Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

A heroic effort

Does Iron Man have the best superhero costume?  We say yes.

I’ve been no friend of Tinseltown’s superhero craze since its gears started spinning out of control in the early 2000s.

Films based on the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Punisher, Daredevil and Ghost Rider have all sucked mercilessly. Only Batman (Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton’s entries), Spiderman (the first two) and Superman (the first two) have been treated well by mainstream Hollywood.

That being said, director Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man” is a liberal shot of nitrous oxide to the superhero genus, generously doling out smart humor, inspired visual effects and an electric plot that had fans jam-packed in theater seats back in May and June.

A perfectly cast Robert Downey Jr., in the role of weapons magnate Tony Stark, brings his full arsenal of talents to the proceedings, and an understated Gwyneth Paltrow is at her most emotionally warm since the pre-Chris Martin days.

Jeff Bridges makes a great villain, too, and while Iron Man’s climactic brawl with the Big Lebowski is essentially superhero boilerplate, the actors make it something more.
Anyone who enjoyed Favreau’s foray into the superhero genre would be wise to pick up Paramount’s Ultimate 2-Disc Edition for some fine supplements.

Aside from the usual deleted and extended scenes, there’s an extended look at the film’s visual effects, and a live-wire screen test from Downey Jr., making it impossible to imagine anyone else cast in the role of Tony Stark.

Most valuably, though, is the 7-part doc “I Am Iron Man” on the full spectrum of production, and the 6-part “The Invincible Iron Man,” in which the title character’s 45-year history is delineated.

With Marvel now at the helm of its own character’s films, hopefully, as with “Iron Man,” the focus of the superhero genre will shift from making big bank to making quality films with quality actors that tell quality stories.

“Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” have catapulted the genre into the Oscar-contending stratosphere, and although “Iron Man” may not aspire to those heights, it’s a jewel in the genre’s crown due to Downey Jr.’s excellent performance and Favreau’s smirking sense of humor.

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe