'Iron Man' jump starts season of superheroes

By: Peter Banuelos

Posted: 5/9/08

The summer of superheroes has finally arrived. I know it's only May, but it seems that "Iron Man" kicked off this action-packed summer a bit early. With Robert Downey Jr. leading an all-star cast, and with a script straight out of the Iron Man comic world, this movie is just the beginning of a blockbuster-filled summer.

It all starts with billionaire playboy Tony Stark (Downey), whose company, Stark Industries, is showing off its newest toy, a missile system known as "Jericho." Stark then gets kidnapped in Afghanistan by an organization known as "The Ten Rings," whose leader, Raza, played by Faran Tahir, tells Stark to make another "Jericho" for them to use to take over that part of the world.

But Stark has other plans. In the Afghan caves, Stark begins to build his greatest creation, the suit which will later transform Stark into Iron Man. Stark uses the suit to escape and is then rescued by his long-time friend Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), who is also Stark's military connection and confidant. One person who is very happy to see Tony Stark return in one piece is his secretary, Virginia "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is in charge of Stark's day-to-day goings on and later is one of the few people who know about his being Iron Man.

Stark then decides that Stark Industries will no longer manufacture weapons, since Stark has seen first-hand that his weapons have been used against the very people they were made to protect. But this decision does not sit well with the company, or with the company's money interest Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), who for the time being just waits in Stark's shadow. Stane then uses the Iron Man blueprints to build himself a larger and more powerful suit with his intentions being to bring about the end of Tony Stark.

Robert Downey Jr. does a phenomenal job of portraying the many sides of Tony Stark and he makes every scene he is in entertaining. A great surprise comes from Paltrow, who plays Stark's assistant, Pepper, perfectly. She is so convincing that it's easy to get lost in the possible romance between her and Stark. Jeff Bridges, though, is lacking as Stane, and it is very hard to see him as a great villain. He does not put forth the energy that Downey does onscreen, making the scenes they share seem somewhat unbalanced.

But the story and the "inside clues" relate really closely to the comics, at least for those who have read the Iron Man comics. The cast is signed for sequels, and I am definitely looking forward to Terrence Howard's taking his turn as War Machine in the upcoming movies.

This movie is full of action, laughs, and great acting-everything a quality movie needs.

As a moviegoer, I am very pleased with "Iron Man." It is the first of many summer superheroes that will definitely leave you satisfied.

126 Minutes
Dark Blades Films
Overall Grade: B+

Synopsis: Billionaire playboy Tony Stark makes weapons for a living, but after being kidnapped by an organization called "The Ten Rings," he has a change of heart and uses his knowledge of machinery to make his ultimate weapon, a titanium suit and war machine, which enables him to bring destruction to anything that comes his way.

Peter Banuelos

diversions@dailybarometer.com