Ironman

• Title:  Ironman
• Director:  Jon Favreau
• Date:  2008
• Studio:  Paramount, Marvel
• Genre:  Action, Fantasy
• Cast:  Robert Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"So you're a man who has everything and nothing."  -- Yinsen (when Tony tells him he has no family)


"Thank you for saving me."  -- Tony Stark
"Don't waste it.  Don't waste your life."  -- Yinsen


"I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them.  And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."  -- Tony Stark

When we first meet Tony Stark, well, when we first meet him -- he's getting blown up by one of  his own weapons manufacturing company's weapons -- but the film quickly flashes back and shows us the previous thirty-six hours of  Tony's life.  Tony Stark is rich, powerful, irresponsible, a playboy, and a bit of a jerk.  He has no idea what his own company is doing, though he thinks he does, and he probably doesn't care.  On a publicity trip to Iraq or Afghanistan to demonstrate his company new weapon, the Jericho missile (a multi-warhead missile that reminds me of  the "probes" in Stargate:  Atlantis), Tony's convoy home is attacked.  And thus we are back where the teaser to the film starts - the convoy is blown-up, and Tony is blown-up by a Stark Industries weapon.

Tony wakes in a rebel camp, the multi-national Ten Rings group.  He's tortured, but his life is also saved by an electro-magnet installed in his chest by a man also being held captive, Yinsen.  Yinsen is learned, a doctor, and had met Tony before at a lecture, though Tony doesn't remember him.  The rebels demand that Tony build them a Jericho rocket.  Tony refuses.  Then he agrees, but instead of  building the rebels a weapon, he builds a suit (and a miniature arc reactor to power the electro-magnet in his chest keeping the shrapnel from entering his heart).  His plan is for he and Yinsen to get out of  there.  Yinsen dies in the attempt, but Tony not only gets out, he uses a flame-thrower to burn-up the cache of  weapons and several of the rebels.

Rhodey, Tony's friend from the Air Force, rescues him and returns him to Pepper Potts, his administrative assistant.  Tony refuses medical attention, asks for a cheeseburger, and has Pepper arrange a press conference.  At the conference, he announces Stark Industries will no longer manufacture weapons.  Obadiah steps in and shuts him up.  Tony isn't pleased.

Tony has shown himself  to be an excellent engineer -- with the ability to not only plan how to make something, but to actually assemble it -- with skills in welding, forging metal, building things, and improving things.  He uses the paladium from some of  the weapons in the rebel cave to forge a ring that powers his arc reactor, as well as making the Mark I  Ironman suit.

Tony returns to "The Orphanage", his home in presumably California, and begins working on improving his Arc Reactor.  Obadiah tells him "the board" thinks he has PTSD, and orders an injunction against him, freezing him out.  Tony still insists Stark Industries will no longer make weapons.  He returns to his workshop and starts the Mark II  Ironman suit.  Tony, again, is an excellent engineer -- and some of  the best scenes in the film are of  him working, by himself, to solve a problem.

And by the bye -- I WANT a Jarvis!  A computerized butler, assistant, and 3-D computer interface.  Jarvis goes on my short list of SF inventions I want (along with, say a TARDIS), but I digress.

Tony goes to the Fire-Fighters ball that one of  his charities sponsors, and dances with Pepper, but then discovers (a) Stark Industries is selling weapons to the enemy, (b) Obadiah froze Tony out so he could continue to do so.  Finding about about Stark weapons being used to target Gulmira, Yinsen's home town, Tony gets into the Ironman gear and decides to do something.  He kicks butt, basically.

More confirmation that Obadiah is not Tony's friend:  he's paying the rebels (in cash and weapons), and asked them to kill Tony Stark.  And this was before Tony becomes Ironman.  Obadiah takes the pieces of Tony's original survival suit (which were left in the desert) to Level 16 of  Stark Industries, so he can make more suits.  Tony needs proof of  this so he sends in Pepper to get that proof.  But she doesn't immediately agree -- that their conversation says a lot about both characters and their relationship.

"There is the next mission and nothing else."  -- Tony
"Is that so?  Well, then, I quit."  -- Pepper
"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction.  And now that I'm trying to protect the people I put in harm's way; You're going to walk out?" -- Tony
"You're going to kill yourself, Tony.  I'm not going to be a part of  it." -- Pepper
"I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason.  I'm not crazy, Pepper.  I just finally know what I have to do.  And I know in my heart that it's right." -- Tony

Tony is learning responsibility, and he's starting to acknowledge his feelings for Pepper.  Feelings she's returned but for the fact that he's her boss.  But there is a caring between the two.

Pepper gets the info and runs into Agent Coulson of  S.H.I.E.L.D.  But Obadiah gets to Tony first, stuns him, takes the arc reactor, threatens to kill Pepper, and informs Tony he's going to make an army of  Ironman suits to sell to the highest bidder.  Dying, Tony tries to get to his workshop to put the old arc reactor in his chest.  Meanwhile, Pepper is frantic -- worrying about Tony.  She sends Rhodey to him.

Tony is able to get in the Ironman suit and fight Obadiah.  Though S.H.I.E.L.D. prepares an alibi for Tony - he admits before a press conference that he is Ironman - cut to end credits.

Ironman walks the path of  many more traditional hero stories -- the hero (to be) is a jerk, with problems understanding the real world.  The hero faces a life-altering threat.  A mentor helps the hero see his true path, but dies.  The hero emerges in a new guise but isn't quite ready or the completed/perfect hero yet.  There's another crisis.  By walking through the fire of  the second crisis -- the hero becomes the final, complete, perfected hero he is meant to be.  However, the film does it with style -- and the artful talents of  Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow -- both of whom are excellent in this.  Enjoyable and fun!

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  4 out of  5 Stars
Next Film:  Ironman II