Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. is a dude. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. I couldn’t imagine anybody else in this role. His charisma and wisecracks give the picture style and, without him, Iron Man would be half-assed and definitely a lot less entertaining. Favreau takes the entire movie in the right direction (no wonder, because it was him who got Downey involved in the project), not so serious, slightly fateful and also true to the comic book. The action scenes from ILM also worked really well, even though the battle sequence was Stark’s escape from captivity, which involved a minimum of special effects. Personally, for me Iron Man has greater magic than my former favorite Spider-Man, and that’s saying something. P.S.: The post-credits scene with the allusion to the Avengers is magical. (20/05/2008)

Iron Man isn’t any dumb B-movie, but it lags a good couple of miles behind being a quality movie. The screenplay aren’t so awful, the genre, but the dialogs are simply terrible. I’m not expecting a second Shakespeare from this uncomplicated popcorn movie, but this is really too much. Some tongue in cheek could have saved it. But somehow they forgot about that option and all we get is a couple of family jokes, which just don’t do it. We get no proper action, effects don’t count (but aren’t bad, come to think of it) and so the whole thing rests on the wide shoulders of a “Rambo-like" Downey who operates more with his charisma than doing any acting (and basically he just plays himself anyhow). However, his charisma is so enormous that it manages to carry the whole movie from start to finish. As for Iron Man becoming a timeless classic like the Black Sabbath “version", or even a flagship of the genre, it’s unthinkable, although with a little imagination you can picture it happening. Someday. (05/05/2008)

Single use super hero. Downey and his charisma give the film far more than a cool effect while the story is a flight of fancy by an enthusiastic screenwriter with an American flag tattooed on his chest. A typical guilty pleasure product that doesn't bring much new to the table, but is so likeable and entertaining that you’ll always find your way to it in the end. And where neither a flimsy script nor spectacular action is enough, everything is supported by the demonic Jeff Bridges together with Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow, who is increasingly sexy as the years go by... The potential was a bit higher, as the excellent third movie shows :-) 80% (02/11/2013)

A fun popcorn fairy tale, totally comparable to Green Lantern in my view. No, I don't feel that Iron Man is significantly better. The whole thing stands and falls on the stardom of Robert, who almost killed Ally McBeal with his incompetence a few years ago, but he is very popular these days. Gwyneth is cute, but she's getting on in years after all, and Jeff is already in the "saying goodbye to his audience" category. It’s a straightforward film that is more satisfying when Stan Lee's cameo arrives. (01/05/2013)

That intro in Afghanistan, along with the snide remarks on American foreign policy today, is a little off from the rest of the film, which is deep in the waters of comic-book hyperbole thanks to its flamboyance. Yet as much as I didn't want to believe it myself, the film ultimately works beautifully without Favreau pulling off any flashy action or uncompromisingly innovative ideas. The film is built on the actors (yes, Downey could have taken a drink with him into the film) and the fast pace that races through the simple dialogue, which is a joy to listen to thanks to life’s bon mots and (once again) the actors. The standard genre archetypes of heroes are unexpectedly subverted (who is it that gives Stark his heart after all?) and it still manages to be sympathetically intrusive in the circle of a family spectacle for an evening, all whilst winking at those who have already made some films. I have a feeling that nobody will take the title of "most pleasant surprise of the year" away from Iron Man. 4 ½. (18/09/2008)