Your "Friendly Neighborhood" Shellhead....OOPS! Wrong Super-Hero!!!

The next anticipated movie from the Marvel line of comic books is "IRON MAN". There has been an overload of comic book films and thankfully, this one doesn‘t have "Fantastic Four‘s" quality. "Shellhead" goes to the big screen courtesy of director Jon Favreau with a solid screenplay by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. Yes, the movie is great and as with "Spider-Man" is the cardboard cutout of everything a comic book film should be. Yes, everything but it didn't quite unseat "Spider-man 2" as Marvel's best comic adaptation. (in my opinion)

Anthony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a billionaire industrialist/inventor and dubbed as a "Merchant of War"; Stark makes most of his fortune making weapons for the military. One day, fate intervenes and Stark finds himself captured and injured by terrorists. With the aid of a man named Yinsen (Shaun Toub), Stark creates a suit of armor from scratch and escapes the clutches of the terrorists.

This experience had apparently affected Stark in a life-changing way. Now he intends to use his resources to the betterment of mankind, much to the dismay of Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges). To atone for his sins, Stark builds a steel-mesh suit and becomes the ultimate human fighting machine…

When I said that the film is a cardboard cutout of everything a comic book film should be, it is because the screenplay carries references to the Shellhead's comic series from his very origin. Never try to "fix" something that's not broken. The backdrop has been changed from Vietnam to Iraq; and this is a very clever move since it does relate to current events. Characters from the comic make a appearance; Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Yinsen, Obadiah Stane (strong references to "Ultimate Iron Man"), Jarvis the robotic assistant (Jarvis the butler was probably avoided due to similarities to Batman's Alfred) and Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard). S.H.I.E.L.D., "War Machine" and the Avengers Initiative anyone? The film carried a surmountable amount of teases that can have the avid comic fan very excited. Writers Fergus and Ostby definitely did their homework on this one.

All these factors and the solid direction by Favreau makes for a very entertaining fun movie. The direction has near-excellent structure. I didn't notice any plot holes at all and the execution is solid, the direction knew exactly what it wanted to do and sticks to it. This can be a double-edged sword and I'll explain in a minute. I truly commend the first act of the film as Stark is portrayed as a man very much in for himself who realizes the consequences of his inventions. Why is it so much easier to invent weapons of destruction than to make things to advance mankind? The film does have a strong moral message and a nice touch of humanity. We're fallible, but what matters is how we make our following choices.

The film is also blessed with a great cast. Downey does make a good Tony Stark, and the supporting cast does mesh well. Gwyneth Paltrow's "Pepper Potts" may seem a little "doopie" but I rather thought that it was her character in the comic. Tony is a playboy and boy, I was very amused by his escapades. Hopefully, the cast is signed for its sequel. The action scenes are decently shot and the best one I think is Shellhead's invasion into enemy territory. The battle with "Iron Monger" is a little short and not exactly as bone-crushing as I would've preferred it to be but I suppose it fits the film's pace. Boy, the CGI can trample the EFX in "Tranformers". Shellhead is a "global" super-hero with concerns that surpass bank robberies and criminals.

Now, before anything else, let me make it very clear that I really thought that "Iron Man" is a great movie. Great structure, AMAZING special effects that puts most CGI to shame and clever dialogue. But the film seemed too ‘safe" and while the script was very good, it just didn't feel that it was willing to take risks and somehow, I think it didn't realize its full potential. The villain is a little underwhelming and as to be expected, the hero will encounter his exact opposite, that ends up being predictable. Just who is Obadiah Stane in the comic book? He is the man who trampled Stark to the ground and drove him to alcoholism. The man should be cunning and evil, not reduced to a power hungry, greedy businessman. As great as the movie is, it just didn't offer any surprises and I felt like I was just watching just another "super-hero" movie and I‘m ready for the next one. Maybe if this came before the first "Spider-man" (that launched the super-hero new wave) then this film would be just awe-inspiring. The film just put me in very familiar territory that I really felt as if it was the same old thing. Some scenes proved too silly for my tastes but it was still entertaining. Are these signs of super-hero overdose?

Despite the feeling of "super-hero" burnout, the villain becoming too routine and with the film being too "safe" for its own good, I really believe "Iron Man" is still a great effort in the super hero genre. At least, it knew what it wanted to do; entertain the young and old alike. The film is not pretentious and despite the limits it imposed on itself, the film is a very entertaining and a great summer film. Undoubtedly, this film will stand as one of the best super-hero flicks to grace movie theaters.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [4+ Stars]

This review was drafted in June 2008.