[nextpage title=”NEXT” ]Iron Man is a 2008 superhero movie, and one many consider to be a benchmark in the genre, establishing the character and the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon Favreau, who up to then had mostly been known for his acting and the Christmas breakout hit Elf with Will Ferrell, the film proved that a superhero could extend beyond the new standard set by Christopher Nolan‘s gritty Batman reboot, being both grounded and playful. That was thanks largely to star Robert Downey Jr. who came to embody both the hero and the alter-ego, making Iron Man the movie and the character one of the most popular figures in cinema. Plus, he’s just flippin’ cool.[/nextpage][nextpage title=”NEXT” ]
Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is a confident guy, a genius, billionaire, playboy with incredible intelligence and an ego to match, head of Stark Industries, a defense contractor inherited from his father. In Afghanistan, demonstrating his latest weapons of war, he is kidnapped by the Ten Rings terrorists organization, told the only way to earn his freedom is to design a missile system for them as well. He was nearly killed in the ambush that got him however, and the only reason is he still alive is because a fellow prisoner fitted him with an electromagnet device to keep a piece of shrapnel from slipping into his heart. Using that technology to secretly build a miniature arc reactor (because remember … genius), Stark assembles the first Iron Man suit and escapes. What follows is him evolving that original design and harnessing the true power of the arc reactor to allow future suits to fire beams of energy and even fly at great speed. He succeeds and it’s not long after that others want to get their hands on that power. And then he meets the Avengers. [/nextpage][nextpage title=”NEXT” ]
Downey Jr. is just about entirely responsible for why the film works, his timing and personality a perfect fit for the character. A hero who doesn’t shy away from the spotlight, Stark is a cocky and obnoxious know-it-all but ever-so likable as his heart remains on the side of good (and a piece of shrapnel). With some solid supporting turns from Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, his assistant and semi-love interest, and Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, Stark’s partner with a different vision of what the arc tech means for the company, Iron Man has this unique blend of live action and character that really make is soar. Everyone wants to be Iron Man. Let’s take a look at a great moment.[/nextpage][nextpage title=”NEXT” ]
SPOILERS: As Stark works on the suit in the cave where his captors have tossed him, the bad guys think he is designing them a brand-spanking-new missile system. Good for them. However, he’s secretly making himself a battle suit in order to escape and survive the wild amount of gunfire surely waiting for him. When the time finally comes to make a break for it, he dons the armor and stomps his way along the dank, guarded catacombs to the cave entrance, taking out baddies as he goes. Once at daylight a damned phalanx of militants are waiting, guns pointed right at the approaching Stark. When he emerges, his very footfalls thundering the ground beneath his feet, they open fire and spray the suit with a heavy volley of bullets, and we are meant to think: “Um, that probably hurt.” Yet … no. Not a one did the trick. A slight pause later, because drama baby, Stark says, “My turn.” Chills. He then raises his arms and unleashes two massive streams of bright orange fiery hell straight at the doomed henchmen. Time to burn. [/nextpage][nextpage title=”NEXT” ]
So why is this great? Well, till then, we’ve followed Stark for a bit, seen his playboy ways and slippery smooth tongue get him what he wants when he wants. He’s a man of vocal action that has great skill in using his words to woo and coo, wine and dine, buy and sell. Always dapper and of the highest style, he is GQ refined. In this cave however, all that has been stripped and worse, he’s is near death. To get out, he gonna have to use those same verbal skills and intelligence but also, something more. He learns a lot about it means to have heart and to become strong as person, even when that very heart is kept alive by his own invention. Stark transforms in the shadows of this prison, seeing that a man without options has a powerful opportunity. We came to see the origin of the superhero, and while the character is much more than the suit, it is the suit that makes him great. Or so we believe. [/nextpage][nextpage title=”NEXT” ]
More importantly, what we learn in the cave is that while the armor shields Stark from death and the weapons within make him more than the soldier’s equal, Iron Man is more than the suit. It is the diligence, the fortitude and the will to survive that earns Stark the name. The moniker may describes the armor’s materials but more so defines who he is on inside. He is an iron man. He builds a suit, yes, but he also builds a better man. At the mouth of the cave, when his opportunity to escape lies before him, it is that man inside the suit, the one facing his greatest fears that decides to take back what is rightfully his: freedom and everything that comes with it. Tony Stark is reborn. It’s a crucial moment for the character and for the first time, gives the audience watching the necessary reason to get behind the man. Iron Man is a great film.
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