# Iron Man Review (mild Spoiler alert)



## Andy Moynihan (May 6, 2008)

Well, I guess it's time to hear a comic book movie review from a bona fide comic book geek.

So I have now got back from seeing it twice in 3 days and may be going again Friday which should tell you something right outta the gate.

I was very happy upon reading the opening credits to read that the film was produced by "Marvel Studios". Upon further research it seems this was Marvel's own first release from its own proprietary film studio, and the difference in story quality is noticeable right away.

It is my opinion that Robert Downey Jr had both the pre *and* post injury aspects of Tony Stark's personality *nailed*.(Given Downey's past, it probably added something to the realism of his performance).

Some people were a bit taken aback by the film opening with AC/DC's "Back in Black" on Stark's radio. I actually find it somewhat appropriate since back in the 60's/70's when Black Sabbath released "Iron Man" it was later retconned into the comic book "history", that that song inspired Stark's choice of alter identity, having been a young Tony Stark's favorite song, so it would stand to reason he'd be a classic rock fan.

Stark's "origin story" has been altered but very little, like less than 10%, and all of it only for purely practical storytelling reasons:

* The first issue having been released in 1963, having him pitching his wares and being taken hostage by Vietcong in Southeast Asia made sense. Location and enemy have just been updated is all.

*The Chinese physicist "Yin Sen" has morphed into a "Dr. Yinsen" of indeterminate but suggestively Indo-European descent from a fictional place called "Gulmira", because since this ain't Southeast Asia no more, it makes no sense for him to be Chinese.

*Obadiah Stane was never initially a founder, co-owner, or employee of Stark Enterprises, although he did later appear and do the whole hostile-takeover bit. (Stark later regained his company in what was to be the first of a string of cases where he lost and regained it). However, for storytelling purposes, it keeps a major villain involved in the hero's origin, and who better to slam home Stark's realizations about accountability than to find the man that's been basically his uncle all his life has ordered a hit on him and has been dealing his weapons to terrorists under the table, and has locked him out of the board of directors. 

That and we got to see the Iron Monger armor too

I won't spoil any more of the movie, suffice to say that you have just heard a comic book geek tell you this is the best comic-to-film transition he has ever seen, EVER. 

NOW--Since they've already set up a sequel so blatantly( and don't think I'm complaining)...Lemme make some educated comic book geek guesses as to where I see the next movie going:

*We saw Rhodey( who later becomes "War Machine") look over and comment at what is very strongly implied to be the War Machine armor in its half-finished prototype stage.

*We see that Stark has a romantic interest in Pepper, but we also see sparks between Pepper and the, like, one S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that actually has a name.

*Yinsen makes a comment to Stark expressing his amazement that during a convention in their past when they met, Stark was able to give a lecture while plastered when Yinsen couldn't have even stood given a similar intoxication level.

*Stane lifts a bottle of Scotch in Tony's office and comments to Pepper that Tony always did like "the good stuff".(Tony Stark is a recovering alcoholic, but there were times in his past he wasn't so very "recovering". I don't know what Stark's current status is on that, not having followed Iron Man as closely as i used to when I was younger and had money to blow on comics )

My educated guess is this:

*Tony will run into some deep troubling problems(Like maybe someone takes over his company(we never *DID* see Stane's body recovered after all) or maybe Pepper has a boyfriend( the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent) which will drive him back to drinking.

*While Stark is in his cups and useless, Mandarin will appear and raise all kinds of Cain which Stark is in no shape to do anything about.

*Rhodey steps in and either adopts the red/gold Iron Man armor first, as he did in the comics, or maybe goes straight to the War Machine armor.

*Rhodey goes a bit nutty since the armor is not calibrated to his nervous system as it is to Stark's.

*Stark must sober up and put Rhodey down.

* from a movie perspective, my guess would be he calibrates the War Machine armor to Rhodey and takes the Iron Man armor back himself and they both attack Mandarin.

Andy Called It.


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## brandy (May 6, 2008)

Did you happen to stay until after the ending credits?


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## Andy Moynihan (May 6, 2008)

Why......YES.


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## arnisador (May 6, 2008)

We have to wait two whole years for the sequel, though...


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## brandy (May 6, 2008)

arnisador said:


> We have to wait two whole years for the sequel, though...


 
Two years?


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## arnisador (May 7, 2008)

Yup--they're planning a trilogy, with the next one out in 2010.


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## Steel Tiger (May 8, 2008)

I liked it.  It had a real Iron Man feel about it.  I was a little disappointed that the Titanium Man origin was kind of cut off in favour of the Iron monger story (a better story really).

Some nice connections at the end.  May need to see some other movies as a result.

It was also good to see Marvel making their own films.


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