Iron Man (2008)

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Director: Jon Favreau

Writers: Mark Fergus & Hank Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, based on characters by Stan Lee & Don Heck & Larry Leiber & Jack Kirby

Stars: Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb



After an eye-opening stint as a hostage in Afghanistan, multi-zillionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) gives up being a merchant of death to don a high-tech suit of his own invention and fight for justice and atonement as Iron Man.

 


That said, it doesn't quite reach the heights of the first two Sam Raimi Spider-Man films.

 


A superhero really benefits from having a great villain to battle; Spider-Man has the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus, Batman has the Joker, but Iron Man really never had such an arch-nemesis, even in the comics.

 


Maybe the Mandarin came closest (and there's a subtle nod to the character in the name of the terrorist organization The Ten Rings), but he's too mystical to be a good fit in a movie like this, and it would be years before Marvel actually attempted to portray him.



  So for a finale we get Stark Industries CEO Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) in an even bigger suit. 



By the end of this somewhat underwhelming climax, I was getting flashbacks to Robocop.

 


Nevertheless, the cast is great, the script is smart, and director Jon Favreau shows a sure hand with this material.

 


The final line of the film is perfect.












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