“IRON MAN”
Starring Robert Downey Jr.,
Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges,
Gwyneth Paltrow
Released: May 2, 2008

WATCH THE TRAILER

With hard-pounding action and almost non-stop humor, this movie is a must-see for this summer.

AS YOU SIT in physics class and stare at a problem without understanding anything that has just taken place in the past 50 minutes, chances are there will be a student lounging near you, his or her worksheet completed with ease in about five minutes.

At these moments, it’s hard to think of anything except your rising envy, anger. However, is that person sitting next to you a “nerd” or a mass murderer?

In the new blockbuster “Iron Man,” weapons inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is both.

A brilliant mind from the age of 4, when he put together his first circuit board, he grew into his industrious father’s shoes and took over his weapons manufacturing company at the ripe age of 21, having already graduated from Harvard.

He’s not all bad, though. He just happens to be better with technology than people. And making the best weapon out there is kind of his mission in life.

As Stark says: “They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I prefer the weapon you only need to fire once. That's how dad did it, that's how America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far.”

That is, until the day terrorists kidnapped him. Locked in a cave with his heart attached to a heart battery to keep him alive (you will just have to see the movie for an explanation), he is tortured and forced to recreate his masterpiece for his captors.

Up to this point, none of this felt like a superhero movie to me. Part of that was due to the way Downey portrays Stark.

Far from seeming like a Batman-type all-around good guy or someone with supernatural powers, Stark comes off as just like any of us, and in many ways quite a bit less moral.

However, this works for Downey, who fits his character to a T. The fast-paced, quick-witted one-liners that pepper the film seem completely natural and almost ad-libbed.

But Downey doesn’t make this film great, because that’s what it is, all on his own. With amazing direction by Jon Favreau, as seen throughout the movie in the way the characters interact and how the scenes are set up, with just as much emphasis on Iron Man as on the things around him, this masterpiece was sure to succeed. And it has, grossing $177 million in its first 11 days.

By using actors whom people are vaguely familiar with, though still exceptional — Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow are probably the best known people in the cast — Favreau allows the film to shine on its own, without big names to hold it up.

The plotline is artistically crafted with twists and fast-paced changes of direction and scenery that keeps the audience guessing as to what will happen next. All of the actors perform above par, and with a storyline that makes people feel like this could almost happen to them, this movie is captivating from the first dialogue to the last.

Best of all, the suit is amazing. You see how it was put together, the man behind the suit, and for once you get to see how a superhero gets in and out of his disguise.

As someone who had never even heard of Iron Man before this movie, I found that watching this film transformed a lesser-known superhero into one of my all-time favorites. Best of all, it had a built-in closing that satisfied moviegoers everywhere: the song “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath.

With a heart-pounding soundtrack and a plotline filled with good and evil, tons of twists, and a healthy dose of humor, this movie is both gripping and hilarious from the very beginning.

Aside from some slightly unrealistic near-death experiences that should have been fatal, I could find nothing wrong with it, and a sequel is both likely and already highly anticipated. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who likes a little action and a lot of humor.

“Iron Man” is currently playing at the Goodrich Savoy 16, 232 W. Burwash, Savoy, and the Beverly 18, 910 Meijers Drive, Champaign.

“IRON MAN” AT A GLANCE

• Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
• Directed by: Jon Favreau
• Written by: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway (screenplay); Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby (characters)
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
• Rated: PG-13
• Runtime: 126 min.
• Release date: May 2, 2008
• Summary: When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.
• External links: Official site, IMDb entry