The MCU is a juggernaut in the film industry with more than twenty-three films and counting with no signs of slow-down. As much as I had my issues and concerns with the franchise, I will admit that there are a few films I do tend to go back to rewatch. One of these is the film that started it all. Tony Stark is the CEO of Stark Industries, a weapons contractor inherited from his deceased father. While Tony is a gifted inventor, he spends more time as a playboy celebrity than a responsible leader. When he gets kidnapped and threatened by a terrorist group known as the Ten Rings who demand for him to make a deadly missile, Tony builds a protective armoured suit to escape the facility and reach back to civilization. After the realization of Stark weapons being used by enemy forces across the world, Tony ceases all weapons development much to the dismay of his manager, Obadiah Stane. However, despite the executive decision, Tony continues to improve on his brand new invention in secret for his quest to save the people. The story is pretty good for an origin-centric film based on the character as plenty of things happen during the film in a reasonable pace. Aside from S.H.I.E.L.D, there's barely any plug-ins for future films and the stand-alone nature feels like a huge breath of fresh air in contrast to the franchise it would spawn. The tone establishes the "MCU formula" with a mix of seriousness and heavy doses of comedy. Although the comedy isn't as effective when compared to other films of the franchise, it works decently enough along with the more intense sequences of Tony's imprisonment by the terrorists.
Robert Downey Jr literally is Iron Man in every sense of the world. The washed-up actor became a A-list overnight thanks to his improve and characterization of Tony Stark by making him a snarky philanthropist who is a larger-than-life character and womanizer. He's the definition of a loveable asshole thanks both to Downey's performance and the arc given to the character. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts is also really likeable as the personal assistant and love interest for Tony. Their chemistry is perfect in that they don't make it overly-romantic or cliched in that they make the two kiss or get together as their roles make the blossoming romance hard to achieve. Terence Howard as James Rhodes in his only film in the franchise is honestly pretty good as Tony's best friend. While I like Don Cheadle in the later films, he never felt natural in regards to Howard's laid-back performance. Jeff Bridges does a great job as Obadiah Stane, Tony's manager and father figure who wants to replicate Tony's suit. While Bridges is a talented actor and makes Obadiah a natural mentor and rival of Tony, the character itself gets hijacked to be more evil and over-the-top by the end of the film, which avoids the character from going down as one of the best villains of the franchise. The side cast is fairly minimal surprisingly. Shaun Toub as Yinsen is a nice dramatic role in the first act of the film, Paul Bettany is enjoyable as the A.I known as J.A.R.V.I.S and Clark Gregg makes his iconic debut as Agent Phil Coulson. Leslie Bibb's Christine Everhart is a pretty obnoxious character as the film continues to make her relevant after the scene she and Tony smashed. And then there's the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Completely unrelated to the Mandarin from the comics, the Ten Rings are now just basic Arabic terrorists that reflect the War on Terror era. While it works fair enough for the origin, it really dates the movie in depicting these people as evil bad guys. Overall, the cast is fairly strong with great performances all around with Downey clearly making his most defining role of his career in this debut.
Jon Favreau is one of Disney's most prized directors and from his various works, you can see why. His job on "Iron Man" however might be not only be his best, but his most unique to date. While a large majority of the MCU films will look and act more cinematic or polished, Favreau embraces the era the film was made in. The film feels fairly independent rather than a big-budget superhero film, instead looking like a spruced-up television series aesthetically. The film almost feels as if Tony was behind the camera in its presentation and mid-2000's angst. While the editing by Dan Lebenthal is pretty solid for the majority of the film, there are some questionable choices throughout the film. The movie begins with Tony being captured by the terrorists only to show what happened a few days ago anyway, almost as if they believe audiences aren't patient to see an explosion anymore then two minutes in the film. There are also some uncalled cuts and transitions, particularly the scene where Pepper first finds out about Tony's invention. The cinematography by Matthew Libatique fits accordingly to Favreau's aesthetic of the film by having this digital look and almost handheld aesthetic to the scenes where it feels like we are with Tony throughout the film. The music by Ramin Djawadi is all rock music and guitar strings to make Tony feel like a rock star. While a superhero theme attached to the character could have been appreciated, it's still a good choice for the movie along with various songs used throughout such as "Back in Black" by AC/DC and "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. The visual effects hold up extremely well almost fifteen years later. Not only is it because the CGI is polished and detailed, but the suits presented were sometimes there. This was actually one of the last films Stan Winston worked on before he died, gifting the film to have physical suits Downey can wear in contrast to the CGI creations in later films. The action sequences are also pretty solid with the escape from the terrorists being a horror-esque scene of the terrorists unable to kill the armoured Tony, the use of the MKIII suit on the terrorists and aerial dogfight, and the climatic showdown between Tony and Obadiah in their respective suits. While the effects and action are engaging, the only issue is that they feel kind of short in regards to the runtime and pace. The action sequences lack a sense of adrenaline or momentum in a way in that they leave the viewer breathless in a way. So, although the action is enjoyable, it doesn't carry that wow factor future films or even previous superhero films have achieved. Then again, this could be all due to Favreau's direction of keeping things grounded and minimal by focusing on Tony as a character rather than the superhero spectacle.
"Iron Man" is a fairly strong start to the juggernaut that is the MCU. While it has a few issues here and there from Obadiah's progression as the villain, some odd decisions given for Christine and the Ten Rings, the editing by Lebenthal and the action sequences lacking momentum, they barely dent the impervious quality of the film. The story is extremely well-paced for the most part, the tone is just a nice blend of comedy and the serious narrative, Downey is perfect as Tony, the chemistry between Tony and Pepper is very charming and fresh, the side cast is performed greatly by their respective actors, the camerawork by Libatique makes you feel up close and personal with the characters, the score by Djawadi is completely characteristic of the titular character, the CGI holds up like aged wine, the practical effects for the suits and arc reactor from Winston is a nice touch of old-style filmmaking in this franchise, the action sequences are still entertaining when put in a vacuum, and Favreau's directing style makes the unique choice of having the film feel like a product of its time and having a television show approach to the narrative and aesthetic. It's not the best from the respective franchise, but if given a rewrite and tone-up, it would almost be. I'm still surprised to enjoy the film as much as I did, even when I'm not a huge fan of the MCU.
Verdict: 8/10. Great superhero film by itself and one of the best in the MCU personally. Give it a rewatch and see how things were both simple and different back then for this franchise.
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