Iron Man

May 4th, 2008 1:57pm by rusty-halo | 9 Comments »

One of the things I love about NYC is that you can go to the movies at 1am and the theater will be packed full of enthusiastic people. I also love that the theater is a five minute walk from my apartment, so jaydk and I could watch Doctor Who, Doctor Who again, Doctor Who Confidential, Doctor Who again with commentary, and then pop over to the theater for Iron Man like it was nothing. (I don’t want to move! I don’t!)

I loved Iron Man. The plot was entirely paint-by-numbers superhero movie, but it ruled because Tony Stark is an awesome character and Robert Downey, Jr. is an astounding actor. Just, seriously, how much did I love Tony Stark? He’s screwed up, arrogant, selfish, insecure, and he gets one of those redemption stores that I adore. The kind where it’s not about Special Destiny but about self-reflection, making different choices, and re-creating yourself. The Jaime Lannister model rather than the Angel model. I love when people change because of their own internal choices. And I love that Tony was such an ass beforehand, because it means the change wasn’t easy. And, oh, I love how arrogant he still is, and how he doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks. I love how at his press conferences you can just see him scoffing at the bullshit and he just literally can’t bring himself to play along. Yeah, I love my arrogant bastards.

But it wouldn’t have worked without Robert Downey, Jr. If that had been Tom Cruise, I’d have loathed him. Downey brings such vulnerability, such humanity, such honesty, and such humor that you can’t help but adore him. And he’s the first genius superhero who I actually believed was intellectually capable of doing what he did–Downey’s intelligence comes across in every part he plays. And, I have to say, Downey has never looked hotter, which I know because I spent a good part of 2006 catching up with his oeuvre. Heroin recovery was good for him, apparently.

I didn’t even mind Gwyneth Paltrow. Her character was far more well-written than you usually see for a superhero love interest–she was quirky and funny and just as weirdly insecure as Stark. And Stark needs her at least as much as she needs him, which is nice to see; two lonely people who are all the other has, but they can’t quite get the connection right. The story did unfortunately fall into a bit of a virgin/whore dichotomy with her and the reporter woman, but I like that the reporter never stopped asking hard questions, even after she’d slept with Stark. The movie didn’t pass the Bechdel test, alas, but what superhero movie does? (Aside from X2. That’s another reason X2 is still my favorite superhero movie ever.)

The music was excellent. Very heavy metal, and… did I hear Suicidal Tendencies’ “Institutionalized” in there? I was not expecting that in such a mainstream movie. Whoever picked the songs has good taste.

And hey, Stan Lee! I was never much of a comics fan, but I grew up watching Kevin Smith movies, so I always see him and think “Hey, that dude from Mallrats!” and then I correct myself with “Stan Lee!”

jaydk complained that superhero movies always have the hero fighting a dark mirror of himself, and this was no exception. Like I said, the plot was completely paint-by-numbers. But it worked here more than usual because Stark really had been that awful. It was like he was fighting a pre-awakening version of himself.

I like that it wasn’t easy for Stark to give up making weapons–that he faced massive social and financial pressure and was laughed off as a lunatic. And I loved the harsh realization of him seeing what bullshit his company’s marketing propaganda was, that his weapons could and did kill innocents and allies. They actually managed to address some real issues in this, corporate responsibility and the horrors of “collateral damage,” in between all the blowing-stuff-up. (Although it was strange to watch it after Doctor Who; the solution here is still violence and there was definitely no “You have one chance to make a different choice…” Ah well, little steps, and it was a lot more than I was expecting from a big American action movie.)

Anyway. Bottom line: It was fucking awesome and I can’t wait to see it again.

Current Mood: cheerful