CHAD’S GRADE: A-
The early 2000s was an interesting time for Marvel Comics. They emerged relatively unscathed from bankruptcy in 2002, thanks mainly to the success of the first Spiderman film. In the process, they had farmed out many of their marquee characters to various studios. X-men, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil at Fox, the Hulk was with Universal and Spiderman to Sony/Columbia Pictures. One can imagine Marvel’s frustration watching these studios turn these properties into billion-dollar, multi-picture franchises, particularly Spiderman and X-Men. Not to be outdone, Christopher Nolan had resurrected the Batman franchise from the Joel Schumacher implosion with his Dark Knight series. And Brian Singer attempted a Donner-inspired revival with the entertaining but flawed Superman Returns. The superhero boom was in full swing, and Marvel wanted a piece of the action.
Marvel launched their fledgling film division under the “Marvel Studios” banner. Iron Man was a bold choice for their first film, especially in light of more popular characters like Captain American or the Hulk. But there was cinematic potential in the Iron Man world, and Tom Cruise had been developing the property as a potential starring vehicle. Cruise eventually exited, opting to continue the more lucrative Mission Impossible franchise.
Marvel eventually settled on actor, writer, and director Jon Favreau to develop the project. Favreau had successfully directed the Jumanji sequel “Zathura” and the popular Christmas smash “Elf.” Favreau brought a more grounded approach and fought to cast Robert Downey Jr. in the title role. Downey Jr. was a big risk back in 2008, as he was still recovering from a well-publicized battle with substance abuse. But Favreau bet that Downey Jr’s natural charisma could bolster the film, and it was a bet that paid off in spades.
The 2008 film updates the Iron Man origin from 1960’s Vietnam to 2008 Afghanistan. The film follows the exploits of rich, playboy inventor Tony Stark as he completes a sale of his new “Jericho” missile system to the military. On tour through Afghanistan, Tony’s military escort is attacked by a terrorist group where he is mortally wounded and captured. Thanks to the smarts of his cellmate Yinsen, Tony’s shrapnel weakened heart is kept beating by a specialized magnet powered by a car battery. Both Tony and Yinsen strike a devil’s bargain with the terrorist group to stay alive by developing military-grade weapons. Instead, the pair builds a crude “Iron Man” armor (a homage to the original comic book design) and attempts a daring escape. Tony manages to break free, but Yinsen sacrifices himself during the battle.
The experience stays with Tony as he returns home a changed man. Tony wants to change the direction of his company Stark Industries, forgoing lucrative weapons manufacturing to the much less lucrative private sector. A move that puts him at odds with his mentor and father figure Obadiah Stane. Tony also develops a new mini reactor to keep his damaged heart beating and streamlines the rough “Metal” man concept. After weeks of tinkering, he debuts the Iron Man, a sleek, powerful armor that turns an ordinary human into a flying arsenal.
Director Favreau strikes an interesting tone, opting for the grounded approach of X-Men but still embracing its comic book roots like Raimi’s Spiderman films. If the MCU was a television series, Favreau just directed its pilot episode. It’s a tone that would permeate Marvel’s phase one films, with critics complaining that Marvel was imposing a “house” style on its stable of directors.
While it’s true that Marvel was playing it safe with their first big production, the results speak for themselves. Iron Man is a confident, crowd-pleasing film with a sense of play, thanks largely to the performance of Robert Downey Jr. His Tony Stark is part Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, and Thomas Edison, a man whose mind is constantly alive with ideas and concepts. Downey Jr’s sharp line delivery dominates every scene. This is no dour avenging vigilante but a man who wants to shape the world through the power of his mind. It’s a return to form performance for Robert Downey Jr.
The supporting cast gets their moments, that is, if they can keep up with the manic Downey. Gwyneth Paltrow shines as Stark’s harried assistant Pepper Potts. Paltrow has a playful chemistry with Downey Jr., and their scenes together are the film’s most heartfelt. Terence Howard, of TV’s “Empire” plays James Rhodes, Tony’s military liaison. He’s doesn’t get much to do, mostly reacting to Tony’s wild antics. And director Jon Favreau himself rounds out the cast as Stark’s driver and bodyguard Happy Hogan.
A superhero is only as good as his villain, which is the film’s one significant weakness. Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane, Stark’s mentor, and is revealed later to be responsible for Stark’s capture in Afghanistan. Bridges is fine in the role, bringing an air of menace and resentment to his scenes. Stane is essentially Salieri’s to Stark’s child prodigy Mozart. But Stane’s evil intentions are telegraphed early on, and his betrayal falls flat. With Stark’s Iron Man facing off against Stane’s souped-up armor, the big battle at the climax isn’t terribly exciting. And Bridges is given some truly groan-inducing villain dialogue.
Watching the movie, a decade later, it’s fascinating to see how dated some of the material has become. There’s an air of Bush’s military interventionism in the Middle East that permeates the film. In the opening scene alone, Tony Stark brags that he’s “12 for 12” on Maxim cover models, topped by a quant reference to MySpace. Later, when a female reporter accuses Stark of war profiteering, what could’ve been a topical debate devolves into Stark bedding said, attractive reporter. And the early Marvel movies were quite the boys club, with Pepper Potts being the only prominent female character.
MCU WORLD BUILDING:
It’s almost refreshing to see Iron Man’s lack of world-building, with director Favreau focused on making a complete, self-contained film. However, Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD does pop up in several key scenes and even helps Pepper Potts in the film’s finale. As played by Clark Gregg in a wonderfully deadpan and dry performance, the character would become a fan favorite and lead the Agents of SHIELD TV series.
WHERE’S STAN?
In one of Lee’s sillier cameos, he literally appears as Hugh Hefner, totaling about 5 seconds of screen time.
POST CREDITS TEASER:
I must confess; these little teasers are essentially a mixed bag. But Marvel kept it short and sweet for their intro teaser. Tony Stark returns to his empty seaside mansion, greeted by Samuel L. Jackson in his debut as Nick Fury, wanting to discuss the “Avengers” initiative. Cut to black as fanboy’s heads (including mine) exploded across the country.