By PHIL SPIZZICA
Staff Writer
When I first saw the trailer for Iron Man, I was surprised to see Robert Downey, Jr. cast as Tony Stark. It pleased me, however, to see that such a talented and fitting actor had been chosen. As it turns out, he couldn’t have been more perfect for the role. Downey’s acting is absolutely stellar, and the rest of the cast deliver a respectable performance as well. I think it’s a great movie.
What makes Iron Man so effective is that it’s virtually devoid of those moments that make me say “that can’t happen,” which is rather impressive, considering the film’s premise. This is largely due to the sharp writing, convincing computer generated imagery, and meticulous attention to detail. These elements of the film are all extremely well done, and the story translates to the screen remarkably.
The plot is efficient, simple and includes the right amount of action, which is probably less than you’ve come to expect from this kind of film. Iron Man predominately favors character development and story progression over action, and I feel it’s highly effective. The dialogue is smart and often very funny. It’s unfortunate that the pacing skips a beat occasionally, and the action, while solid for the most part, can be substantially underwhelming at times. In particular, the final battle leaves a lot to be desired. This is probably the film’s greatest flaw. I wouldn’t let it discourage me, however.
“I thought it was a great movie, but I’m also a big comic book fan.” said CCC sophomore Terry Cronk, “It’s got a lot of action scenes and some comedic parts. I think Robert Downey, Jr. did a great job.”
Iron Man is an excellent movie. It’s got its hits and misses, but it’s a blast to watch through and through; any complaints I have are relatively minor when you consider the big picture. Even if you’re not normally into this sort of thing, it’s at least worthy of a rental. The sequel, Iron Man 2, is currently in production.
Iron Man is still receiving raving reviews, even after its DVD release.
O snap, I’m quoted on the web, nice!