Everything they do is preposterous, of course, but they seem to be doing it, not the suits. The armored robotic suits utilized by Tony and Obadiah would upstage lesser actors than Downey and Bridges it's surprising how much those two giant iron men seem to reflect the personalities of the men inside them. When somebody isn't talking, something is banging, clanging or laying rubber. The movie is largely founded on its special effects. It makes him a superhero who can think, reason and draw moral conclusions, instead of one who recites platitudes. How unique that Tony Stark wants to disarm. In most movies in this genre, the goal would be to create bigger and better weapons. It is instead the reality in our own world today: Armaments are escalating beyond the ability to control them. We'd be back in the world of " Swingers" (1996) which was written by Favreau.Īnother of the film's novelties is that the enemy is not a conspiracy or spy organization. What a horror show it would have been if they were all tuned to Tony Stark's sardonic wave length. Rhodes, is at every moment a conventional straight arrow. Jeff Bridges makes Obadiah Stane one of the great superhero villains by seeming plausibly concerned about the stock price. ![]() Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts as a woman who is seriously concerned that this goofball will kill himself. The supporting cast wisely does not try to one-up him. It's prudent, I think, that Favreau positions the rest of the characters in a more serious vein. He's flippant in the face of disaster, casual on the brink of ruin. What happens in "Iron Man," however, is that sometimes we wonder how seriously even Stark takes it. If there is broad humor, it usually belongs to the villain. If there is wit in the dialog, the superhero is often supposed to be unaware of it. "Iron Man" doesn't seem to know how seriously most superhero movies take themselves. He could talk that way and be Juno's uncle. ![]() Some superheroes speak in a kind of heightened, semi-formal prose, as if dictating to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. ![]() persona would find it difficult to get away with weighty, profound statements (in an "entertainment," anyway-a more serious film like " Zodiac" is another matter). There are some things that some actors can safely say onscreen, and other things they can't. So comfortable is Downey with Tony Stark's dialogue, so familiar does it sound coming from him, that the screenplay seems almost to have been dictated by Downey's persona. If he hadn't desired that, he probably wouldn't have hired Downey. The fact that Downey is allowed to think and talk the way he does while wearing all that hardware represents a bold decision by the director, Jon Favreau. Tony Stark is created from the persona Downey has fashioned through many movies: irreverent, quirky, self-deprecating, wise-cracking. He doesn't behave like most superheroes: he lacks the psychic weight and gravitas. Between Stark and Pepper, there's that classic screen tension between "friends" who know they can potentially become lovers.ĭowney's performance is intriguing, and unexpected. (Why did "Stark," during that scene, make me think of "staring mad?"). Obadiah Stane doesn't come onscreen waving flags and winking at the camera to announce he is the villain he seems adequately explained simply as the voice of reason at Stark's press conference. Between the two men, there are echoes of the relationship between Howard Hughes and Noah Dietrich in Scorsese's " The Aviator" (2004). They have relationships that seem fully-formed and resilient enough to last through the whole movie, even if plot mechanics were not about to take them to another level. Much of that feeling is created by the chemistry involving Downey, Paltrow and Bridges. They seem to have worked together for awhile. ![]() They don't feel drummed up for the occasion. Consider the characters of Pepper Potts ( Gwyneth Paltrow), Stark's loyal aide, and Obadiah Stane ( Jeff Bridges), Stark's business partner. You get the feeling, for example, of a functioning corporation. With "Iron Man," you get a glimpse into the depths. With many superhero movies, all you get is the surface of the illusion. Yes, I knew I was looking at sets and special effects-but I'm referring to the reality of the illusion, if that make any sense.
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