6 Comments to “Iron Man trailer”

1. orthai25 | May 5th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
   

   IRON MAN
   Rated:PG-13

   For movie details, please click here.

   Man-in-a-can movies are a small, odd subsection of cinema that, with clarity if little subtlety, speaks to the dilemma of frail mortals in an automated, mechanized, inhuman world—metaphor given flesh, so to speak, whether it’s RoboCop, in which an enveloping machine-body gives a dead human his life and soul back, or Tetsuo: The Iron Man, in which encroaching metal skin robs what humanity a soul-deadened salary man has. From the classic and much-filmed adventure novel The Man in the Iron Mask to the hilariously inept Steel, a metal exterior both hides and heightens humanity.

   Marvel Comics godfather Stan Lee, indulging the comic-romance and soap-opera leanings that helped make The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man so marvelous, brought all that philosophical folderol to Iron Man, the hero he co-created in 1963. When he blended pop-topical concerns of the day—Cold War anti-Communism in a presciently early Vietnam War setting—with Howard Hughes international glamour in defense-contractor/playboy Tony Stark, all the elements were there—”Fe” in particular, of course. And while the Iron Man mythos is less familiar than those of Superman (the ultimate immigrant, raised with heartland-America values) or Spider-Man (with great power comes great responsibility), it’s resonant nonetheless: We are morally responsible for our actions, even when those actions are legal and sanctioned.

   As in the original comic, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is in a combat zone on weapons business when a warlord sets off bombs, takes the injured Stark captive and orders him the to build a super-weapon. As in the comics, a chest-mounted magnet keeps embedded shrapnel from reaching Stark’s heart and killing him, and a fellow scientist helps Stark create an armored suit with which to escape. But in two trenchant changes, the movie reveals that the explosives that felled Stark were from his own factory, and when Stark eventually comes home, he announces his company will no longer build weapons.

   That goes down like iron cornflakes with second-in-command Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), an avuncular viper who’d already instigated his own agenda. Meanwhile, Stark’s personal assistant, “Pepper” Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and his best friend, military liaison Col. James Rhodes (Terrence Howard), aren’t sure what to make of Stark holing up in the basement lab of his ’60s-Saarinen mansion in Malibu. He’s upgrading his powered armor, of course, and with the help of two AI assistants—one of them basically a big Luxo Jr. from the Pixar logo, the other a talking computer program with a snooty voice like KITT on “Knight Rider”—creates the red-and-gold super-suit we know and love. What else could follow but a metal-on-metal climax with an enemy wearing a giant version of the original armor?

   The four leads are all ridiculously Oscar-recognized—Bridges alone has four nominations—and bring life and dimension to essentially a military thriller. Downey makes his emotional transformations satisfyingly right, and owns the screen whether as Stark or as Iron Man. And while director Jon Favreau (who cameos as chauffeur “Happy” Hogan) provides all your recommended daily dosage of adrenaline rush, this thoughtful actioner ultimately is less about the Iron than it is about the Man.

2. orthai25 | May 5th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
   

   IRON MAN
   Rated:(PG-13)

   With a down-to-earth human dimension and military-thriller naturalism, this Marvel Comics superhero drama is the best comic-book movie in years.

   Distributor: PARAMOUNT
   Running Time: 126 mins.
   Color: Color
   Production: A Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment presentation of a Marvel Studios production, in association with Fairview Entertainment
   Genre: Action , Adventure
   Film Width: 2.35
   Sound: Dolby Digital (AC-3), DTS, SDDS
   Language: English

   Cast:
   Robert Downey Jr. | Terrence Howard | Gwyneth Paltrow | Jeff Bridges | Leslie Bibb | Shaun Toub | Faran Tahir | Jon Favreau

   Credits:
   Director(s) Jon Favreau
   Screenplay by Mark Fergus | Hawk Ostby | Art Marcum | Matt Holloway
   Based on characters created by Larry Lieber | Stan Lee | Larry Lieber | Don Heck | Jack Kirby
   Producer(s) Avi Arad | Kevin Feige | Avi Arad
   Executive producer(s) Louis D’Esposito | Peter Billingsley | Jon Favreau | Stan Lee | David Maisel
   Director(s) of photography Matthew Libatique
   Production designer(s) J. Michael Riva
   Edited by Dan Lebental
   Music by Ramin Djawadi | Ramin Djawadi
   Costume designer(s) Laura Jean Shannon
   Visual effects supervisor(s) John Nelson | Ben Snow

3. orthai25 | May 5th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
   

   Iron Man
   A Movie Review by James Berardinelli
   ——————————————————————————–

   ACTION/ADVENTURE
   United States, 2008
   U.S. Release Date: 5/2/08
   Running Length: 2:06
   MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Situations)
   Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

   Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir
   Director: Jon Favreau
   Screenplay: Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
   Cinematography: Matthew Libatique
   Music: Ramin Djawadi
   U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures

   Iron Man is a different breed of superhero movie - a film that remembers it’s possible to be outside the target demographic and still enjoy a tale set in this genre. What makes Iron Man interesting isn’t the storyline which, except for a few wrinkles, is pretty much a standard issue superhero origin plot, but the way in which filmmaker Jon Favreau presents the narrative. Iron Man is mature in its perspective and the way it views its lead character, while at the same time tapping into the inner kid during some expertly executed action sequences. It uses CGI to advance the story rather than to populate the screen with pretty images. And, perhaps most importantly, the humor is restrained enough to avoid pushing the film over the line into camp or self-parody. Over the years, there have been only a handful of exceptional superhero movies, and Iron Man is among them.

   Iron Man opens in Afghanistan, as a U.S. troop convoy carrying billionaire arms maker Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is attacked. Those charged with safeguarding Tony are killed; he is seriously wounded and taken captive. A round of flashbacks follows, introducing us to the brilliant, na๏ve playboy and those around him: his devoted Girl Friday, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow); his take-no-prisoners business partner, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges); and his best friend, Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard). Tony is on his way to Afghanistan to show off Stark Industry’s latest and greatest way of killing people, and that gets us back to where we came in.

   When he awakens, Tony is in a cave. As a result of his injuries, there is irremovable shrapnel in his chest and he must wear an electromagnet attached to his torso to keep the fragments from reaching his heart. He and his doctor/assistant/translator, Yinsen (Shaun Toub), have been given the charge of making a mighty killing missile for the guerilla leader, Raza (Faran Tahir). Instead, however, Stark uses the available materials to fashion a bulletproof, weaponed suit of armor that allows him to escape from the caves and return to friendlier locales. Once back home, he makes some radical decisions. He decides to terminate the company’s weapons division (which sends stocks tumbling and enrages the board of directors) and to concentrate on perfecting the design of the suit that enabled him to escape Afghanistan.

   Although Iron Man updates the comic book’s opening chapters (shifting the locale from Vietnam to Afghanistan, for example), it remains faithful to the spirit, if not all the particulars. For viewers unfamiliar with the source material, there’s no sense of being dropped unceremoniously into the middle of a fanboy’s dream flick. Favreau has crafted the production to maximize appeal for both to those steeped in Iron Man lore and those who have never previously heard of the Mighty Marvel Metal Man. This is much like what Chris Nolan accomplished with Batman Begins: stripping away the legend and building it up gradually, using narrative and character (not action and effects) for the foundation.

   There has never been a more inspired choice for a superhero than Robert Downey Jr. In recent decades, we’ve seen the likes of Christopher Reeve, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage, Christian Bale, and others don capes, cowls, and masks, but none has accomplished this with more style, wit, and panache than Downey. His performance is riveting. He commands the screen. He nails Stark, making him much more than a charismatic fusion of Bill Gates, Hugh Hefner, and Howard Hughes. In one sense, Iron Man is really a character story with action elements, focusing on Stark’s psychological journey from luxurious ignorance to shocked awareness and how, having his eyes opened, he can no longer stand by and do nothing. Downey sells this transformation while imbuing Stark with a biting sense of humor.

   While none of the supporting characters are given anything close to the three-dimensional treatment accorded to Tony, there are some nice touches. The film does a solid job of misdirection when it comes to identifying the eventual chief villain; it’s nice to find a movie that doesn’t strictly follow the bad guy manual all the way through. The interaction between Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Miss Potts adds a little lightweight romance to things. There’s something between these two, although it rarely manifests itself as anything more serious than a Bond/Moneypenny flirtation.

   The special effects are top-notch and never seem overused or gratuitous. There are more of them than may be obvious since they’re used not only in the several big action sequences but in some of the more sedate scenes (such as the played-for-laughs episode where Tony tries out the flying boots he’s working on). Special effects are at their best when they work to enhance the plot without calling attention to themselves. That’s what occurs in Iron Man. The effects wizards are in synch with the director, not trying to show off and upstage the actors.

   Comparisons can be made between Iron Man and Batman. Both franchises feature rich men who turn to crime fighting as a way to provide balance. Both have lots of gadgets at their disposal. And both have faithful retainers who offer help and advice (Alfred, Miss Potts). Yet, in terms of their cinematic incarnations, even the latest Batman inhabits a pseudo-fantasy world. Tony Stark is grounded in something close to our reality. This gives Iron Man a sense of immediacy that even the fine Batman Begins does not have. Yet Iron Man and Batman Begins have a lot in common in the way that they rework the tired “superhero origin story,” replace stereotypes with legitimate characters, and remember that everyone in the audience is not a 14-year old boy.

   When it comes to tone, Iron Man achieves something at which many of even its most celebrated predecessors have failed: it doesn’t feel like a superhero movie. Instead, it’s bigger and more inclusive. The superhero elements are present, so devotees will not feel slighted or duped, but Iron Man wants to be more than just a summer genre picture or an appetizer before the next exploit of a better-known icon. The movie justifies the hype and, in addition to standing solidly on its own, it promises bigger and potentially more interesting developments for the sequel that no one doubts will be made.

   © 2008 James Berardinelli

4. orthai25 | May 5th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
   

   Iron Man

   Selbst ist der Mann: Tony Stark baut sich in dieser Comicverfilmung eine Rüstung mit Düsenantrieb und schützt fortan die Welt vor seinen eigenen Waffen.

   Er ist ganz schön cool, dieser millionenschwere Tony Stark, wie er da im Humvee der amerikanischen Armee durch die afghanischen Berge gefahren wird und unerschrocken, in seinem Whiskyglas klirren die Eiswürfel, mit einer Soldatin schäkert. Kurz darauf explodieren Raketen und krachen Gewehrsalven, und Stark erfährt die Wirksamkeit der Waffen, die seine Firma herstellt, am eigenen Leibe.

   Einen Menschen, der sein Geld mit Waffen verdient, ins Zentrum eines Films zu stellen, eröffnet moralisch unebenes Gelände. Andrew Niccol hat das 2005 mit Lord of War - Händler des Todes (Lord of War) versucht, in dem Nicolas Cage als Waffenschieber konsequent gegen Recht und Gesetz agierte und nie zur Läuterung fand. So darf der von Robert Downey Jr. gespielte Tony Stark nicht auftreten, denn er wird sich zum „Iron Man“ wandeln, einem sehr amerikanischen Superhelden – und bei aller Zerrissenheit, die Figuren mit dieser Berufsbezeichnung zumindest seit Sam Raimis Spider-Man (2002) im Kino aufweisen dürfen, wenn nicht müssen, gehört doch moralische Ambiguität nicht zu ihren Eigenschaften.

   Entsprechend entgeistert reagiert Stark, als er erfährt, dass seine Firma nicht nur amerikanische Soldaten ausrüstet. Einem Mann, der sich gern als arroganter Zyniker gibt und „merchant of death“ als angemessene Beschreibung seiner Person ansieht, kann man das aber kaum abnehmen.

   Dass Iron Man sich nicht schon in dieser Frage verstolpert, verdankt der Film seinem Hauptdarsteller – und einem Trick. Robert Downey Jr. verleiht seinem Helden jene fulminant ironische Lakonie, die auch Downeys Performance in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) schon leuchten ließ. Sein Tony Stark nun nimmt sich und sein Leben nicht wirklich ernst, selbst dann nicht, als er eine ernsthafte Aufgabe für sich entdeckt.

   Diese Sinnfindung geschieht in einigen Sequenzen, über die – damit fallen sie aus dem Rahmen des ansonsten leichtfüßig-bedeutungsleer daherkommenden Films heraus – gleich kübelweise Pathos geschüttet wurde, samt Familie, Sinnfragen und Verantwortung.

   Verantwortung! Der Trick, mit dem Iron Man seine vormals liederliche Hauptfigur davonkommen lässt, ist dessen verantwortungsfreie Biographie. Als Erbe des väterlichen Rüstungsbetriebes sind ihm dessen Geschäfte egal, so lange sie ihm Geld und Zeit lassen, neue Waffen und Gadgets zu erfinden und selbst zu bauen. Nur so erklärt sich auch, dass der Lebemann Stark in afghanischer Gefangenschaft – er soll für einen bösen Warlord die neueste Kreation seiner Firma nachbauen – sich in Schweiß und Dreck eine Rüstung, eigentlich: ein multifunktionales Exoskelett schmieden kann, mit dem ihm dann die Flucht gelingt.

   Stark gerät so zu einem seltsamen Zwitterwesen: Er ist sowohl postmoderner Kapitalist, der keinerlei Beziehung mehr dazu hat, wo sein Geld herkommt, und sich stattdessen mit Frauen, schnellen Autos und schönen Dingen umgibt, als auch Industrieller alten Schlages, der seine Maschinen alle noch selbst zusammenzimmern kann.

   Wie sehr Männerschweiß diesen Film dominiert, lässt sich leicht an den kaum vorhandenen Frauenrollen ablesen: Allein Gwyneth Paltrow als Starks getreue Assistentin „Pepper“ Potts hat mehr als nur ein paar Sätze zu sagen, und ihr einzig guter Witz geht auf Kosten einer anderen Frau. Mit der gleichen Herablassung wird auch die Welt außerhalb Amerikas bedacht. Die Schurken in Afghanistan entpuppen sich als zweitklassige Bösewichte mit drittklassiger technischer Expertise, die selbst nur Handlanger eines anderen Amerikaners sind. Dass die Identität von Starks wahrem Antagonisten nur allzu schnell klar wird, macht diesen kolonialistischen Blick, in dem der Rest der Welt im wahrsten Sinn des Wortes nur noch Nebenkriegsschauplatz ist, nicht eben erträglicher.

   Dass Iron Man dennoch mehr als nur leidlich unterhaltsam ist, verdankt er vor allem seinem Star, der die Widersprüchlichkeit des Charakters in einem ironischen Zucken seiner Gesichtsmuskulatur aufzulösen vermag. Regisseur Jon Favreau nimmt das auf. Die ausführlichen Sequenzen, die Stark bei der Weiterentwicklung seiner Rüstung zeigen („Superhelden werden nicht geboren, sie werden gemacht“, ist nicht umsonst der Slogan des Films), sind voll spielerischem Slapstick und brachial physischem Humor. Und wenn der „Iron Man“ dann schließlich zu seinen ersten Flügen aufbricht, ist das pures kinetisches Kino. Und obwohl man deshalb das Spektakel über weite Strecken genießen kann, ohne darüber nachdenken zu müssen, geht es dem Film letztlich nicht anders als seiner Hauptfigur: Wo bei anderen das Herz sitzt, prangt zunächst eine große, leere Röhre aus Stahl.

   Kritik von Rochus Wolff

   Fotos: © Concorde

   Veröffentlicht am 23.04.2008

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