I….am….I-RO-N M-A-N!!!!!!!!!

Yep, ol’ Shell-Head hits the big screen at last!!!

Jon Favreau’s rendition of the  Stan Lee-Steve Ditko creation hits the requisite fanboy buttons. You got here Tony Stark, workaholic childhood prodigy turned playboy billionaire (like…is there no other?) who gets an epiphany when he gets shanghaied by the enemy and press-ganged into channeling his mechanical genius to develop a super-weapon for their side.  Next thing you know, his weapon becomes not just his means to bust out of captivity but also a turning point into his transformation to a superhero.    

Clip of classic Iron Man cartoon where he duels with Titanium Man

Early on, Stan Lee envisioned Iron Man along the lines of Batman…an amoral, hedonist sybarite finding a new altruistic calling through a technologically-enhanced alter-ego.  Batman has his utility belt, his Bat-suit and Batmobile…Iron Man, on the other side, has just a suit of armor tricked out in the latest technological innovations of the day.  Just as Superman has his Kryptonite, Iron Man/Tony Stark has a magnetic device attached close to his heart to deflect shrapnel bitsfrom that region.

Faveau thankfully manages to rein in the overwhelming urge to turn this to an FX-fest, focusing on the character metamorphoses of both Stark and Jeff Bridges’s Obadiah Stane, functioning as a Noah Dietrich manque to Stark’s Howard Hughes.  Downey, Bridges and  Gywneth Paltrow (as Pepper Potts, Stark’s ever-patient PA) all shine in their roles. 

Downey’s Stark draws much from his real-life self in his portrayal of Stark, particularly highlighting his vulnerability following his capture as a POW (if things pan out well, maybe Stark’s looming alcoholism will turn up in the sequels, along with SHIELD and the villain Mandarin - the film drops a clue or two especially with the *spoiler* “Ten Rings” reference *spoiler*).  There’s even a touch of Johnny Depp in him as he affectionately interacts with the robotic “waldo” arms in his state-of the-art workshop (complete with 3-D light-pen mice) - among some of the best lighter moments in the film. 

Clip of classic Iron Man cartoon featuring Happy Hogan
(played by director Jon Favreau in the film) and the Mandarin

Bridges’ Stane is no scene-chewing Lex Luthor here, but a professional mentor who manifests his disappointment over Stark’s sudden change of heart (or is it a development of a social conscience) over the raison d’etre of his business; he even throws in a tribute to his Fabulous Baker Boys ivory-tinkling persona in one scene (thankfully, Gwyneth Paltrow’s inevitable Michelle Pfeiffer impersonation could be a bonus scene in the eventual DVD release).   Speaking of Paltrow, I do think her Pepper Potts character, along with that of Terrence Howard’s Jim Rhodes, seem to be underwritten; hopefully, sequels can see their roles blossoming into their own (particularly that of Rhodes). 

Clip of classic Iron Man cartoon where goes metal toe-to-metal
toe with (then-Soviet) Russia’s Crimson Dynamo - dig the Cold
War-vintage rhetoric!!!!

The script manages to update Shell-Head’s origins thoroughly, from the then-communist Vietnam of the Cold War era to the Afghanistan of the really recent past.  There are - thankfully - no lengthy extrapolations re the psychological changes that take place during the film, none that could possibly bog down the break-neck momentum of the plot.   

Couldn’t help but notice that the film was given a G rating in local theaters, given the hypnotic pull that comic-book superheroes have on Pinoy moviegoers.  There were kids tagged along by their parents enjoying the flick…but just how does parents justify Tony Stark’s boozing and skirt-chasing (in one scene, Stark gets to bed a Vanity Fair reporter played by “Talladega Nights”’s Leslie Bibb) to their children?  Then again, Joseph “Erap” Estrada loved his wine and women, but that did not stop him from being elected President of the Philippines.

Product placements are a-plenty here, but not as blatant as those in the last (dreadful) Fantastic Four flick.  The CGI, thankfully, do not appear to run wild all over this film, with bonus points for showing restraint (particularly during the showdown between Stark’s Iron Man Mk 3 and Stane’s modified Mk 1 armor (which somewhat reminded me of King Kong).  Nice touch, though, in using Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” in the film. 

Fanboys would surely be pleased with this latest screen adaptation appearing to be hitting the right buttons (yep, can’t resist that Stan Lee cameo appearance) and holding back at the right moments, getting audiences wanting for more….

Movie reviews
movies