Iron Man (2008) review: How does it impact Infinity War?
By Mike McNulty
Credit: Paramount Pictures/Marvel Studios; from Iron Man (2008)
What worked?
When we think of an actor as Superman, we think of Christopher Reeve. When we think of Wolverine, we think of Hugh Jackman. And we think of Tony Stark/Iron Man, we think of Robert Downey Jr. It’s impossible imagining anyone else playing Marvel’s billionaire playboy and super-genius industrialist. In fact, Iron Man wouldn’t even work half as well if not for Downey’s charismatic performance. He is the reason Iron Man is as well-known a superhero as Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man today.
Perhaps this is because Tony Stark’s life and personality symbolically–and sometimes explicitly–parallels Downey’s. Downey, like Stark, had trouble relating with and living up to the legacy his own father, and, in Hollywood circles, had a notorious reputation for hard and fast living. He even served jail time for drug possession, written off as a washed-up drug addict. Not until 2003 did Downey turn his life around, and it was Iron Man which helped resurrect his career as a box-office superstar.
Thus Iron Man isn’t just a superhero origin story; it’s a story of how a man of many talents, having squandered his gifts, decides, after a traumatic experience, to make the world a better place. That’s a powerful message an audience can immediately get behind.
Iron Man is also a surprisingly grounded superhero movie, too. Despite the advanced technology on display, the film still feels like it’s set very firmly in our world. There are times where it feels more real (but never as dark) than Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Even the dialogue–much of it ad-libbed–adds to this illusion. This can make for, at times, a very funny movie, along with some convincing romantic tension between Tony and Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Of course, the effects are decent and very convincing at times. Likewise, director Jon Favreau (who also plays Happy Hogan in the film) does a commendable job when it comes to the action set-pieces, with Tony’s escape from the Ten Rings and the debut of Mark III the stand-outs. There are other superhero movies which are better, but few which are nearly as fun.