Iron Man: a Refreshingly Anti-Cliché Summer Blockbuster

As is the case with any newly-released movie that I am keyed up to see, I simply must be among the first to view it. So tonight I trudged to the theater alone to watch the very first showing of Iron Man (yes, I found a theater that decided to air it on Thursday rather than on it's official Friday release date). My theater searching diligence was worth it. Iron Man is a wildly entertaining summer hit with fantastic special effects, engaging characters and a likable plot. The best part though is how the film stares the typical superhero movie cliché in the eye and spits in it: all the better for the audience.

Incontrovertibly, the actors play a huge part in the success of this film. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as the charming, brilliant, self-absorbed Tony Stark. He plays his Stark character like a master violinist plays a Stradivarius. He takes the audience through the ups and downs of the composition, giving us the unexpected while entertaining us all the same. At the end, we're begging for more. As an extra bonus, I can't remember when Downey ever looked so good. His rippling biceps and perfectly manscaped facial hair belies his notoriously drug-filed past. Apart from everything else, I immensely enjoyed the eye candy. But I digress. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard also play their characters to a T. Each brings an added dimension to the film, and makes the movie-going experience that much more enjoyable.

Furthermore, the movie is accessible and relatable to the times in which we live. By introducing elements of the war on terror, the film has an intriguing air of plausibility. Iron Man engages viewers and makes the audience (or at least those of us in the audience who are unfamiliar with comic books) forget that the film is actually based on a comic book: a medium most people associate with the fantastic and unbelievable. Iron Man's timeliness and its seemingly plausible plot make it even more satisfying.

Iron Man is a real gem, however, because it intentionally spurns superhero movie clichés. There are no upside-down kisses in the rain, no one saves the girl from plummeting hundreds of feet to her death from a tall building, and the hero is not really a superhero at all but just a regular guy who becomes dedicated to doing some good in the world.

Iron Man dangles the cliché moments in front of the audience. It tantalizes us with things like the oh-so-inevitable kiss between the hero and the girl, but then rips it away with perfect ease and spot-on comedic timing. In addition to the fine acting talent (and I don't even have to mention the special effects, which of course are amazing), Iron Man's anti-clichés are what make the movie memorable. For once a summer blockbuster movie gives us the unexpected. Maybe not in a grand sense - good still triumphs over evil - but in progression of the movie itself. Unlike so many other summer blockbuster hits that have come before it, Iron Man is actually original, entertaining and assuredly anti-cliché. Iron Man should serve as the new gold standard for superhero , or rather any action, film. So take that Spider-Man. You can keep your cliches, but for those of us who prefer originality, Iron Man wins out.