Thinking about identity and keeping up appearances. Aren't we all?Recently both the Sibling and I (in separate cities) took friends to see “
Iron Man.”
Both sets of buddies enjoyed the movie immensely, and I thought this might be a good time to step back and look at it again.
After all, a reviewer can change her mind after a repeat viewing, or perhaps see things she missed the first time around.
The Sibling also says that one mark of a really good movie is its replay value, and it’s true.
Really good movies you can watch over and over; just look at our DVD collections. We can’t wait to get “Iron Man” on DVD.
Anyway, for reviews it’s always nice to have the input of other movie fans too.
I went back to the theater with some dear friends from college as a “girls’ night out.”
(And yes, this gaggle of young women decided to go see a blockbuster ‘boys’ club’ action flick – so
put that in your pipe and smoke it, Manohla Dargis.
In fact, the theater was about evenly populated with both guys and girls, so there.)
On a repeat showing, I have to say that
my original review stands. Here are a few more thoughts from my friends, the Sibling (to whom I just gave the soundtrack), and me too. So here we go.
A Girl Appreciates a Man – or Movie – That Can Make Her Laugh
Everyone caught onto the essential but hard-to-define fun factor. There’s a lot of laughter in the movie, and by laughter, I mean the good kind. The scriptwriters and director Jon Favreau have created a film with a vibrant sense of fun and a deft, light touch. Plus it’s nice to hear friends chortling in the darkness as we pass popcorn around.
A huge part of this is the script. It’s smart, sharp, and witty, filled with snappy dialogue and memorably playful lines, and – thank goodness – it doesn’t waste our time with too much dull, plodding exposition, overwrought origin stories a la Spider-Man, or pseudo-philosophical-existential whining. The script is often a fencing match between characters, only with words instead of foils. There’s a priceless exchange between Stark and Rhodey on an airplane, for instance, and between Pepper and Stark about shoelaces.
The writers have created Stark as someone who seems to be congenitally, incorrigibly incapable of not making smart-aleck comments or hilarious, lightning-fast, deadpan quips. (I caught one this time that I had missed before, and it was so naughty it made me giggle. Look for it in the scene when Stark’s robots are attempting to disassemble his exoskeleton while he’s still in it. Oh, my!) Downey, whose comic timing is spot-on, is like the class clown whom the instructor can’t scold because she’s too busy laughing helplessly – believe me, I know.
Oh, and the Sibling would like you to know that he absolutely loves the bit about the cheeseburger. “Cheeseburger first.” Priorities, man!
The Devil Is In the Details
I hadn’t realized how rich the details were – and they’re so easy to miss in all the action. But here are a few.
~The Sibling points out that on Stark’s workshop table, you can see the Captain America insignia. It’s in the form of a paperweight or something like that. But the point is that right there is a comic book reference. The Sibling “geeked out” and got all excited. Fanboy.
~In the Afghan caves, you can see piles of food aid in large bags. The best chance to see this is in the parting scene between Stark and Yinsen (Shaun Toub). The labeling on the bags actually reads that the food is the gift of the American people and that it’s not be sold – what you see on US food aid sent overseas to troubled areas of the world. So think about it: humanitarian supplies have ended up in the hands of terrorists and evildoers instead of people who really need it. Is this a not-so-subtle shot at corruption and inefficiency in international agencies? Was I the only person who thought about stuff like the UN’s Oil for Food scandal?
~If it looks like the BBC, sounds like the BBC, whines like the BBC, and peddles doom and gloom like the BBC . . . Well, chances are, it’s the BBC – specifically, BBC News. Check out the news report Stark’s watching on TV when he finds out about Gulmira’s weapons cache. The film’s news has no logo on it, but the reporting’s tone and content basically shriek out “I’m BBC!” Come on, there is such a thing as “BBC-speak,” and no news outfit on the planet is as good as the BBC for trafficking in human misery and tear-jerking prognostications of total disaster.
~From the Sibling and his technophile friends: “What the heck is Tony Stark doing using Dell servers? Should he be using, like, a supercomputer?” It’s called product placement, bud. And I hadn’t even noticed the Dell computers in the movie. To the Sibling: YOU COMPUTER GEEK YOU.
Pepper Potts’ Fancy Footwear
Remember my comment in the first review about Pepper’s shoes? As the ladies and I were talking after the film, my friend Alessandra spontaneously declared: “There’s no way Pepper Potts could run in those ridiculous shoes.”
I burst out laughing. The issue of shoes maybe is some kind of female instinct. We KNEW, because at various times we’ve all had to wear beautiful but totally impractical shoes. Pepper’s teetering heels look like they’re four inches high or more, and I guarantee you that if I wore them, I might look fantastic, but I’d be utterly immobilized. And then I’d need big-time orthopedic surgery.
“What’s the Air Force doing driving Humvees in the desert?!”
This was the comment from a friend with a military background. Implied in that too was the idea that hey, somebody else should be doing that desert driving – and that’s the Army. I hadn’t a clue, but my buddy pointed out a number of things; she should get hired as a consultant on the next film with a military presence!
~The female soldier driving Stark’s Humvee identified herself as an “airman.”
~The uniforms weren’t those currently being worn by the US Army.
~Despite all that, the name “1st Cav” was printed on the Humvees. (Need a refresher on who the First Cavalry Division is? Yes, they’re ARMY.)
~“Those are Humvees we have in the States, not the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
~“If someone’s shooting at you, why would you get out of your armored vehicle?” (Because otherwise Stark wouldn’t end up in his sticky situation? It’s a movie, after all.)
Pet Robots
The ladies were intrigued by Stark’s little pet robots – especially the overly enthusiastic fire-extinguisher-bot. There’s also a rather oddly touching moment with another little ’bot that wins the praise “Good boy.” Not quite R2-D2, but all this makes me want to rush off and see the new Disney-Pixar film “Wall-E” as soon as it opens – its robot star is going to be adorably cute. But I digress.
We’ve Found the Solution for Our Dependence on Foreign Oil! Or Not.
Now I hadn’t thought about this per se, but gentle reader Don did. I give you his comment:
. . . that miniature reactor was pretty cool tech and apt to lead to a lot of great technologies both civilian AND military, possibly even medical.
Think of that baby powering a car, Maddie! No more stupid corn ethanol, no more gas pumps, just seal off the Middle East and watch the mullahs starve as nobody wants their frigging oil anymore.
By George, he’s right! That would be pretty awesome. *grin* Well, I’ve long been an advocate for increasing research and development, for firing up the tech sector, showering down
incentives, and turning the geeks loose to find alternative solutions . . . ! We’ve a lot more potential there than in a million Kyoto Treaties or Al Gore sermons or ethanol subsidy boondoggles. I’ll tell you this now: I have more faith in tech geeks in R&D than in politicians and activists.
Glorious Geek Joy and Tech Lust
OK, this is especially for the Sibling and me, so if you’re not mad about technology, computer wizardry, and the delights of being a brainiac geek or nerd, you don’t have to read this! I’ve tried explaining this, but maybe it just doesn’t make much sense unless you are also a technophile. Anyway, part of why we love this film is its sheer mind-blowing, breathtaking technical wizardry and enthusiastic delight in techno-toys, engineering, and computers. When the Sib and I first saw Stark’s awesome basement workshop, I thought we were going to pass out right then and there. Come on, 3-D virtual rendering, pet robots, Jarvis the AI, and a million shiny cool doo-dads, doohickeys and gadgets! We’re suffering from tech lust. And what’s the Iron Man suit if not the ultimate tech-toy? Heck, you can even use your cellphone hands-free in the darn thing!
That’s another thing too. For us, just watching Stark make the suit through trial and error was one of the best parts of the entire movie. You have to realize that the Sibling and I were always on the science, computing, and tech teams in high school; we used to participate in all kinds of science competitions from Odyssey of the Mind to Science Olympiad to software programming contests and more. I didn’t go to my senior prom because I was at a national science competition with my friends. That was the sort of nerdy, geeky, but delightful and brainy life the Sibling and I shared with our school friends; nowadays I’m just a fan and amateur enthusiast of science and technology (I decided to be a PhD doctor instead of a medical one – do you really want someone like me operating on you?), but the Sib is a professional computer expert. Tech lust is in our blood; our relatives include engineers aplenty. We just LOVE tech stuff. The movie resonated with us on a very personal level—hence the ridiculously rapturous response. Stark takes what the Sib and I love – and makes it so much cooler. The whole thing is some kind of glorious geek fantasy. Oh, and when Stark first went flying outside in his exoskeleton, that was too cool for words – the moviemakers did very well in creating a sequence that captured the thrill of figuring out that wow, you can FLY at super speed. Stark whooping and laughing with delight in his helmet was a great image. What a rush, man. We’re green with envy!
And, yes, I guess you can say that the Sib and I are fans of Tony Stark for the sake of his brains. As the Sib said admiringly, “He’s an inventor. A genius inventor.” I’m taken with the whole idea of using your brains; the entire business in the Afghan caves, with Stark MacGyvering his way out, was a great sequence. Add up all the elements: brains, brawn, humor, and butt-kicking tech—what a potent cocktail. I quote another critic noting that Stark doesn’t have any superpowers in himself, really: “his heroism is all handicraft, elbow grease and applied intelligence.” The result is absolute, unashamed brainy geek joy over the power of creativity, inventiveness, intelligence, and technical brilliance. Besides, (girl-talk here), smart is attractive. And as Alessandra added, “That suit is HOT.” Mmm, you can say that again.
Here’s some Geek Joy and Tech Lust for everybody. Heck, yeah.
Political Rorschach Test
This flick seems to be different things to different people – or at least, people seem to see their own political persuasions reflected in it. I’m only going to say this: I’ve read reviews identifying the movie as both pro-war and anti-war, pro-conservative and pro-liberal, and I think this is all great. Why? Because it means that the moviemakers haven’t overwhelmed the film with any one particular, obvious, beat-you-over-the-head bias. It’s probably too much to hope that the overwhelmingly leftist Hollywood would make movies actually sympathetic to conservative or traditional values and viewpoints, so it’s nice to get a film that doesn’t go around actively stomping on them, blatantly bashing America and the military, and/or inserting heavy-handed political commentary. I might be (to some people, anyway) an evil campus subversive reactionary, but I still want entertainment, not sanctimonious lectures, when I go to the cinema. Really, if you take this film overall, it’s kind of a centrist film. It’s there to have a good time, and it wants you to have a good time too.
I have to say this, though. I don’t think the post-Afghanistan Stark is really as much a liberal peacenik as some people think he becomes. Sure, in a knee-jerk, impulsive decision, he wants to shut down weapons manufacturing at Stark Industries when he comes home. But is anybody an actual pacifist peacenik if he personally dons a weaponized robotic exoskeleton to go unleash deadly force on terrorists? Stark’s self-imposed (and totally unilateral) mission to Gulmira is, if anything, reminiscent of an entirely opposite perspective: he identifies hostiles and civilians in clear terms (no moral ambiguity or moral equivalence there), doesn’t even try to talk to (much less negotiate with) the hostiles, and dispatches them without hesitation. Then he just as decisively disarms the remaining terrorists by blowing up their weapons supplies (and he later tells Rhodey, proxy for the US military, “Looks like somebody did your job for you”). Hm.
I don’t want to get into a big digressionary discussion about the use of force or the role of arms, but here’s a thought: both in the Gulmira incident and Stark’s captivity sequence, it’s clear that there is a time and place for the use of force. Stark and Yinsen, no dummies, both know that their captors aren’t to be trusted.
A related thought is about Stark and his weapons manufacturing. I’ve heard some critics call him a scion of the leftist-bogeyman “military-industrial complex” and/or an unscrupulous arms dealer and profiteer who doesn’t care where his products end up. Is he really just churning out weapons willy-nilly to the highest bidder? I just don’t think so. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be so upset to see his weapons end up in the wrong hands. The whole point to his “epiphany” is that he discovers that, without his knowledge or approval, Stark weapons are in the possession of the bad guys – and that those weapons are being used against the wrong people. There is one short but important segment where the usually-flippant Stark agonizes that his weapons are now being used against American troops, the very people he meant those arms to protect and defend. He actually uses the words “protect and defend” – that’s pretty significant. Interestingly, Stark doesn’t moan about being shredded by his own weapons as much as he talks about how other people are affected.
As for his entire guilt trip, I think it’s a littlest bit overblown (since it was really Obadiah Stane who was responsible for the arms shipments), but hey, it’s for the plot, right? Thank goodness guilt soon turns into action, not moping and self-flagellation.
In the end, the whole angle about armaments and foreign involvement isn’t the most important thing going on in the flick. This subplot disappears as soon as we figure out that Stane is the one whose machinations are wreaking havoc. Cue the Iron Monger-versus-Iron Man throwdown! Yeah, baby! (Who cares if it’s an echo of every clanking, screeching mech warrior/guyver/Tranzor Z/Voltron/Transformers robo-rumble fight? It’s just darn cool.)
Well, that’s all, folks. I’m going home to see my family in a few days (finally!!!), and I’m sure that, once reunited, my Sibling and I will be going back to the cinemas with all our buddies too.
In general: Look for more reviews and non-academic summer silliness here in the near future!
UPDATE: The Cinema-Mad Sibling has a guest review. Enjoy:
Review: Ironman (2008)
At the behest of a sibling of mine, I was encouraged to hasten my efforts in producing a review for Ironman, as it's been quite a while since I've put forth the effort to collect my ever-scattered stream-of-consciousness thoughts into legible text., if it were ever so simple...So here we go, it's me Mario...
You know, before the trailers and stuff, I never really knew much about Tony Stark or Ironman, or the history there with Avengers, etc. So sue me, with the comic world (i.e. Stan Lee's head) being so crammed with endless characters and stories, hey you're bound to let a superhero or two slip thru the cracks. I was much more a Batman/Superman fan, with Batman Begins to me was being what a superhero origin movie done right. Would IronMan be up to the challenge?
Fortunately, yes, and it indeed exceeded my expectations greatly, and lived up to the all the reviews and the hype, 93% fresh on Rottentomatoes. Renaissance man/actor/writer/comedian/producer/director Jon Favreau put together a production that hones in on audiences want to see: a smart, funny action-filled, character-driven story that balances that all those ingredients carefully, resulting in an enjoyable 2 hours of summer movie.
A quick summary: man inherits family business that makes weapons. Discovers weapons are in the wrong hands the hard way. Uses wit to MacGyver himself from terrorist captivity by protecting himself with an iron suit made from missile scraps and busting out. Perfecting his designs and using technology to fight the enemy, destroying any of the weapons that wrongfully fell into their hands. Finds his purpose, to protect the people. Fun ensues.
Characters were all developed nicely with fun interchanges among them. Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark as the cool hero, genius child prodigy with a penchant for machinery, sarcasm, and women. His character grows from the man we see in the beginning and there is a learning curve in a matter of speaking. This hero is not endowed superpowers by the sun nor midichlorians in the bloodstream. No, he is a normal everyman who has to figure out with his wit and brain how to solve problems. He finds his destiny and embraces it.
The special effects people have outdone themselves. That suit is just bdazz. I'll take two. Cool robot action reminiscent of Transformers and Robocop pepper the movie. Though most of the fun parts were the getting there - seeing Stark's various trial and error outings with the mechanics of his would be superhero garb, seeing that it's not perfect at first, it's not all there at once. Step by step and slowly taking shape, adding realism to the whole enterprise.
I for one would see this again. I saw it twice, and took some friends that would probably have not gone to proselytize 'em. When I first told this girl, she asked is it about Triathlon? Great, this'll be fun, hehe. Well turns out she really liked it and told me so, and that she never would have gone had I not taken her. That's what a good comic book movie should be - accessible to all ages and crowds. Ironman dazzles, shines, and throws in a bit of hot rod red in this summer movie season.
