I'm reviewing this movie primarily because if I'm ever going to be a superhero, I'm supposedly most likely to be Iron Man... hahahaha! ;p (Refer to My Blog post dd 14 Mar. '07)
In this movie, Iron Man was birthed in an "origin story" that's in touch with our times but yet totally faithful to the spirit of the comic. Heck, Tony Stark even had Prof. Yinsen as assistant too!
The technological premise is quite plausible, but also tended to stretch the truth especially on the amount of punishment a human body (with or without armour!) could possibly take.
The romantic tension between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts was very well pulled off, but Happy was reduced to a mere walking prop despite his pivotal role in at least the early part of Iron Man's career in the comic.
But this was more than adequately made up by a great interpretation of Obadiah Stane by Jeff Bridges.
Worked into the movie was a conclusion with plenty of wiggle room (that seemed almost cynically-created) for a sequel, with a probable expanded role for Col. Jim Rhodes in future.
Also, somehow amidst the slam-bang techno-action, the emotional transitions in Tony's evolution from wastrel wunderkind to armoured crusader were slightly diluted despite Robert Downey Jr.'s otherwise excellent rendition of Tony Stark.
Despite this minor shortcoming, Iron Man admirably tempers the use of digital special effects to support the story-telling, without allowing them to overshadow its dramatic dimension. This alone is a major achievement, with our current glut of movies suffering from digital FX overdose.
In all, Iron Man is a great showcase for the comic.
I first saw this movie more than 13 years ago. I enjoyed it a lot even at that time. Then I saw it again on Canadian TV 3 months ago.
Then I realized I had failed the first time around (maybe I was too dumb, immature, distracted or whatever then) to fully appreciate what our lovable simpleton-savant of a protagonist was telling us as he walked us through the milestones of America's soul in the 70s.
Maybe I was more ready for Forrest Gump this time around, partly because of what I was going through over the past 6 months. Yet, I also realize the message I got from this movie may not necessarily be the very one you'll hear when you watch it for yourself.
How does this movie, set in the context of US's Vietnam-era upheaval and viewed through Forrest's folksy eyes, possibly have to say to us Asians living in a culture and era that's poles away from all that?
Lots, if we care to strip away the external and instead watch for its underlying themes. But as I said earlier, the message you 'hear' will really depend on what's going on inside yourselves too. So, to cut a potentially long movie review short, just go see this movie for yourselves... again, if you must.
Just a few clues though: watch out for stuff on Destiny, Being Yourself, Being Childlike (NOT childish!), Providence and Hope.
