Iron Man
May 13th, 2008 by Frank
Ultimately, Iron Man is a fairly crap movie with excellent performances from Robert Downey Jr and Jeff Bridges.
My expectations were not particularly high, although the trailer did get my pulse racing, I have long since learned not to trust the trailers – especially when it comes to Summer films.
So I figured it’d be a bit of a laugh but I guess somewhere I did secretly hope that just maybe they would make a good film.
By what seems to be modern standards it’s not a bad film, but modern standards seem to be pretty low these days aren’t they?
I never read a huge amount of Iron Man stories, but I am fairly convinced there must be a wealth of material out there to draw on – so why on earth did it seem like they struggled terribly to find a plot?
Come on people, stop making films until you have the plot thought out!!!
It’s really not good enough to rely on the charisma of your main actors and then pit two superpowered yokes against each other as an afterthought for a finale. And yes, that pretty much is a summation of Iron Man the film, and I’m sorry if I have ruined it for you.
However, I’m not ready to admit that Eoin was right and it was a terrible film, because I turned my brain off and enjoyed the cool suit and the two good performances, and despite it not being a good film I want you all to go to it because maybe then we’ll get the second installment (which I believe Robert Downey Jr has signed up for) and which might be better now that they can relax into it a bit.
There is still potential for a real kick ass Iron Man movie which actually has useful things for a film, like plot.
Entries (RSS)
May 13th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Frank, if you have to turn your brain off it’s a terrible film!
In other news there are claims that Captain America’s shield is in the film (not convinced myself). Add this to the news that the serum that creates Abomination in the forthcoming Hulk is the same serum that creates Captain America and I think someone out there might be planning a Captain America film soon.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
No, I think there’s a class of ‘turn-your-brain-off’ films which once placed in the correct classification can be rated as good, or even excellent. Misfile them and they would have to be rated as awful, or even excrement.
Captain America could be a very interesting film if they ignored his origin and used some of the recent storylines where his unfaltering belief in the US of A is shaken…
May 13th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
We will have to agree to disagree until one of us proves the other wrong! ;P
That would be an interesting film Frank. Get writing! Although I can’t see any Hollywood studio making that film.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Surely the box office takings for certain films prove me right…? I win. Where’s my medal?
I must loan you a Captain America comic I had which started out really well… along the above lines. Can’t remember what it was called, but it must be lying around somewhere.
All this talk of comics has me dying to read some again actually… must pay a visit to the comic shop!
May 14th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Then the way those ‘successful’ films are forgotten over time must prove me right?
I’ll read them Frank, but you still have to write the screenplay.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Fine. Here.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am
What’s that?
May 14th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Your medal! I couldn’t think of a comeback.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Ha, ha! Thanks! I didn’t recognise it because I never got one before. *snif*
May 16th, 2008 at 8:00 am
[...] the latest Incredible Hulk trailer. Might be a little slow to load but I do like the HD [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I took the kids to Iron Man yesterday. I enjoyed it. I think it probably deserves an extra half star in your review Frank. I’m guessing you didn’t stick around till the post credit sequence, because that really gave the whole thing an extra kick, from a comics geek perspective. Check it out:
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=29676
Quality is rough, any decent quality clips from online seem to have been pulled already. I bet they’ll do similar in Hulk with Iron Man coming in at the end.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Yeah, I heard after I saw it that there was something in the closing credits… not sure that would have done it for me, after all, it’s a little akin to when they made that odd decision on the Kingpin in Daredevil isn’t it?
On the movie on the whole, maybe going with the kids actually worked in it’s favour? As in you’d see it through their eyes to a degree too…
Having said that, I’d sit through it again if I had my arm twisted to any degree so it’s not like I completely hated it or anything.
It REALLY made me want to read some comics. Haven’t picked up any yet though, was thinking of that one you told me about which I have fogotten the name of again…
Still though, roll on the next superhero film
May 19th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Yes, being with the kids did help.
Marvel comic is Civil War. make sure you get this one first:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Civil-War-Mark-Millar/dp/078512179X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211193939&sr=8-2
It’s the core around which the other million spin-offs/companion pieces are based.
I don’t have a problem with race reassignment in general. Certainly not if they pick a decent actor for it.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I see that there’s already Iron Man sequel confusion. Doesn’t bode well.
July 29th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
[...] a Summer for us Superhero fans – Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and now The Dark Knight . Iron Man was fun, The Incredible Hulk was great until the CGI kicked in, but overall it has to be said Batman [...]
September 8th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Want to be in Iron Man 2?
December 6th, 2008 at 2:29 am
I finally watched Iron Man! I’d say 2 out of 5. Ultimately it didn’t succeed in being the film it wanted to be but most of the performances are good and there are a few good sequences and even more interesting sequences.
I believe that Iron Man will disappoint further in its sequel and then go away (maybe they’ll do an Avenger movie in there first though), but this film will make a mark on film-makers and influence future such movies.
December 6th, 2008 at 2:43 am
Doesn’t make my Top 10 either.