IMDB pageTrailerIron Man is yet another comic adaptation in a long line of big budget features to hit in the past few years. This one, however, stands out as one of the good ones.
Director Jon Favreau has quickly become more and more skilled as a director over the course of just four feature films at the helm. Though not perfect, it was quite a brilliant adaptation, from direction to casting to script (which just smacked of Favreau, though he did not receive a credit). I think he will do even better with Iron Man 2 (This weekend should cement the chances of a sequel).
Robert Downey Jr. plays lead Tony Stark. I do remember when first hearing the news...well, to say I was skeptical would be kind. But, seeing the footage at ComiCon last year quickly convinced me he was the perfect choice. What an impeccable acting job. He more than captured the character. He brought him to life and gave him depth lacking from the comic. I would very much like to see how this character evolves over future films (I'm really hopeful for a second and third film).
I was not a fan of everyone's portrayal of their characters (which may fall also on the script). But, I don't think anyone did a horrible job either.
The script was well written. Their was plenty of action and humor to balance things. It moved at a quick pace that made the film feel shorter than it's two-hour-plus running time. The ending was pretty typical, I thought. I'm not sure what could have been done differently, but it didn't blow me away.
A friend suggested the villains both having excessively large rings that they continued to play with suggested a connection to the Mandarin. I dismissed it, but their could be something there, I suppose. He is a logical choice for a villain in a future film, and it would serve as some smart and subtle groundwork for that villain. I'm not convinced, but I like the idea.
Effects were handled by Stan Winston Studios and ILM, with the former working more on the practical effects and the latter on the digital stuff. I think both companies did great work on this film and did a great job working together to make the transitions seamless.
I really hope they pack the eventual DVD with tons of special features. I'd love to see as much about how they put this thing together as possible.
All in all, a fantastic film. It reminded me of adventure films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, which has been sorely missing from theaters.
This is one that you should definitely see on the big screen.
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