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Iron Man
In theaters May 2nd 2008
some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence,
and brief suggestive content
Run Time: 118
Matt's rating - 4 out of 5
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Review by Matt Mungle
I am not a comic book follower so when I saw the
initial preview for Iron Man I didn't even know he was a
comic book super hero. I thought he was going to be
some space age mutant of a nuclear holocaust. My
only prior knowledge of anyone named Iron Man came
from my cousin's Black Sabbath albums in the 70's. If
I had known he was this modern age guy with a cool
house in Malibu and tons of high tech gadgetry I would
have paid more attention. Now after seeing the new
film it is easy to say that Iron Man may be the best
comic-to-big screen creation in all areas of superhero
adventures. Maybe it has to do with the solid acting of
Robert Downey Jr. or the directing magic of Jon
Favreau, but for what ever reason, Iron Man rocks the
theater like no super hero before him.
For all of you like me who are in the dark about Iron
Man, it is all about Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), a
wealthy industrialist who is part genius and 100%
playboy. Single, good looking, wiz kid his whole life
who inherited his father's weapons building
corporation along with the fame and fortune. He has
the world at his fingers until a life threatening incident
forces him to face his motives and the reality he has
created. When he decides to use his new invention,
an indestructible, super human suit, for good the
power hungry money grubbers of course try to step in
and stop him. Which is fine because without power
hungry money grubbers there would be no need for
super heroes. So it balances out. Unlike that whiney
web slinger, Iron Man embraces his abilities instead
of crying over this curse life has dealt him. Stark is a
rockstar and brings a whole new personification it the
typical alter ego.
The casting of this film is superb. Downey has the
charm, sexiness and underlying humor to bring a
character like this to life. Both in and out of the suit. He
is confident on screen and in his character. I am not
sure how comic fans perceive Stark to be but this has
to be a dead on fit. Add Gwyneth Paltrow as his
devoted assistant, Pepper Potts and Jeff Bridges as a
power driven industrialist and you have strong movie
chemistry. Downey and Paltrow walk that fine line
between work ethic and physical attraction perfectly. I
was also excited to see Jon Favreau's name attached
to the director's chair. Jon could be one of the most
under rated directors of our time. He has this way of
making characters endearing and memorable. His
films have a rhythm to them with the right balance of
wit, action and movement. It is as if he cares about the
plot and the depth of each person, not just about
blowing stuff up.
Iron Man is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences
of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive
content. Other than a quick romantic scene that is
cleaner than most perfume commercials this film is
easily safe for most family members 10 and up. Iron
Man is a fun, action filled film that is exactly what you
would expect a comic book character to be. It is huge
and loud and colorful and drives home the point of
good over evil and doing the right thing at all cost.
There are lots of family geared films this spring and
Iron Man may just crush the competition. Speed
Racer, Indiana Jones and Prince Caspian will have
their hands full if they try to top this mammoth man of
steel, or whatever it is he is made of. I give Iron Man a
solid 4 out of 5 blinking chest piece things. Buckle up
for one exciting ride!
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Matt and Cindy are members of the North Texas
Film
Critics Association (NTFCA). For additional
reviews
and interview clips visit the website.
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Mungleshow Productions
Matt Mungle
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