In preparation for the new film [which I’ll review tomorrow], deadra and me went and watched Iron Man again. It was directed by Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and the voice of Paul Bettany. [I kinda reviewed it here, though that review can be summed up with “film = fun, Robert Downey Jr. = hot.” Which still holds true, btw.]

Plot:
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the kind of guy Bruce Wayne always pretends to be: Rich, constantly drunk, an ass. Now take away the social consciousness of Bruce Wayne and add “manufactures weapons” and technical genius and you know Tony Stark.
That changes pretty drastically when he’s abducted in Iraq and forced to build a rocket for a group of terrorists. Instead of building what they ask for, he builds a hightech suit of armour and makes himself a superhero on the way.

Iron Man is fun. It does a good job of setting up Tony Stark and his world, it has fine jokes and it keeps you engaged. It is not a “wonder of modern filmmaking” but it works mighty fine and entertains you on the way. I hadn’t re-watched it since I saw it in the cinema, but it can hold its own during a second examination as well.

Here’s a quick overview of what I had completely forgotten:
– How much of an asshole Tony Stark actually is. And always will be.
– That Jon Favreau doesn’t only direct but also plays the bodyguard.

Other than that, I was rather surprised how much of it I actually remembered. I mean, it’s been two years since I’ve seen that film and I remembered actual lines and moments, not just a general, fuzzy impression of things.

[Yes, I already posted this picture the last time. But you can have never too much sweaty Robert Downey Jr.]

The movie lives mostly from the performances by Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges, which are completely awesome. Gwyneth Paltrow is astonishing insofar as she’s able to not only walk, but run in the shoes she’s wearing. And can I pleasepleasepleasepleeeeeaaaaase have my own Paul Bettany powered supercomputer? Pretty please?

The story is fine as origin stories go, but nothing mind-blowing. But Jon Favreau does a really good job pacing the whole thing and is generally pretty talented as a director of action flicks.

Summarising: Definitely one of the better comic book adaptations and a very enjoyable movie.