Movie Review: Iron Man

This past weekend Sithkitten and I took a rare visit to the cinema to see “Iron Man.”  Watching the previews I was encouraged.  This could be a good year for Hollywood, simply because the movies they are making look like ones worth watching – for a change.

Anyhow, I enjoyed “Iron Man,” chiefly because Robert Downey, Jr. is quite a good actor and his character is more interesting than most.

Let’s be honest, super hero movies are pretty formulaic.  We meet the hero before the transformation, watch it happen, and then he goes and kicks butt.  The film usually ends with a nod to a possible sequel.

So plot-wise, there isn’t much going on, and one can only watch so many special effects demo reels before the whole thing gets a little tired.  So what is the jaded movie-goer to do?

Basically, you need good actors to save the day, and that also means funny ones.  Yes, there are going to be explosions, mind-boggling special effects and the epic destruction of monuments, but will I laugh?

Happily, I did.  Perhaps because of his personal struggles, Downey brought something a little extra to the part of Tony Stark.  I don’t go much in for spoilers, but the stewardesses on his private plane were classic.

There was one other element of “Iron Man,” that caught my attention:  the good guys and the bad guys.

The good guys are the US military.  Not surprising when the Air Force cooperates, but it’s nice to see more filmmakers realizing that the public is tired of seeing our troops portrayed as either helpless idiot-victims or mindless killers. Similarly, while not making a big deal out of it, it was pretty clear that the bad guys were, if not actual Al Qaeda honchos, someone who is on their speed dial list.  I’m sure that resonated with a lot of folks as well.

I’m not sure if they can sustain it in the all-but-inevitable sequel, but at least this movie was pretty solid.  Worth the money.