey from the comics but sure he wasn’t that serious all the time? Don Cheadle brings the fun and warm side of Rhodey to the surface in the following ironman films, something that was lacking from Terrance’s performance

Jeff bridges was a great comic book villain, not too much else to say. When I say comic book villain I do mean that he had no development or growth and just did what he did because he wanted all the moneys. So very comic book villain like, at least the comic books of the like silver/golden age. Pepper Pots provided a nice contrast to Tony’s self-centred craziness. She was very supportive always thinking about him, willing to get involved to help him at risk to herself. You could easily argue that she was a big part of whatever made him change his ways and I think he would agree

I give Ironman a solid 7/10. It had a lot riding on its shoulders and it delivered in a big way and now 10 years later we have 18 films and one of the most ambitious ensemble production probably in movie history around the corner. Ironman holds up well and I feel it will be enjoyed for many years to come

Thanks for reading, see ya around