Are special effects really that special anymore? Maybe we should just call them effects from now on. I bring this up because there was a hell of a lot of razzle dazzle in this movie. All of it state of the art blow up your mind computer generated effects, but I must be desensitized to it by now because I found myself more interested by Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark without his mask then with it.
Robert Downey Jr, by the way, kicks ass. He's an overall really cool guy, I think it was really awesome that he got to be cast as a super hero. I think it says a good thing for the genre that they are hiring dudes like Downey Jr. He's not really a huge bankable star, he just happens to be perfect for the role. He's always had this way of pointedly spitting his words that makes his characters seem very wacky or very smart and usually both. His character, Tony Stark, the millionaire playboy genius arms dealer extraordinaire is a walk in the park for Downey Jr. You can tell that the dude is having a ball playing this guy. Robert also looks the part so much also. He's not a big guy, but he's got the strut and he looks like he knows he's smarter and cooler than everyone else and to his credit he probably is.
Tony Stark's always capable assistant is Pepper Pots, played amiably by Gwyneth Paltrow, who somehow won an Oscar way back when and hasn't done much since. This part I think could have been played by any number of actresses. How do I know this? Well, because I saw this same part in the 2006 Casino Royale movie, except that girl was played by Eva Green. A different shade of this woman has shown up in several movies lately. All you need is a pretty face who can exchange witty banter with a small sly smile.
There are a couple of things in this movie that seem somewhat recycled. The parts where Stark was learning how to fly reminded me of Spiderman's and Batman's first attempts. Then there's that one action sequence where Iron Man fires a rocket, turns around, and walks toward the camera very cool like as a tank behind him explodes. Very cool shot yes, but I already saw it in a couple of movies now. Bardem in now 'No Country for Old Men' comes to mind. It worked best with George Clooney in 'Syriana' I think. One cool thing that I felt was original was Stark's robots. They infused the machines with personalities, and the way that Downey orders them around garners a good amount of laughs.
The only real problem this movie has though (at least to people who don't watch a lot of movies) is its villain, played by Jeff Bridges. The bad guy isn't explained enough I feel. I never understood why he did those bad things, or tried to bump Tony Stark. It probably would have been a better idea if they didn't try to make it a big twist like they did. That way, the character wouldn't have to constantly lecture Stark while he's trying to kill him. I thought we were past this cliche in the movies, but we have the Talking Villain in this movie. Where the bad guy could kill the good guy if he just shut up and did it.
It's a good idea to pay attention to why the villain needs to talk. He needs too because there has to be some reason for him to be bad, and the story up to that point didn't provide any. Obadiah aka evil bald dude turned bad within the span of five minutes of screen time. He had to pause during the fight sequences to lecture Stark just so we weren't completely confused as to why he would want to kill his best friend. It wasn't hard to discern that Obadiah would be the bad guy. I would suggest that they don't even make it a secret next time. Just make it clear he's the guy from the beginning, give him more screen time and more purpose, and help us understand the story a little better.
It has come to my attention that I didn't do my usual Oscar opinions for this last year. I meant to but just didn't get around to it. Anyway my top five movies this year were as follows in no particular order:
Superbad (another great one from producer Judd Apatow)
No Country for Old Men (Saw it a second time and thought it was brilliant)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton's best)
Into the Wild (Beautiful adaptation)
My Kid Could Paint That (stranger than fiction documentary)
I didn't think there were any real depressing steals or upsets from the Oscars. I was glad the Bourne Ultimatum got recognition, thought it cool that the Coens finally got their best picture trophies, understood the acting awards (although I thought Blanchett should have one supporting actress and Wilkins best supporting actor). I thought director Joe Wright should have been nominated for Best Director, that was I felt the biggest snub. Cinematographer Roger Deakins too I believe should have an Oscar by now. Other than that, I thought it was a great year for movies. Congrats to everyone who was nominated and won.
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