Pertinent Review, Six Days Late: Iron Man

The first of the summer blockbusters has arrived. Iron Man kicks the summer off with a light superhero film. From the trailers some might think that the film has a more serious moral story - perhaps slightly controversial - dealing with the current conflicts in the middle east and the opposing viewpoints on those conflicts. If you thought that, you'd be wrong. This is your classic superhero flick, where the bad guys are bad, and the good guys (although flawed, as is typical of Marvel heroes), are good.

Part of the beauty of this film is that it skirts the controversy of current wars so delicately. It never takes shots at the Iraq War, and although it's message couldn't quit be called anti-war, it is decidedly pro-peace. It walks a fine line and it walks it well.

And aside from not offending anyone (if anyone was offended... I'm curious to hear how) the film also happens to be light, fun, funny fare. Robert Downey Jr. is spot on as Stark/the titular character, hitting the emotional notes, but never dragging us too far from the humourous heart of the film. Jon Favreau's direction was excellent as well, as is his bit-part as Hogan, one of Stark's assistants. Really, the cast as a whole was superb.

My only complaint was with some of Gwyneth Paltrow's scenes. Although 90% of the time I thought she did an excellent job, there were a few times when she seemed, well, like a bit of a cartoon character (irony noted). Every now and then, especially towards the end of the film, I felt she came off as a little too cheesy, damsel in distress, far less competent than a long time employee of a genius would be. Perhaps that's what the character was like in the source material. But based on her earlier actions (buying herself gifts from Stark for her birthday) it seemed a little too... well, like a little too much.

That minor complaint aside, Iron Man was good. It won't win any oscars, but it's fun, and it's the first decent movie to hit theatres in a month or two. If you're in the mood for a good, light, funny, action film, then you're in luck. The season of the summer blockbuster is now officially open. And I'm glad it's here.

In short: Go see it. It's worth the price of admission.

3/3