Iron Man

A good superhero movie will always make you cheer on the hero and feel what he or she feels, whether it is love or pain. A good superhero movie will leave you wanting more. Iron Man manages to meet both of those criteria while staying true to the ’90s cartoon and comic books.

The movie starts off by introducing Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), a genius industrialist and a young and arrogant playboy. Throughout this first sequence as the audience gets to know the main character, the theme of American patriotism becomes more than prevalent. Along the lines of Michael Bay’s Transformers, the movie starts to feel very much like one long Army commercial with its excessive use of American flags and classic rock’n’roll songs.

Stark is the head of a company that develops and manufactures weapons which are supposed to protect America but are steadily available — everywhere. However, this is none of Stark’s concern, because weapon dealing is a system of zero accountability. His outlook changes when he is captured and forced to make weapons for the enemy to ensure his own release. Stark counteracts his captors by building the first proto-type of the Iron Man suit instead.

In the past, Iron Man has always been a symbol of the times. When the hero first debuted in comic books, he was captured in Vietnam in a reference to the Vietnam War. This was updated in the 1990s comic to fit the Gulf War. Director Jon Favreau stays true to present-day political events as this Iron Man comes to life when abducted in Afghanistan.

In light of his circumstances, Stark realizes that the weapons he has developed are not only ensuring success to America but also for any who can afford them. His epiphany turns him into a character questioning his own morality. This is when the theme of American patriotism dies off and instead morphs into a theme of humanitarianism, showing us the true focus of the film.

Downey Jr. is perfect in the part of Stark and stays true to the character to the very end. Other casting decisions, however, made certain plots points too obvious too soon. It was never a question that the main love interest in the story would be the biggest actress in the film, Gwyneth Paltrow.

Despite these setbacks in casting decisions and the cheesiness of the film, Iron Man will still rank as one of the top superhero movies of our time, which comes as a surprise because he is a less popular hero than some. But as a new generation is introduced to Tony Stark for the first time, this movie makes sure that he leaves a lasting impression. We are left painfully awaiting our next encounter.