I should preface this by saying I’m a wee bit of a comic book geek. I don’t wait in line to see the movies, I don’t dress up as the characters and I haven’t read every issue of everything Marvel’s published. I do collect Wolverine comics, own and display one share of Marvel stock along side the four #1 issues of X-Men (Vol 2), have two cats named after X-Men and know most of the major story lines. Needless to say, Iron Man is easily my most anticipated movie of the year.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to the follow public service announcement. Note these suggestions are for the maximum enjoyment of those around you and should be adhered to only if you remotely care about other people. When in a theater full of people, especially behind me, you should refrain from saying the following at your normal conversational volume.
- I like previews. (right when they’re starting)
- Oh that disgusting! (in reference to a finger prick on screen)
- I didn’t know this was a comic book. (when the Marvel logo appears on screen)
- What just happened? (After a clearly labeled flashback)
- What’s he doing? (When Stark starts to build the first suit)
There were a lot more but you get the point. We now return you to your regular program already in progress.
I liked the movie, despite the seriously inconsiderate woman behind me. I’d read a few reviews, most saying it was one of the better comic book adaptations and I’d tend to agree. The X-Men series is going to be my favorite for the sheer volume of characters and the presence of Wolverine, but Iron Man is a solid second (fourth?) after that.
Where this movie bested many other superhero movies was the way it refrained from wasting our time with tedious back stories. Those of us who care, already know it all and those who don’t, just want you to make with the explosions. There were no hour-long explanations about how childhood shaped the man or about the struggle that comes with responsibility to save lives. There was Tony Stark, played impressively well by Robert Downey Jr, and a quick glimpse into his life sweet life before Iron Man.
I’ve always been partial to Iron Man and they were amazingly true to the story. They updated it for current times but left all the critical pieces in tact. Downey played the role as only he could (worth saying again), Paltrow as Pepper Potts trounces Dunst as Mary Jane Watson and the presence of Terrence Howard as Rhodes lays a nice foundation for War Machine to appear in the sequel. The movie wasn’t too campy, had a solid amount of action and while it had it’s share of cheesy one-liners, most were not the “only a 12 y/o would find this funny” variety. I wouldn’t have minded more battle scenes but just seeing how Iron Man would work in real life was pretty freakin’ cool. I definitely recommend it… but like I said, I’m kinda biased.
Oh and if you go see it, stay until the credits are over.
P.S. – Happy Mother’s Day Mom (and all the other mothers out there)