Iron Man (2008) review: Robert Downey Jr's famous phone line returns
By Ian Haydenman
Avengers: Infinity War hits cinema screens on 25 April, and is expected to become the most lucrative film in history.
All of the major players, including the titular Avengers (Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Thor, Black Widow, Captain America, Hulk, etc) are gathered
directly before Thanos' infamous finger-snap, but there's always room for a few stragglers. So, Iron Man's Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, has an epic phone conversation with Iron Man 2's Obadiah Stane, his longtime enemy and business partner.
Iron Man (2008) follows Stark's journey from humble engineer, to billionaire weapons dealer, and eventually back to engineer. And a central aspect of this second-half is Tony's relationship with Steve Rogers, the man who built him and raised him.
Trying to return to the man he used to be, Iron Man must face his own insecurities and fall prey to the machinations of Stane and SHIELD, as well as the devastating consequences of his own inventions.
We don't find out where Tony Stark's allegiances lie until the end of the movie, but the viewer can sense he's returning to what he did before he became Iron Man, and it's a bitter irony that Stark's worst enemy happens to be a part of his past.
This 'crush' on Tony is the key reason why Steve doesn't trust Stark. Even though Stark could be the person he needed when he was most vulnerable, it's also a person who can never be trusted.
But Stark's ties to SHIELD and Black Widow's fall from grace don't mean that Stane has won. It's almost as if Stark's own cynicism has replaced him, and Stark's greatest fear is that in trying to be a hero again, he's only playing into Stane's hands.
In the first Iron Man, we were introduced to Tony's idea of the perfect weapon: a piece of armour that could protect its wearer while still retaining its powers, making the wearer so much more than just another soldier.
Stark manages to achieve this, and delivers an Iron Man suit that includes heart rate monitors, built-in gadgets, and body cams, as well as instant cellular communication.
The team-up between Stark and his long-time friend and nemesis, Obadiah Stane, is very interesting. Stane is an unabashed capitalist, and while Stark has come a long way since he worked for Stane, his more prominent role in the series is a product of Stark's ego.
Stane has an army of scientific consultants, and, when it comes to his suit, Stark must return to his old team and accept their help. They may still want the Iron Man brand, but they're willing to compromise with Stark to help achieve the same ends.
Sylvester Stallone lends his talents as the powerful and manipulative Don Waxillium Augur in the fight to save Black Widow from Stane, but it's all but ignored by the studio.
While there are strong performances from Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Don Cheadle as War Machine, many of the actors in the supporting cast, such as James Badge Dale, Donal Logue and Terrence Howard, are given little or no screen time.
While Downey remains the number one star, it's been a while since Iron Man, and perhaps the franchise was at its peak in 2008.
Perhaps the studio thinks that audiences don't want a modern-day superhero, and so focuses on appealing to a younger audience.
But Iron Man still remains the number one star. He is the god-like superhero, but we know he's still just an ordinary man.
In real life, despite the hundreds of millions he has made and the many titles he has held, Tony Stark would probably just be happy with the suit he wears and the company he creates.
MARVEL'S IRON MAN (2008) is screening at the Enzian in Maitland, Fla. from March 30 to April 19. Click here for tickets and showtimes.
Here are some of my favourite parts:
1. Chowing down with the foxes
AHHHHHHH! Not exactly in Iron Man's 'standard' arsenal.
2. "I'm coming home. They're gonna kill me."
Yes, that moment made me cry.
3. "They're like, 'Oh, he has the girl.' And I'm like, 'I don't need a girl.'"
"Have you seen those movies?"
4. "Honey, I can't turn on a light. I know. It's a short in the circuit."
Yes, it is a short in the circuit.
5. "That's like... If I was a white guy. You know, that's what would happen."
It's been established that Stark is neither white nor Caucasian, but by being that creative, he cleverly sidesteps the 'racial undertones' of the situation.
6. "Why am I the only one who lives here? And why are there cages all around me? This is hell."
I don't remember this from the movie, but I do remember Stark saying that in the comic series.
7. "I guess it's a good thing I decided to keep the suits."
"Okay, so, you live here now, in a place where you can't turn on a light... and you don't even have a window to look out of."
"Oh, that's an old one. And here's the thing. The suits don't need windows. You've seen them, right? They can turn off their head lights, I can go into the back, and come out in the front.
"I can squeeze out, open the door, and literally step over the edge of this whole building."
"Is this what a homeless person would live like?"
"Yeah. Pretty much."
8. "You're like, 'We are going to crash land on someone's front lawn?' And you're all, 'I don't want to! That would be super uncool.'
"It doesn't have to be."
9. "Did you just say to me, 'let's crash and roll'?"
Oh my God, I knew I liked Tony.
10. "You know, I get a lot of stuff done in the suit. People ask me all the time, 'You ever do it for real?' And my answer is always, 'Yeah. I crash into stuff and things get destroyed.'"
It's not often that I go to the cinema, but if there's one movie that I'd recommend, it's this one.
Iron Man (2008) is screening at the Enzian in Maitland, Fla. from March 30 to April 19. Click here for tickets and showtimes.
Watch the trailer:
Harrison Gilbertson is an award-winning writer, journalist, and filmmaker from Melbourne. He edits and contributes to numerous publications, including the Sydney Morning Herald and the Brisbane Times, and runs his own online culture magazine, Whirlwind Magazine.
You can follow him on Twitter at @harrison_gilbertson, Facebook at /HarrisonGilbertson, or check out his own blog at ravenbegone.com.
Credits:
"Iron Man" (2008) - Guardians of the Galaxy - Matt Aitken
Coming Soon - Christopher Gallagher
Making Things Better - Anton Adasiewicz
Editor's note: When building lists such as this, it's always helpful to talk to people who have seen the movie in question and who might have noticed something you may have missed. If you noticed any errors in the list, or you simply want to have a chat about the movie, then get in touch! We welcome your comments and questions. If you're looking for a particular actor to see in a particular film, go see that film! This is a collaborative article, and all opinions are those of the author. Please support the writers and artists by purchasing their art and movies!
Suggested Reading:
See also:
Iron Man (2008) can be purchased here:
amazon.