Comic Book Movies 101: Iron Man

3rd May 2011

Iron Man is one of the comic book adaptations that miraculously gets better with each viewing. On first look it’s very deceptive a film. Sure it’s fun, it has some good effects and a truly mesmerising performance from RDJ, but ultimately it seems like a fairly bog standard ‘first film’ to establish the character. And on first viewing you could be forgiven for thinking so. Hell, it didn’t even have that great an action ending!

But then again – going back and paying attention to each scene and every word from the actors – there are gems left right and centre and suddenly you remember that the plot wasn’t that simple after all. And that it spent a lot of time building character, as Mr Gold-and-Red doesn’t even appear until half way through. And when he does, he looks, as the Americans love to say, AWESOME! And he does some pretty amazing stuff too.

So Tony Stark is taken prisoner after an attack which leaves him with a heart condition. We’re then shown a flashback lead up to his kidnapping where find out that he isn’t really the nicest guy on the planet. He’s a man full to the brim with pros and cons. But once he’s stuck in a cave with only another prisoner for company we see the genius of the man come to life as he creates the first iconic Iron Man suit (although he’s meant to be building a weapon for the terrorists). He manages to escape with himself intact, but not the suit, and heads home a new man ready to take his idea to the next level . All much to the surprise of his assistant Pepper Potts (a very good Gwyneth Paltrow), his best friend James Rhodes (Terrance Howard) and his mentor Obidiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).

Even around his workshop, RDJ may be the only actor there, but there’s a wealth of other characters. He’s assisted by Paul Bettany’s voice as Jarvis, the home computer, and also by various mechanical arms and cranes with limited A.I. The one we get the most joy from is one he lovingly calls “Dummy” as it never does things quite the way he’d like – or perhaps Dummy is just too eager to please its master (like a giddy puppy) and suffers from a lack of timing. Yet Stark is forever threatening to shut him down if he doesn’t behave (this affectionately continues into Iron Man 2).

Dummy gets one of the film’s biggest laughs with the fire extinguisher moments in Stark’s testing of his flight suits. But he also gets one of the cutest moments in the film. This bittersweet moment happens after Tony has been immobilised by Stane and had his chest piece removed. He has to crawl down to his lab to fetch the original one from a display case which Pepper gave him as a gift. In this scene he reaches the workbench and can’t get to the top to reach for his lifeline. He collapses to the ground. There’s a beat of morbid silence as Stark looks almost comatose; then into frame we see the small glass case containing the chest piece lowered towards him with only the sound of the mechanical arm that holds it for him to take. Stark’s eyeballs slowly roll up to see it‘s Dummy handing his master the very thing that he needs to stay alive, with almost perfect timing. And, not missing a beat, with a softly whispered “Good. Boy”, Stark smashes the case open and gets his life back.

And that’s how clever this script can be – giving time and nuance to characters that aren’t alive, or even have voices for that matter. And it goes a long way when you consider around the same time we had Transformers to contend with. (Apologies to all Transformers fans out there, but I think even the majority of them would nod their heads and slowly clap a bit in agreement.)

People seem to forget that there’s a lot of action in Iron Man. Why critics thought the action was badly done is beyond me. I personally thought the test flight that ends with him freezing in the upper atmosphere was pretty good. Or Iron Man hanging on the belly of a jet? Pretty good too. His first full on Iron Man confrontation is back in the country that took him hostage and we get a fast, slick attack on a small army of troops and use of a variety of gadgets to kill them. (Finally, a comic book hero who actually kills to put villains out of their misery – yes, we’re looking at you Spidey, Bats and Supes!)

The previously mentioned supporting cast do all they can to fill the space around Downey Jr. Terrance Howard is a very good Rhodey and it’s a shame he was replaced in the sequel by a less good Don Cheadle. Marvel hasn’t got the best reputation when it comes to dealing with actors. Either they’ve had the bad luck to pick actors who want more in a follow-up than they’re willing to give, or they’re just poor judges of character – in the past few years we’ve seen not just Rhodey re-imagined, but also the Hulk and the Punisher (who can’t seem to hold onto an actor for more than one film). It’s ironic in the case of Iron Man and the Hulk as these characters, along with the likes of this year’s Thor and Captain America, are all going to appear in The Avengers. So it’s a universe in film they‘re creating and you’d think that continuity would be something of prime interest. Well, I guess no world is perfect, so why should this one be any different.

Jeff Bridges is one of the few actors not to go OTT with his villainous role. In fact he remains likeable and observant throughout which gives the scene where he incapacitates Stark all the more edge and creepy viability. Stane doesn’t get loud and boisterous until he’s in his armour.

We should also point out that director Favreau has also cast himself as Stark’s main muscle Happy Hogan, which is no more than a glorified cameo here but is extended in the sequel.

What made me want to watch this film again soon after first viewing is the end scene. Stark, still a playboy with an ego has saved the day (even if it was Pepper who actually took out the bad guy) and is being prepped by an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D about what to say at a press conference in the aftermath of the violence. There’s a cute reference to the Iron Man as Stark’s bodyguard cover story from the comics, but when faced with the room full of press reporters, Stark just can’t help himself and delivers the last line in the film: “I am Iron Man”. Cue pandemonium in the room, as well as the beginning of the end credits for the viewer. Perfect! Always leave them wanting more.

It’s moment like this in the script along with Downey Jr’s performance that make this film a delight to revisit. And make it as a contender for one of the better comic book movie adaptations out there at present. And with all of the trash I’ve been re-watching lately it’s nice to hit the occasional high note. Roll on The Avengers and Iron Man 3!

Steven Hurst