One way to make ironing fun

Movie review of "Iron Man".
Published on facebook.com, 2nd April 2008.

Wow. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "Isn't this just another Marvel/DC Comics cash-in?" Well, I have to say that this movie fills the void between the last Batman and the next (Dark Knight) one quite nicely.

Equal measures of action, plot, character and screenplay, this is a very smartly- formed package of a summer blockbuster.

Excellent casting too, by the way. Downey is superb as an authentic immoral playboy, and there are no highbrow, Batman or Fantastic Four-esque moral issues at play here. He's flawed, he's selfish, egotistical, and more of an anti-hero for the majority of the film. And, whilst all the high-tech requires suspension of disbelief, his character does not. The same can be said for Paltrow, who plays his long-suffering assistant. This is not your regular, fall-at-the-feet of the hero bimbo role, but a punchy portrayal of a modern, intelligent woman in full control of her emotions and urges. The fact that they DON'T get together is another credit to Favreau. It's also nice to see Bridges in a villain role rather than his typecast bla bla do-gooder variety.

The script too is above average, with a fair smattering of laughs and some real zinger lines. My own favourite is Paltrow's, "Sometimes, I even have to take out the trash". More witty dialogue comes about with Downey, who in the absence of any friends builds an almost human relationship with the various powerful IT devices around him.

All in all it's an excellent value package of entertainment, and the effects et al make the trip to the cinema well worth it - don't wait for DVD on this one.