Iron Man (12 A)

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, ,Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Leslie Bibb, Terrence Hardman
Directed by: Jon Favreau

Released: 02/05/2008

Setting the scene, the first showing in Britain of IRON MAN the latest export from Marvel, a more random choice than the generic superheroes, such as, The Incredible Hulk and Spiderman among others.
In a cinema full of men, (generally geeky comic book types) there I sat waiting, with bated breath and boy oh boy does it deliver!

Action packed from the outset in, the first few moments you get the hard hitting beat of AC/DC Back to Black across a desert and a huge explosion as Stark explodes a missile, walks off calm and collected grabs liquor on the rocks and off he goes... What more can you ask for in a superhero? Did i mention that he flies at super speeds to!

Rehabilitated Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark, a multi-millionaire who lives the playboy lifestyle, gadgets and gizmos a plenty who plays fast and hard and deals with the consequences later, or leaves his delightful assistant, Pepper Potts (Paltrow) to pick up the pieces, who does everything and anything for him including “taking out the trash” ... aka the woman he picked up the previous evening!

Stark is the main supplier of weapons in America and after a demo gone wrong he is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident; he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.There are the usual ingredients, with a bit of a twist to what you would usually expect in a comic book caper.

There are a few soppy moments (groan). If you like action films and car chases then check this out as it contains a seriously high speed and even higher adrenalin filled flight chase between Iron Man and two fighter jets.

There are the usual ingredients, with a bit of a twist to the usual expectations in comic book capers. There are a few soppy moments (groan) but they are manageable. Strangely enough it was Downey Jr that requested for there not to be too many generic soppy scenes, is someone afraid of man of the moment Chris Martin? Or did he just think that it would deter from the action?

So, sit back, suspend all your belief and enjoy all the explosions, excitement and (awesome) effects. Hollywood’s getting into the robotic theme at the moment, last year we had Transformers,( the sequel is out in 2009) and the latest Disney is set to hit cinemas in June; Wale-E.


Amy V Gathercole