ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Bob's afternoon guy, John Nene, with a review.
Iron Man; PG-13
Ahhh, springtime. Like clockwork, the sun shines, the flowers bloom and the first superhero movie of the season arrives in theaters. A quick note to Batman and the Hulk: you guys had better step up your game this summer because Iron Man has set the bar pretty high.
With the first frame, we’re thrust into the world of Tony Stark, billionaire playboy-slash-brilliant inventor who’s also the heir of Stark Industries, one of the leading manufacturers of military defense weaponry. Picture a slightly more well-adjusted Howard Hughes for the 21st century.
Now, any superhero worth his salt needs a good, old-fashioned near-death experience to kick him in the tights and here, the action starts with Afghani terrorists kidnapping the fast-talking Stark and forcing him to build weapons for them. Genius that he is, however, he instead builds himself a suit of armor to escape. Once back at home and sporting a new perspective on his life, Tony Stark devotes his time to streamlining the suit and using his company’s weaponry for good.
There’s a lot of praise deserved for Iron Man and I guess the best place to start is at the top. This is the first movie produced and funded by Marvel Studios and they couldn’t have hired a better director than Jon Favreau. He brings a real respect for the material but doesn’t take it so seriously that it’s not fun. In fact, he manages to make it extremely fun, especially the smaller scenes that feature the rapid-fire banter between Tony Stark and his loyal assistant, Pepper Potts.
And speaking of the characters, Favreau did a masterful job of filling the roles. Robert Downey Jr. is spot on as the suave, funny, and intense Tony Stark and his scenes with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts are witty, snappy and make the movie feel like a modern-day version of the great romantic comedies from the 40s. Throw in strong performances from a freshly-shorn Jeff Bridges as the heavy and Terence Howard as Tony’s pal and you’ve got a recipe for a wonderful kick-off to the summer movie season.
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