Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition)

For general entertainment this is a very good choice. It has none of the edge of say, Dark Knight, but it has humor, and strikes a good balance between fantasy and taking itself (too) seriously. The planned sequels are probably 3 deep, but there always room for this kind of fun.

Perhaps I heard too much praise for this movie from others before I watched it, but it did not live up to my expectations.

While the action scenes were great, the rest of the movie was often slow. The ending action sequence was disappointing. It was action for the sake of action and didn't quite work. My husband and I laughed, not in a good way, at the action scenes in the end and earlier when Pepper Potts helped Tony Stark change the device in his chest. Talk about cheesy.

Robert Downey Jr was awesome. Jeff Bridges, until the end, which I already mentioned was very good too.

Terrance Howard's and Gwyneth Paltrow's characters could have been played by just about anyone. They both have talent but were not used effectively. Gwyneth was treated more like a Bond girl but one with no charisma. Terrance's character was bland. Gwyneth's was too cold and unapproachable. All she seemed to do was to walk around in tight dresses with big high heels. Boring. There was a glimmer of a good actress in there but as played, they could have substituted any model for her role.

Iron Man and Ray Stark are new to me. I am not a comic book or fantasy fan. However, I enjoyed this film tremendously. The plot though thin, rang true and the superhero is expected to do some real acting. Though his feats are amazing, it is the scenery, his soul and the people supporting him that make this film so good.

Robert Downey, Jr plays Ray Stark, he owns a company that makes and sells high tech weaponry. At the moment he is in Afghanistan showing off his weaponry, when his group is attacked. He spends the next three months building a suit to protect his new heart and himself. In the process he escapes and comes back to to life in California. Iron Man has a great cast of characters- Terrence Howard, as the military man, Gwyneth Paltrow as his girl Friday and Jeff Bridges as his accomplice in the company- Bridges really wears black. Needless to say the plot thickens and Iron Man goes on to build a new suit to defend his newly found ethical behavior and save the day.

Save the day, he does- Robert Downy Jr is a first rate actor with emotional liability and he is the Iron Man. The other actors are also first rate and this is the film of the past year, IMO.

There is a shocking revelation and the hardware is impressive. This is a fun film for all. The computer aided visuals are impressive and Iron Man, well he has Soul!

Highly Recommended. prisrob 01-02-09

Chaplin (15th Anniversary Edition)

So first we had X-men, then Spiderman and afterwards other countless Marvel Comic adaptations that were either majorly or moderately successful. But what do we have to expect for Iron Man, does it live up to the expectations of the fans, does it match up Spidey or X-men? Honestly it does; this adaptation proves that the comic book genre can still bring a character from the pages of a comic and yet maintain it fresh and new to a vast broad audience.

In this first and clever adaptation of "Iron Man" we have Tony Stark, A genius and ambitious weapons business man who finds himself after being captured by Terrorist. These terrorist have weapons built and designed by Stark; they need Stark's help to build a super intelligent missile known as "the Jericho". In his attempt to create this weapon Stark creates a better and more efficient weapon...obviously Iron Man.

The movie is a popcorn flick above all, it does however mange to create a very well crafted origin storyline; maybe not on the level of Batman Begins or Superman: The Movie, but it still brings in a good transition of how Stark finds his true destiny and purpose. The effects for the film are stupendous all the way. The only problem I found with the movie was 2 things. One the later half of the movie changed from what seemed to be a serious comic book movie, into an adrenaline fueled action extravaganza. Sure action is cool, but the way the ending was placed with him fighting the other Iron Man...it felt sort of silly; As if the ending was just a filler to have Iron Man facing someone for the hell of using more effects and having the audience feel the use of the 135 million dollar budget for the film. Above all this the movie is still a triumphant adaptation; the majority of the characters are superb in their acting. Downey Jr excels marvously as Tony Stark/Iron Man, and it's a great movie to watch with the family...I think. Anyways a must own by fans of the genre or new comers.

MY PERSONAL RATING: 3 ½ OUT OF 5

Seeing this on the heels of watching the new James Bond Quantum of Solace and the re-make of the Day The Earth Stood Still (two huge disappointments) Iron Man was a very pleasant surprise. The film had plot, acting, dialogue, direction, special effects, humor - what a concept, maybe this type of film making could catch on in Hollywood. What do you think? I'm already anxious for the sequel. Weak spots - not too many, perhaps Jeff Bridges characters motivation. But that's nit picking.