Register  |  Sign In
View unanswered posts | View active topics It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 4:04 am



Reply to topic  [ 149 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
 Iron Man 

What grade would you give this film?
A 64%  64%  [ 49 ]
B 32%  32%  [ 24 ]
C 3%  3%  [ 2 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 1%  1%  [ 1 ]
Total votes : 76

 Iron Man 
Author Message
Full Fledged Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 12:15 am
Posts: 58
Post Re: Iron Man
I really couldn't find much to object to in this film, I loved almost every part of it. My only two major complaints are common to most people's: the villian is not very well-conceived nor interesting, although still cool enough to work in the final act. How Downey killed Bridges and lived himself I may never understand (maybe I'm stupid) but it seemed much too complicated to be considered a good climatic end of a duel. And as time goes on, I'm having trouble remembering it as well, not as much remembering it, but it staying with me. But it's a superhero movie, so I don't fault it too much for that, it did everything right basically when I was watching it, and hats off to it for that.

A-


Sat May 24, 2008 1:14 am
Profile
why so serious?
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 11:24 pm
Posts: 4110
Location: Stuck In A Moment I Can't Get Out Of
Post Re: Iron Man
I actually think it's a good thing that there wasn't a huge or really well-developed villain in this movie. Sure, we've had some really spectacular onscreen villains, but we can't always get something like Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in the first Spider-Man. The attention granted to the villains in other superhero films has served as a flaw numerous times, the old Batman movies being some of the clearest examples. Considering it was the origin story, I think it was better to exclusively develop Tony Stark and surround him with decent but unspectacular villains and then up the ante for the sequel, which is what I bet will happen.

_________________
This Post Has Brought to You by Your Friendly Neighborhood Webslinger.


Sat May 24, 2008 1:55 am
Profile
He didn't look busy?!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:59 pm
Posts: 4308
Post Re: Iron Man
While that's a fair thing to say now, what if Iron Man had bombed? It would've been a solo superhero film left with a great hero performance and a bad villain. With a first film, you can't be thinking ahead to sequels, and if your analysis was right, that's exactly what they're doing.

However, it's a huge hit, so their wish came true.

_________________
Image
Retroviral Videos
A film-based project created for the purpose of helping raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, specifically in South Africa.


Sat May 24, 2008 1:18 pm
Profile WWW
Extraordinary

Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm
Posts: 15197
Location: Planet Xatar
Post Re: Iron Man
billybobwashere wrote:
While that's a fair thing to say now, what if Iron Man had bombed? It would've been a solo superhero film left with a great hero performance and a bad villain. With a first film, you can't be thinking ahead to sequels, and if your analysis was right, that's exactly what they're doing.

However, it's a huge hit, so their wish came true.

I'm not sure I'll be hiring billybob as head of my strategic planning unit any time soon...

(As a matter of fact, it's that kind of thinking that makes producers throw everything and the kitchen sink into their movie (eg: 7 villians and a 3 1/2 hour running time) that ruins many a potentially good franchise, thus guaranteeing no sequels.)

Iron Man got it right for a change....


Sun May 25, 2008 3:57 pm
Profile
Forum General
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 3:53 pm
Posts: 8636
Location: Toronto, Canada
Post Re: Iron Man
To me every good comic book film always has a great story and the action is just to keep you entertained.

You had that Spiderman 2, X-men 2 and Batman Begins. You had some great action scenes but the film kept you very interested by the storyline...

_________________
The Dark Prince

Image


Sun May 25, 2008 7:48 pm
Profile WWW
He didn't look busy?!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:59 pm
Posts: 4308
Post Re: Iron Man
Bradley Witherberry wrote:
billybobwashere wrote:
While that's a fair thing to say now, what if Iron Man had bombed? It would've been a solo superhero film left with a great hero performance and a bad villain. With a first film, you can't be thinking ahead to sequels, and if your analysis was right, that's exactly what they're doing.

However, it's a huge hit, so their wish came true.

I'm not sure I'll be hiring billybob as head of my strategic planning unit any time soon...
not one person (aside from heavy comic book fans and such) was predicting $300 million for Iron Man when it was announced, and the teaser didn't get that good of a reaction. It was really that final trailer and the couple of weeks of heavy marketing before its release that rocketed it into hit status. If they hadn't gotten that last bit right, this film could've opened in the 50s. I'm not sure a franchise could be made out of that. It wouldn't have passed $200m.

Quote:
(As a matter of fact, it's that kind of thinking that makes producers throw everything and the kitchen sink into their movie (eg: 7 villians and a 3 1/2 hour running time) that ruins many a potentially good franchise, thus guaranteeing no sequels.)
While I'm not standing up for the mistakes that Spider-man 3 made, that doesn't change the fact that Iron Man lacked the very crucial element of a strong villain, and that alone should prevent people from declaring it the best superhero film ever made.

The sequel should be able to fix this mistake, now that the whole backstory's outta the way and Tony Stark's a developed character.

_________________
Image
Retroviral Videos
A film-based project created for the purpose of helping raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, specifically in South Africa.


Mon May 26, 2008 12:00 am
Profile WWW
You must have big rats
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm
Posts: 92093
Location: Bonn, Germany
Post Re: Iron Man
I agree with Brad.

This was about Stark, not the villains. Of course I also enjoy good villains in a comic book adaptation, but if you always have awesome villains, they detract from the hero and that is what those movies should be about actually. That was what Batman Begins got right, IMO. A great portrayal of Bruce Wayne himself for the first time and the villains were rather weak as well.

_________________
The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!

Image


Mon May 26, 2008 7:00 am
Profile WWW
He didn't look busy?!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:59 pm
Posts: 4308
Post Re: Iron Man
but Batman Begins had a much cooler and better fleshed out set of villains than Iron Man, yet the film's focus was just as much on Bruce Wayne as IM's was on Tony Stark. Again, it's not a huge deal, but it holds it back from "greatness" in my mind.

_________________
Image
Retroviral Videos
A film-based project created for the purpose of helping raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, specifically in South Africa.


Wed May 28, 2008 7:55 pm
Profile WWW
Extraordinary
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:24 pm
Posts: 16061
Location: The Damage Control Table
Post Re: Iron Man
Well, I liked it quite a bit. Some of the action scenes (actually the ones that were more quiet), I thought had a lot of intensity. Especially the scene where Stark's heart is pulled out and he's just left there, but Obediah hinted that Penny had already been killed. That was a good sequence that involved pretty much all the key players in the movie and had great timing. I liked the reveal late in the movie when Penny first discovers Obediah paid to have Stark kidnapped. Nice twist.

I do have two nitpicks: The reveal of the superhero at the end, and the fact that, long since now, its been established bullets don't do anything to superhero suits. All the scenes with rapid fire ammo never really build any intensity because you already know that the bullets are just going to riquochet off the suit. There were a lot of gun-fights that fell flat because of this problem. You never felt-as a viewer-that the hero was actually at risk.

I also didn't get just how random the terrorists were. Perhaps if they'd been more politically oriented in their village attacks, it could have made for a more nuanced critique of the war or a more intriguing mystery. Obadiah could have then argued he was arming people that would help the U.S. (arming the rebels) rather than just being an all out easy to read bad guy.

Still, the storytelling aspect was quite good and editing was very well timed. I thought all the actors did a very good job. I was surprised how well Paltrow did, and really even liked Howard's small support role.

So, I give it about a B+.


Sat May 31, 2008 9:27 pm
Profile
Wallflower
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am
Posts: 34875
Location: Minnesota
Post Re: Iron Man
It was solid, but I didn't love it. Wouldn't really want to see it again, but it's definitely good for this kind of movie.

7/10 ( B )


Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:39 am
Profile
Extraordinary
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:30 pm
Posts: 12096
Location: Stroudsburg, PA
Post Re: Iron Man
Just saw this; my wife was too ill to see it when it was in the theatre, but with our 52 inch HD TV now, it's not that bad on DVD!

Sorry if I am repeating certain comments.

Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot...not as much as Dark Knight though.

I would have prefered to have seen more of Tony Stark fighting his own corporation (so to speak) instead of just one bad guy who, once killed, apparently solves every problem....

And why does he announce he is Iron Man? I mean, did he do so in the comic books? Doesn't that kind of paint a huge target on him and limit what they can do in the sequels?

Good actors make all the difference though, don't they?

_________________
Buy my books! http://michaelaventrella.com


Image


Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:31 pm
Profile WWW
Jordan Mugen-Honda
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 01, 2006 9:53 am
Posts: 13400
Post Re: Iron Man
Groucho wrote:
Just saw this; my wife was too ill to see it when it was in the theatre, but with our 52 inch HD TV now, it's not that bad on DVD!

Sorry if I am repeating certain comments.

Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot...not as much as Dark Knight though.

I would have prefered to have seen more of Tony Stark fighting his own corporation (so to speak) instead of just one bad guy who, once killed, apparently solves every problem....

And why does he announce he is Iron Man? I mean, did he do so in the comic books? Doesn't that kind of paint a huge target on him and limit what they can do in the sequels?

Good actors make all the difference though, don't they?


Hope your Wife is ok atm Mike :(

Glad you enjoyed it.

_________________
Rosberg was reminded of the fuel regulations by his wheel's ceasing to turn. The hollow noise from the fuel tank and needle reading zero had failed to convay this message


Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:10 am
Profile
We had our time together
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:36 am
Posts: 13269
Location: Vienna
Post Re: Iron Man
After my second viewing I was actually pretty bored during the third act.


Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:36 am
Profile WWW
Extraordinary
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:30 pm
Posts: 12096
Location: Stroudsburg, PA
Post Re: Iron Man
Yeah, I don't know how it will hold up to a second viewing. I am anxiously awaiting Dark Knight though to see it again.

_________________
Buy my books! http://michaelaventrella.com


Image


Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:49 pm
Profile WWW
Stanley Cup
User avatar

Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:52 pm
Posts: 6981
Location: Hockey Town
Post Re: Iron Man
film holds up great upon repeat viewings.

A-


Mon Oct 13, 2008 11:19 am
Profile
007
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:43 pm
Posts: 10986
Location: Wouldn't you like to know
Post Re: Iron Man
Groucho wrote:

And why does he announce he is Iron Man? I mean, did he do so in the comic books? Doesn't that kind of paint a huge target on him and limit what they can do in the sequels?



You see that is one of the things I actually really enjoyed about the movie.

_________________
Image


Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:26 pm
Profile
Extraordinary
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 9:18 pm
Posts: 12159
Post Re: Iron Man
In the words of Manohla (being interviewed about the best films of 2008)
"I love Robert Downey Jr, but...my thoughts on Iron Man? ha...it's of no cinematic value."


Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:41 am
Profile
You must have big rats
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm
Posts: 92093
Location: Bonn, Germany
Post Re: Iron Man
Saw this again tonight. Yep, it holds up well, but the few flaws that were there at first are still felt. Very solid film, though.

_________________
The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!

Image


Sun Sep 13, 2009 2:37 am
Profile WWW
 

Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:48 am
Posts: 6245
Post Re: Iron Man
solid is a good word for this movie.

_________________
Mr. R wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself.

Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.


Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:58 am
Profile
Quality is a great business plan
User avatar

Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:21 pm
Posts: 6157
Post Re: Iron Man
RDJ was awesome as Stark and JF did great job as well. It lacks good supporting cast that nolan had with begins. Hopefully IM2 remedies that. Still would rate it A just for RDJ.

_________________
The world is all about mind and matter, I don't mind and U don't matter

I used to be shawman.


Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:47 pm
Profile
Angels & Demons
User avatar

Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:27 pm
Posts: 235
Post Re: Iron Man
I didn't like it much :(

Certainly, there were some smiles. Robert Downey Jr was great and I liked the dynamic between him and Gwynneth Paltrow. However, I thought that Stane/ Iron Monger was a lousy villain and felt a bit "tacked on" (especially since the transformation in character was so abrupt that I literally couldn't suspend belief).

Also, I found key plot points to be very implausible. Give me a supernatural angle (magic, special powers, alien technology, etc.) and I can suck up all kinds of crap. But show me a scientist building a robot suit in a cave and I just find it all a bit silly.

One thing I liked about the rebooted Batman franchise is that, because of the scenes with Morgan Freeman's character, the whole "utility belt" theme (technology as special power) seemed plausible throughout. Obviously Stark Industries serves a similar purpose in Iron Man, but staging the creation of the prototype in a cave just didn't work for me. I've never read the comics, but I imagine this worked better when it was set in a communist lab rather than a terrorist hangout.

I don't know, I just felt really underwhelmed. But then, I don't really find the character of Iron Man that exciting to begin with, so maybe I'm not the right person to judge. B-.


Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:55 pm
Profile
Superfreak
User avatar

Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2005 12:54 am
Posts: 21876
Location: Places
Post Re: Iron Man
Hadn't watched the full film since I saw it in theaters until tonight.

Really good movie, though the 3rd act because extremely generic. RDJ just owns the role in a way that nobody sans Nolan films has owned a character. He is living breathing charisma in what was obviously a mega star making performance. Downey is almost solely responsible for this C Level comic book hero becoming a massive cinematic draw.

Almost sad to think how stupid the franchise got with Iron Man 2 and especially Iron Mn 3 after the flat out stunning the films they make with IRON MAN and THE AVENGERS. Had almost forgot how disappointed iron Man 2 was to me but now I remember.

A

_________________
Ari Emmanuel wrote:
I'd rather marry lindsay Lohan than represent Mel Gibson.


Sat Dec 14, 2013 11:59 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20302
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Iron Man
Now that I'm older and understand the military jargon, this wasn't bad. I still don't quite get the hype, but the actors are great, especially Gwyneth Paltrow, who ought to get more work. The villain isn't horrible though other villains in Marvel movies would go on to feel exactly the same.

B


Tue May 16, 2017 11:44 pm
Profile
KJ's Leading Idiot

Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm
Posts: 36917
Post Re: Iron Man
This was great as the start of Marvel Universe. The movie has so many surprises and cool things, the best part is that it makes all the over-the-top things believable. The leads are great specially RDJ and Paltrow plays along really well in a very small role. I was surprised at the re-watchable quality of this movie because I wasn't impressed by it at first expecting a more comic tone, but it works very well as an individual movie as well.


Tue May 19, 2020 2:59 am
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic   [ 149 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 35 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by STSoftware for PTF.