Movie Review: Iron Man (2008)

I will admit that last summer's offering of sequels and 'threequels' (Spiderman 3, Pirates 3, Shrek 3) left me cold and unsatisfied as to what popcorn movies are supposed to be about. Instead of seeing something fresh and exciting, last summer all we received were rehashes that treaded over the same ground. However, if the May release of Iron Man is any indication, 2008 is shaping up to be a much stronger season for entertainment.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, one of the most successful weapons dealers in the world, who is captured by a group of terrorists on a business trip to Afghanistan. The scenes that constitute the first act prove to be a bizarre mixture of the superhero origin story alongside the modern day images of terrorist groups that are seen in the news and media. As strange as it sounds, it's a refreshing mix that lends some legitimacy to the kind of evil that will be faced as well as an ongoing theme of Iron Man.

In addition to being a hugely successful business man, Tony Stark also happens to be a brilliant engineer. When his captives want him to build a destructive weapon, Stark retaliates by building a mechanized suit that serves as the Iron Man prototype. Having built the ultimate weapon for himself, he frees himself and returns to his life wishing to drop his previous interest of weapons development. But his means of escape introduces a new problem; by creating a weapon to fight for good, it's inevitable that the same exact weapon can be used for evil. This conundrum is raised many times in Iron Man and parallels are drawn to moral dilemmas involving modern warfare.

Don't let the heavy subject matter scare you off though - Iron Man is primarily an entertaining ride that mixes several elements together, especially weaving in humor to the point that superhero movies rarely see. Director Jon Favreau (Made, Elf) uses what he learned from the early wordplay comedies he starred in and incorporates some smart humor into the action. The audience is given a blend of intelligence and wit that normally isn't a requirement of the genre, and the result is very refreshing.

As an origins story, Iron Man must revisit many scenes we have seen before. Tony Stark goes through the obligatory transformation and training to become the superhero we expect him to be by the movie's final fight. There are some clever techniques that avoid the typical getting-stronger-montage and Robert Downey Jr.'s energy gives everything an original feel. Importantly, Iron Man reminds the audience why origin stories are so fun. Watching the flawed, average main character mature into a hero is engaging, and Iron Man lets us forget about reality for two hours and reminds us of childhoods spent pondering how cool it would be to live as a superhero.

When a movie reaches that level of escapism and entertainment, it should always be commended instead of dismissed. Iron Man, handled under a talented director and talented cast (I didn't even get to the inclusion of Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, or Gwyneth Paltrow) manages to set the bar high for this year's summer movie season. Movie studios normally think that audiences want mindless popcorn flicks, but audiences really crave popcorn flicks with genuine story, genuine action, and genuine humor. Iron Man wraps all of these ingredients into an engaging final product. For one of the few times in my life, I am excited for summer movies.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5