Entertainment
hits with an Iron fist
Cynics might say Marvel Comics have a lot to answer
for, half the clones of Superman now saving the planet in Tinsel
Town are from their stable; 
X-Men, Spider-Man and The Hulk among them. Their latest super
hero to hit the big screen is a man made creation, initially from
a pile of old junk and the brain power of Tony Stark, a sort of
modern day Howard Hughes crossed with Thomas Edison. In Iron
Man, Ned Kelly meets Superman, an invincible man in steel
armour developed using advanced scientific techniques that boggle
the mind of mere mortals.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) CEO of a huge weapons
manufacturer started by his father, is kidnapped by insurgents
in Afghanistan. While imprisoned the resourceful Tony manages
to create from the junk remains of a bomb, a suit of steel which
he can animate from within. Just right under the very eyes of
his captors who are as thick as two posts. He could have assembled
a jet liner and they’d not know the difference. It’s
all the logic of a comic (i.e. a novel on speed). But we accept
this and Stark after demolishing the insurgents is finally restored
to his company in USA.
Realising American soldiers are being killed by
his own products, he wants out of the armaments business. For
some undefined reason (presumably to save the world if needed)
Stark sets about improving on the rough prototype to become -
hurrah - IRON MAN ! Stark’s aided in his new mission by
his PA the lovely Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Some entertaining
scenes verge on slapstick as Stark attempts to fly his new prototype
suit with unexpected results.
However lurking around is Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges)
the nefarious partner who takes control the firm and has been
flogging bombs to the baddies on the quiet. Obadiah (what a great
name) sets out to make an even bigger version of the humongous
flying man. Naturally a battle of the Titans is coming up in act
three.
The
film has been cast with inspiration. Worldly worn mid life crisis
Robert Downey Jr. (Zodiac) turns out to be an ideal choice
as the beleaguered hero, with lissome Gwyneth Paltrow (Infamous)
looking her best tripping through the adventure in Versace and
high heels. Jeff Bridges (A Dog Year) also suitably devious
as the villain of the piece, you’ll check twice to spot
him with his new bald head.
Slick dialogue tailored well to the characters helps
the plot and the action move along a neat pace. There’s
a reasonable amount of phony sci-fi explanation of all the technical
stuff, well done in its way but perhaps less inspiring to very
young in the audience. Ofcourse as you may expect there are rather
gaping holes in the plot, but in the world of super heroes we
don’t examine them too closely.
Helmed by Jon Favreau (Zathura) with the
pizzaz needed to bring a comic strip to life, aided considerably
with excellent special effects and vivid cinematography. Favreau’s
a long term fan of Marvel comics himself and it shows in the visual
style. It’s a good looking package. Some stylish sets with
all the necessary sci-fi trappings. The writers are Mark Fergus,
Hawk Otsby, Art Marcam and Matt Holloway. Produced and financed
by Marvel Entertainment whose various activities include feature
films, video games, toys and ofcourse publishing comics for over
sixty years.
So on balance this is a fun family night at the
movies, top comic action adventure with a believable hero. There
won’t be many disappointed fans so we should expect a sequel
very soon.
John Bale
