The first big film of the Summer Movie Season is here and it’s a good one.
“Iron Man” is based on the popular Marvel comic book. It stars Robert Downey, Jr., who plays Tony Stark, a rich guy who owns and runs a company that makes weapons used in wars. On a trip to Afghanistan he gets injured during an attack by enemy soldiers and is captured.
To escape, Tony makes a superhero suit, and when he gets back to the U.S. he realizes that he should change his life and start doing good. But others at the company, especially his business partner (played by Jeff Bridges) don’t agree.
There’s plenty of great action scenes in “Iron Man”, but there’s a little too much set-up time before the action heats-up. It’s about 45 minutes into the film before we get to see Tony in the first “Iron Man” suit.
The last movie I saw Downey, Jr. in was “The Shaggy Dog”, and he was one of the best things in that film. He’s also very good here, though, I’ll admit, when I first heard that he was playing “Iron Man” I didn’t think he was a great choice.
The supporting cast of Bridges, Gwenyth Paltrow and Terrence Howard are all very good, and there are cameos by Stan Lee (who created the Iron Man character) and Jon Favreau, who directed the film.
“Iron Man” has some funny parts and the story is well done. But the violence is very heavy, especially in the early war scenes. So, parents be careful. I wouldn’t recommend children under eight years old seeing this film.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Iron Man” Gets a B.
And, as always, remember to stay until the credits are over. There’s an extra scene that gets you ready for the sequel.