After walking back from the theater and rolling over afresh the film I just witnessed, it has become increasingly clear that IRON MAN is, for all intents and purposes, the greatest Superhero movie ever made. Hold back the gunfire while I explain. Yes, many of you are monogamous to Spider-Man 2, or even X-Men 2... hell, even some are clinging to their Superman and even the Burton Batman, but I have to honestly say this movie has in spades the very things that those other attempts -albeit wonderful attempts at that- lack. So, follow along with me as I tell you precisely why Iron Man is the new pinnacle by which all others must be measured.
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10) MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACADE
When casting for a superhero movie it is of the utmost importance to find an actor or actress that not only feels like the part, but also looks it. This is especially critical when the source material is something as visual as a comic book. Everyone knows who Peter Parker looks like, and, well, we grew to accept him as Tobey Maguire. But, all in all, not exactly what one might immediately pin-point as the perfect Parker. We all have a very precise idea of who Bruce Banner is... and, for now, he is not Eric Bana and, for now, he isn't Edward Norton... that one remains to be seen, but, I'm hedging my bets against it. Now when it comes to Tony Stark, no one would have even come remotely close to Robert Downey Jr., no young actor, no up-and-comer, no snotty little fresh-faced bitch. Favreau went old Hollywood and found the PERFECT Stark.
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9) STICKING TO THE SOURCE
Many things have to occur in a film to make the from-comic adaptation a score. They have to live in the same city (Right on with Superman and Metropolis and Batman in Gotham), they have to follow stolidly with the back story and why this particular character is who he or she is (again, spot on with Batman and Superman, and for the most part, Spidey), and they have to have the supporting cast that is precisely who you'd figure they ought to be. Now, in Iron Man, you have Pepper Potts (Paltrow) as a spot-on assistant to Mr. Stark, Lieutenant Rhodes (Howard) as his protege-cum-War Machine, and Obediah Stane (Bridges) as Stark's business confidant-cum-Titanium Man. Now that is perfection.
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8) THROW THE AUDIENCE A BONE
Though one who is not a comic geek (present company excluded) should not turn away from a comic adaptation because one might not get who is who and why, the movie should still dollop on the goodness for those of us who are proud to be faithful readers. Yes, I was never a huge reader of Iron man, though I did read my fair share back when I was all about the printed goodness. This however did nothing to stay me from my desire to see the movie, and being familiar with the comic as a whole really helped when we were treated with Rhodes finally seeing a second Iron Man suit as Stark goes out to take on Stane and utter, "Next time, baby," Yeah, we all know what that means. And, when the yes man from the Strategic Homeland yadda yadda finally tells us all that their acronym is S.H.I.E.L.D., I was gleeful. And finally, after the credits, when we're given the tasty frosting of Sam Jackson as Nick Fury speaking about the Avenger program, I grinned with all-knowing. That, sir, is what it's all about.
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7) ORIGINS: TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
It's no secret that the whole origin sequence in any given superhero movie can bog down the process of really getting to the juicy goods. However, one can't just say to Hell with the backstory, let's just get to ass-kicking and enemy crushing just for the sheer benefit of the comic geek. The studio and director has to assume that some of its audience is going to be ignorant to the comic and must take it from the beginning. So, in such movies as Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, the origins were dolled out and did, for the most part, take up a good half of the movie. This was okay, but it did slow the narrative down a bit and, eventually, the films more than made up for it in future scenes. Now, with Iron man, the origin didn't come at the hands of a freak accident, a chemical enhancement, or a familial loss. No, Stark became Iron man out of necessity to save himself from a fate he had no intention of letting happen. Then, quick as you please, it became the story and Stark spent every moment making Iron Man his only goal. That was exactly how it should be.
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6) TAKING A LIBERTY
There's no denying the fact that certain things have to be scrapped or rearranged from the comic -or any written source for that matter- in order to make way for a more concise script: it is inevitable. Take Spider-Man for instance. We all know that his web shooters in the comics are devises that often have to be refilled with cartridges in order to maintain his webbing ability. This, however, didn't really translate well to the film, ergo: webbing spurts from the wrists. Makes sense to me. So, in Iron Man, his chest plate, the very mechanics that keep Stark's heart beating properly, is not the same piece of robotics as in the comic. Here, it is a glorified electro-magnet keeping Afghani bomb-shrapnel from puncturing his heart. Still there, still a focus of his suit... just a bit different and well explored and dealt with. Spot on again.
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5) LOVE IN THE TIME OF COMIC BOOKS
I'm honestly not a fan of love interests and sappy story arcs in comic books. In my opinion, it needs to be fighting, taking a breath for a page to adjust tactics, and fighting some more. So when it comes to presenting the audience with something outside of the main focus... say, a bit of a love story, it really has to be given just so lest it become far more of a plot point that necessary. Again, take Spider-Man. Parker is obsessed with Mary Jane, no doubt about it. The movie, however fantastic, explores this like it's the main point almost giving Spider-Man a bit of a back seat. All three of the films do the same thing: Mary Jane this, Mary Jane that... oh, and Spider-Man, too. No, bad movie maker! In Iron Man, Pepper Potts -Paltrow, who normally I can't stand as far as i can throw- is Stark's assistant and the two rely on each other for so very much, but there is only a hint of a spark between them and it only takes up a modicum of screen time. You keep your kisses out of my ass-kicking, and I'll keep my Iron Man out of your Notebook, OK? Oh, and Paltrow is wonderful. So there!
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4) FOR GOD SAKE, DON'T OVERDO THE VILLAIN
In both Spider-Man and Batman, the original villains in both -Green Goblin and The Joker respectively- became instant farces of themselves. In the case of Goblin, his desire, or, more appropriately his wanton need to destroy Spider-Man, became such an over-the-top mess that when finally the two meet to do battle, it looked like a guy in jammies punching around a fucking Power Ranger! Discreet, people! The Joker, in Burton's Batman, was classic, no doubt, but he literally became almost too funny to take seriously. Not good. Now, in Iron Man, Obediah Stane donning the giant Titanium Man armor was, to the general audience, a surprise since Stane didn't parade around announcing the fact that he wanted to kill Stark until it was absolutely necessary. And he wasn't a stupid looking freak, either. It was Iron man's original design, so, it looked like a bigger Iron Man. Dead on.
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3) HUMOR FOR HUMOR'S SAKE
Comic books by their very nature have a slight coating of a sense of humor. It's even in the title, 'COMIC'. So, it goes without saying that a faithful adaptation needs to adhere to that same formula by offering up enough of the funny to cool things off a bit between the tense scenes and carry the audience, like a cresting wave, into the next epic battle. However, too funny can and will always be a piss poor idea and was proven as such in the dismal disaster from last summer, Spider-Man 3. The humor and downright audience pandering was just too much and ripped every bit of credibility out of the franchise. Yes, Parker is funny, yes, Spider-Man quips comedic lines, but what Raimi did was just inexcusable. Now in Iron Man, watching Stark learn how to use his suit and fly had just enough 'D'Oh!' type moments to keep the lightness just frothy enough to be tasty. Stark is, by his comic nature, snide. And what Favreau and Downey did with the character was absolutely perfect.
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2) KEEP THE PLOT LIGHT, BUT THE STORY HEAVY
Confusing? Okay, look: simply keep the basic premise of a comic movie; Origin, Discovery, Action, Enemy, Battle, Victory, and you've got all you need for the skeletal idea. Now, use those bones and add the meat accordingly: Origin (Painful, always), Discovery (Humorous but not patronizing), Action (Geek-up the audience by taking them on the best ride ever), Enemy (Oh shit! It's HIM! No way!), Battle (Light humor in passing insults, but full-on ass kicking), Victory (Oh man, I can't believe he survived that!). It's not that simple you say? Take any superhero movie worth its salt and you'll see that it very much is. Iron Man, for instance, fits right in.
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1) FIND A GUY WHO LOVES THE MATERIAL AND KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK HE'S DOING!
Most directors today are given a script, cast accordingly, and make a movie. Shitty, more often than not. Good directors, however... ones that truly love the material they're given, are a rare breed and make the movie 100% better as a result. Donner and Superman: Awesome. Burton and Batman: Superb. Raimi and Spider-Man: 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Those directors knew the material, read the comics, and turned out the perfect comic adaptations. Now, among them, as someone who, if he keeps his head on right and maintains his vision by not going the route of so many of the former franchises that all have a misstep somewhere, stands John Favreau. Sir, you have done it and you have made Iron Man the only way it could have -and should have- been made. Congratulations.
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