Iron Man

“I am Iron Man”

What can I say about Iron Man that you haven’t already heard from your friends? Nothing, really. It’s all that everyone’s cracked it up to be. It’s fun, visually amazing (which isn’t surprising since it’s from the FX team that did Transformers), it’s got a great story and it’s 100% entertaining.

I accredit Iron Man’s success to two things: one, writer and director Jon Favreau, and two, Marvel Studios.

I like Favreau because he’s an uber-talented guy. He can act: Anybody who’s seen Swingers or The Break-Up already knows this. He can write: Swingers is one of the most dialogue savvy adult screenplays and Elf is one of the funniest holiday family movies. And now he’s proven that he can direct just about anything.

From every trailer and spot for Iron Man, one would’ve gathered that Favreau’s script didn’t seem to have a plot. But once the movie starts, you’re dumped right into the middle of it and you realize that, yes, Iron Man does have a story. And, yes, it is really, really good. Much like the newly rebooted Batman franchise, Iron Man wants to show you how an average guy very well could have an amazing suit that allows his to become a superhero.

It looks like Marvel’s progression into creating their own film studio has been one of the reasons for Iron Man’s success. With a new studio, Marvel no longer has to sell off the rights to their characters and watch them get bastardized by the Hollywood film system. Now, Marvel can make whatever comic book into whatever kind of film they want. Unlike the Hollywood studios, they feel as if these stories they’ve created are already ready for the big screen. They don’t need to make the drastic changes that other studios have made with their stories to turn them into blockbusters.

Way to go Favreau and way to go Marvel! Even though lots of people have lost faith in Marvel’s June release of The Incredible Hulk, maybe realizing that it is the second release of Marvel Studios will help pull in some viewers that wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. As for me, I’m excited for it. And I’m really excited to see Robert Downey Jr. show up in a bit cameo as Iron Man.

Photo credit: Paramount Studios