Early summer 2008 was a special time for me. Freshman year at my alma mater was winding down, the Celtics were making their legendary championship run, and The Dark Knight, soon to be one of the greatest films of all time, was hotly anticipated. Out of nowhere this little gem came out. It was getting good reviews, but I was thinking in terms of recent Marvel films like Daredevil and Spider-Man, I thought this would be another self contained film. I had no idea it was going to be part of a larger cinematic universe (I didn't even know what the term meant at the time).
In case you don't know the plot, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a billionaire playboy building and selling weapons of war from his company Stark Industries. On a tour of his new weapon in the Middle East he is ambushed and kidnapped to build a super-missile. In secret he builds an new "Iron Man" suit, and after escaping he vows to turn Stark Industries to a beacon of peace and announces to the press he is now "Iron Man."
The main strength of this film, as everyone who has seen this film knows, is Robert Downey Jr. He was coming off a tough time in his life, wallowing in drug abuse. He puts his all into this film, more so than other Iron Man/Avengers films because he wants to prove himself. His Tony Stark is effortlessly smooth and smart-allecky, but he sincerely realizes the error of his ways (a popular theme in Marvel films) and vows to do better. Art reflects reality. Tony Stark is often at the center of all Marvel posters because he is the foundation this empire was built on. Sure, Captain America and Hulk are great but it started here, and it got off on the right foot.
The main criticism of this film from critics is Jeff Bridges' Obadiah Stane (i.e. Badguy McEvil, seriously what kind of name is that?) It turns out he was the one who engineered Stark to get kidnapped by the terrorists in the first place and steals Stark Industry technology to make an "Iron Monger" mega-suit. But the final action showdown I sincerely appreciated. After the over the top CGI battles in space against giant robots of most MCU films, Stark having to use his wits and limited resources felt like (and still feels like) a breath of fresh air. And another relief is Stark announcing in the last scene that he is indeed "Iron Man," forgoing the whole maintaining a secret identity. A great film on it's own and to start a franchise.
Rating ***1/2 stars out of 4
Comentarios