Iron Man

Two years later, but yes, I've now seen Iron Man. There is no point in accusing the film of having a clichéd story - it won me over with the main character played by Downey. A sarcastic playboy, with a sense of dry humor and, in the second half of the film also a sense of justice, is great. Not as much as, say, Hellboy, but he is great. Perfect are the scenes between his Stark and Potts' Gwyneth Paltrow, when the screen sparkled, some might say too much. Add to that great effects and action scenes (the trip to Afghanistan and the return with the YF-22 Raptor lead the way) and a more or less standard (but decent for a villain) Jeff Bridges, who looks REALLY good... I'm giving it four pure stars. (07/20/2010)

Iron Man isn’t any dumb B-movie, but it lags a good couple of miles behind being a quality movie. The screenplay aren’t so awful, the genre, but the dialogs are simply terrible. I’m not expecting a second Shakespeare from this uncomplicated popcorn movie, but this is really too much. Some tongue in cheek could have saved it. But somehow they forgot about that option and all we get is a couple of family jokes, which just don’t do it. We get no proper action, effects don’t count (but aren’t bad, come to think of it) and so the whole thing rests on the wide shoulders of a “Rambo-like" Downey who operates more with his charisma than doing any acting (and basically he just plays himself anyhow). However, his charisma is so enormous that it manages to carry the whole movie from start to finish. As for Iron Man becoming a timeless classic like the Black Sabbath “version", or even a flagship of the genre, it’s unthinkable, although with a little imagination you can picture it happening. Someday. (05/04/2008)

A film for boys who still want to and can play. The villain is ruthless, the friend loyal, the secretary kind and faithful, and we all know where it's all heading. But this is exactly what I wanted and I got it served up so quickly and humorously that I hold my breath at the thought of a sequel. Moreover, Downey seems to have been born in a massive suit, and his lines, jeers, or subtle compliments to Pepper are exactly the kind of glosses that everyone wants to conjure up at some point, just a little late to the party. He's an incredible rich man who can fly and have the most beautiful girls. And I wish him all that, I don't envy him, and I am only fervently rooting for him. (05/31/2008)

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Without him, this film would really be just routine scrap metal, but thanks to Downey, Gwynneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges, it's a surprisingly catchy and likeable film. Of course, it's hard not to see Favreau et al. behind Downey with all those action scenes that lack decent ideas. Nevertheless, except for the ending, I had more fun with this stupid thing than I have had for a long time. Marvel should perhaps find better directors and better screenplays, but even the first X-Men feels a bit cumbersome... I’m happy to wait for Stark's next arrival. (05/04/2008)

Robert Downey Jr. is a dude. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. I couldn’t imagine anybody else in this role. His charisma and wisecracks give the picture style and, without him, Iron Man would be half-assed and definitely a lot less entertaining. Favreau takes the entire movie in the right direction (no wonder, because it was him who got Downey involved in the project), not so serious, slightly fateful and also true to the comic book. The action scenes from ILM also worked really well, even though the battle sequence was Stark’s escape from captivity, which involved a minimum of special effects. Personally, for me Iron Man has greater magic than my former favorite Spider-Man, and that’s saying something. P.S.: The post-credits scene with the allusion to the Avengers is magical. (05/19/2008)