May 05 2008
Iron Man…
…is the best comic book movie I have ever seen. I was a big fan of Batman Begins, as well as the original Batman and the first X-Men, but Iron Man brings it all. A great performance by a supremely talented actor, more genuine, character-based humor than you find in most comedies nowadays, fantastic action you can actually follow (unlike Spider-Man 3), and a tight, multi-layered story that left me satisfied.
BTW — the trailers for the new Indiana Jones and Batman movies weren’t all that exciting, but Fallout Boy’s new cover of Beat It truly rocks.
aye, this movie rocked! Great casting all around and I’m glad that they have already announced a sequel
Brad,
When I ran into you at the Brown last month, you challenged me to comment here when I disagreed with your claim that Iron Man was the best comic book hero movie ever.
Alright, then. Yes, Iron Man was great, really. I enjoyed it. But it’s not the best comic book movie ever. Tony Stark is an engaging character, but Pepper Potts is not. She’s nothing. And Obadiah Stain is so clearly going to turn out to be the bad guy from the beginning. (Those quasi-paternal figures in action/sci-fi movies who have no obvious story purpose in act one always turn out to be the bad guy. See Max Von Sydow in Minority Report.) Rhodes also doesn’t have a lot to do and seems to largely fill the stereotypical role of the generic black friend. (That may be a little harsh, but not too much.) Tony Stark’s emotional journey is very compelling. The humor is effective and doesn’t detract from the action or suspense. Robert Downey Jr. is awesome. And I loved the opening setup of drinking in the Humvee then the attack. All that’s great, but it doesn’t add up to the best of all time in the genre.
What is the best of all time? Hmm….
Delightful pictures of Sophie, by the way. She looks like you. Take care.