The Fanboy Feature - Iron Man

Charles Ang
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If IRON MAN is indicative of what we can expect from other upcoming blockbusters, then this will be a very good summer to go to the movies.

First of all, I should say that Iron Man is not the greatest movie you will ever see. It also can't really be called awe-inspiring or groundbreaking, even for the growing 'superhero movie' genre. Instead, I walked out of Iron Man thinking that it was one of the most solid movies I have seen in a long time.

As the film must first establish the origin of the character (whom many are unfamiliar with), the creators of Iron Man did an excellent job presenting Tony Stark as a straight-forward, yet poignant hero. Without going too much into the history of the character, it must be said that Robert Downey Jr. essentially IS Tony Stark. He plays the role of the cocky, billionaire inventor perfectly, but manages to still make the character charming and likable. He also shows the human and fallible side of Stark without getting too cheesy for the audience - it's very hard to find any flaws with his performance.

Many reviews have compared Iron Man to the first Spider-Man movie, namely for staying faithful to the comics while allowing mainstream audiences to connect with the hero and his story. I think the greatest similarity between the two films, however, is that both heroes recognize the need to rectify their past mistakes, and this remains the driving force of their foray into heroics. It's a formula that clearly works with the movie-going public, and Iron Man utilizes it very well.

All in all, Iron Man has set a very high bar for the franchise (currently the highest rated superhero movie of all time), so a sequel goes without saying. It would be very interesting if Jon Favreau decides to explore the darker side of the character, especially Stark's descent into alcoholism. I also wonder which villain will be used next, since Iron Man's main enemies are either tech-based like Iron Monger, or just flat-out surreal (see: Alien Dragon and Chinese Magician).

OR, if we're lucky, the film will pick up after the last scene that takes place AFTER the credits. Yes, if you are going to watch this movie, STAY TILL THE END OF THE CREDITS. You might just hear mention of a certain government 'initiative' that has fanboys gleaming with joy.

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