Marvel Mania: MCU Phase 1- Iron Man

Iron Man (2008)
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard
Directed by: Jon Favreau


Plot Summary: Billionaire and weapon's manufacturer Tony Stark is captured and imprisoned by the terrorist group the Ten Rings. During the attack, Tony is injured by one of his own grenades, which sends shrapnel into his chest near his heart. Tony is hooked up to an electromagnet powered by a car battery in order to keep him alive. The Ten Rings have kidnapped Stark in order for him to build him his patented Jericho missile, which he agrees to for the sake of not being killed. However, Stark has very different plans in mind. After assembling an arc reactor to replace the electromagnet and power his actual creation, a suit of armor to help them escape. Once Tony has made it back to the United States, he announces in a press conference that he will be shutting down the weapons manufacturing department at Stark Industries. Realizing that there is still evil in the world that needs to be stopped, he assembles a more advanced version of his suit of armor and plans to fight crime as Iron Man.


Ok...so a lot of you are probably wondering what the heck this is. For almost 2 years now I have had a very strict regimen on reviewing films from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list. While it feels good to maybe inform the casual moviegoer about films they may normally watch, I get approached all the time about my thoughts on commercially successful blockbuster films, such as a movie franchise. When it comes to being a movie critic, you can't just look at the critically acclaimed movies. You also need to accept what else is out there and share your thoughts on that. So, I will now start to shake things up and offer other movie reviews in addition to my usual 1001 Movies series. Now that we have that out of the way, MARVEL! I am a HUGE fan of superhero movies, and no company has become a bigger juggernaut in superhero entertainment than Marvel Studios and their films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This summer we have 2 more movies being added to round out Phase 2 (Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man) of the Universe, so let's take some time this month to observe all the other movies in Phase 1 and Phase 2 that we have so far. Iron Man was the film that kickstarted the MCU, and I'll just say it was a VERY good way to start this franchise off with a bang.

Unless you've lived under a rock for 7 years, everyone knows that Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark. When people talk about ideal castings in comic book movies, Downey Jr. has been one of the names that has popped up the most. It's very rare to find someone who doesn't enjoy his wit and charisma when playing Tony Stark, the two personalities have since become one and the same. The personality Downey Jr. has perfectly fits the tone of what director Jon Favreau wanted for Tony Stark, and it is through his performance that the film succeeds. Had he been a terrible Iron Man, we wouldn't be anticipating a second Avengers movie. We have seen to this date Downey Jr. make 5 different appearances as Stark (6 counting Age of Ultron), so there is obviously a demand from the fans to see him. Just watch for yourself and see why. His actions are so obnoxious, but his charisma makes you still fall in love with his character. He also undergoes deep changes in his character throughout the film that any viewer could admire, since it feels like something that would really happen to anyone after undergoing something as traumatic as Stark did.

After Tony has made his decision to develop the Iron Man suit, he has two allies who then become "obstacles" that challenge his decisions. The first is his business partner Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges. Bridges is one of the first well-established actors to be brought into the MCU to play a strong supporting role and he does a fine job in playing a foil to Stark. He's older and has a stronger business savvy that greatly counters Stark's brash and impulsive personality. The other person is Tony's best friend Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, played by Terrence Howard. Even though he didn't make it to the other Iron Man films, I really like how Howard played Rhodes. I'll get into that more when I review Rhodes's roles in the sequels, but trust me when I said I believed Howard would've made a better War Machine, as that was teased near the end of the film it would appear "next time, baby." Howard definitely was no nonsense when it came to Stark's antics, but also knew when to give him credit for his brilliance. He was tough and heroic, yet also had humor when being roped into Stark's decisions.

Tony receives some help in his quest to fight for justice as Iron Man, starting with his personal assistant Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. She assists Tony more as himself than when he is Iron Man, always trying to prove that he doesn't need the suit to be someone special. She's obviously a teased love interest, but she also isn't a complete damsel in distress. There are scenes where she ends up having to bail him out of trouble, and even times where her words put Tony in his place. Tony's other assistant is his personal AI named J.A.R.V.I.S., voiced by Paul Bettany. He is one of the smartest computer programs you will ever see on film, and he also has enough personality to draw quite a bit of one-liners at Tony's expense. Both these characters play larger roles throughout the Universe, but as far as introductions go, they are done well in painting important characters within Tony's world.

Iron Man really showed how much fun comic book movies could be, while also being well-made. While The Dark Knight was amazing film that came out during the same summer, it had a grittier, darker tone that prevented it from being a film that is more marketed towards general audiences. This film is definitely no kid's movie though, with its violent war-inspired themes, and the playboy antics of Stark, it is certainly geared for teens and adults while still having enough flashy colors and brighter imagery to entertain the entire family. And it is still considered a great adaptation of bringing a superhero to the big screen. If you were to look at it as a standalone movie, it would still hold up immensely. However, since it was a big success, it launched some HUGE plans into motion with the help of a now infamous post credits scene.

I'm just gonna put the word *SPOILERS* over this next paragraph...

One of the trademarks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which has also transitioned over to the X-Men and Spider-Man movies) has been the inclusion of a post-credits scene to get us ready for the next film. In Iron Man, we had no idea about the universe that was being created before our eyes. So the scene is as follows: Tony Stark enters his home in the dark to hear an intruder speaking to him, telling him he's not the only superhero in the world and that he's become a part of a bigger universe. He steps into the light revealing that he is Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. and he's played by Samuel L. Jackson. He's there to talk to Tony about the Avenger Initiative...and it cuts to black. OH MY GOODNESS! I didn't watch this movie in theaters (I waited for it to come out on DVD and only came across this end credits scene because I was too lazy to stop the movie after the credits), and I'm sure not many stayed until the end credits to see this gem. Boy how times have changed. Nowadays, moviegoers wait at the end of EVERY movie to make sure it's fully finished before going home. With this one scene, the fate of Marvel as a movie studio changed forever. It teased one of the biggest things imaginable: Could the Avengers really come to the big screen...? And then it got people thinking...Isn't there an Incredible Hulk movie coming out later this summer...?


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

7 years later and look how far Marvel has come from this ONE movie. Iron Man is full of great action, witty dialogue, and introduced the world to the Robert Downey Jr. we know and love today. If you love comic book movies, then this one definitely needs to be a part of your collection.

Iron Man and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures