Review of Iron Man (2008) by Shininglion — 22 Mar 2019

I'm watching this film for the first time as I watch through the MCU in preparation for Endgame. There are many many moments that require a huge suspension of disbelief. How is Tony such a genius? How could he create an arc reactor from some scraps in a cave? Why didn’t the terrorists stop him from building the suit even though they clearly saw him doing it several times? How does Tony’s body hold up inside that suit with all those impacts? If the reason taking out the arc reactor kills him is that the shrapnel move into his heart, wouldn’t it cause irreparable damage once it is removed long enough? Why is he suddenly okay once it's put back in? What if he has to pee? This movie could've used 25% less dull, drudging plot and 25% more action.

The cinematography and music are dry and at times a jumbled mess. Character motivations are not clear throughout, and when they are clear, they seem stereotypical. There are a few laugh out loud moments of physical comedy but if you aren't charmed by Tony Stark's dry sarcasm there's not much else to laugh about.

The film handles real-world terrorism with a heavy-handedness and lack of depth or nuance that makes the film feel undeserving of the subject matter. There are a few genuinely exciting action scenes but they are few and far between.

The film tries to have a heart, which is a plus. Liked the "proof Tony Stark has a heart" box, but would've liked to see more heart apparent in the characters. Most of it is implied more than genuinely felt.

Characters felt a bit empty. There are some boring tropes like a van full of kids and a soccer mom in need of saving. Even watching Tony save a coked-out party bus would be more entertaining. This movie was probably a big deal for its time, but from someone coming from no history with the MCU and no nostalgia goggles, it's a fairly generic superhero film.

For the first half of the film, it seems vague as to what the overarching conflict is, and even despite that, it's easy to see who the real villain will be long before the reveal. There's no emotional heft to the scenes of terrorism because no civilians are ever killed in the movie.

Only soldiers. It feels like the only message of the film is to inform viewers that American weapons manufacturers have supplied many terrorist groups in the Middle East with the weapons they are using to destabilize the region.

Tell me something I didn't know.