Review of the 2008 film ‘Iron Man’

I enjoy superhero movies slightly less than the next girl. The original breed I found slightly too cheesy or too camp. I never liked Superman, in any of his incarnations. I never read any of the numerous comics, either, though I have heard a lot about them from friends, and I have to say I was never overly enthused.

But recently, the film industry seems to be getting it right. The X-men, Batman Begins, Spiderman… all of these took the superhero concept and made it inspiring, reworking the genre until it became a new form of fantasy. They have (mostly) ignored the camp 80’s concept of the lycra-clad well-muscled squeaky-clean protagonist, introducing levels of ambiguity that make the lead roles darker and much more interesting.

Iron Man is another example of the film industry getting it right. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), genius and director of Stark Industries, essentially an American weapons production company, is kidnapped and held by terrorists, who want him to produce an example of his latest deadly weapon. Locked in a cell, with the supplies he needs to make the weapon and one helper, he works… but not on the weapon. His escape attempt involves an iron suit, armed and virtually impervious to bullets.

Then Tony Stark goes home, to a place that has access to far better equipment…

The film starts with an engaging scene, in one go introducing character and conflict, whilst paving the way for the rest of the first act. From there on, there is a good balance of action, drama and emotional content. The inevitable Hollywood romance is quiet and understated. The main character is likeable as a protagonist, while still being believable as the rather immature director of a company that primarily produces weapons, and the character development is well acted and well filmed.

As a superhero, Iron Man is a very interesting take on the traditional element: similar to batman in that he is a rich man with resources, rather than an alien or mutant, but the emphasis is on his suit, rather than gadgetry and martial arts. The character of Stark, inside the suit, reacts as many people would if they realised they could fly, and his attitude to becoming a superhero is much more human and light-hearted than the great-power-and-great-responsibility style.

This film is not perfect, in some silly ways: g-forces are often completely ignored, and the revelatory scene where Stark discovers a new way of using his suit makes the viewer wonder what he’d originally intended it for… The antagonist, too, is a major down-point, because he errs on the side of stereotypical and in dealing with this antagonist, Stark makes some rookie mistakes that most ten-year-olds would question.

But these things can all be forgiven in an action film, even if they would be ridiculous in any other medium. What matters is the entertainment value, and this film contains that in great supply.

And be sure to watch until after the credits for the near-traditional sequel pitch.