The gauntlet in the big summer blockbuster battle has been thrown. And It's red, iron and has a repulsor ray embedded in the palm. All the hype surrounding the Iron Avenger's big screen premiere was well founded, because Jon Favreau's directions is one sweet ride that sets the bar high for competitor's box office success—jetboots into the outer atmosphere high. Iron Man is as rock solid a superhero movie as the impenetrable armor that encases its hero. It has the action, excitement and intelligence to leave little to nothing for longtime Iron Man fans and first-timers alike to complain about. Iron Man is a 'can't miss' upgrade to the superhero genre that only Tony Stark could deliver and sets a new standard for movies based on Marvel's mightiest.
As with any superhero movie, there are several treats for fans of the Iron Man comic. The introduction of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a bit telegraphed, but nevertheless got a nice response from the screening audience who is aware of it. Colonel James Rhodes, played by Terence Howard, has a line that will resonate with Iron Man readers, and pretty much no one else --- it is a great line, though (part Deux anyone?). And what Marvel film would be complete without a cameo from Stan Lee? One of his finest appearance.
Unlike some other superhero movies, though, the dialogue is vibrant and believable for most of the film, likely a result of the constant and participatory script revisions that took place on set according to my referentials via internet and WIZARD. Many of Downey's best lines are already famous ("I prefer the weapon you only need to fire once” ...Aheh!), but there are a few others that have some punch. Stark's statement that his company has 'become comfortable with a system of zero accountability' echoes real-world headlines about Blackwater and Haliburton (sila semak fakta militari ini di wiki secara sendiri-sendiri). While on a lighter note, we have a villain shouting at his beleaguered top scientist that “Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With scraps!”. Where the dialogue fails, predictably, is in the final showdown, when the Big Bad BALD Iron Monger taunts Iron Man by explaining why his suit is so much better, why Stark has no hope of winning, etc., etc., etc.
P/S: When the Spider-Man movie came out in 2002, I remember thinking: well, I'm really glad this happened. It was fun, it was obvious the film would be big but it seemed flawed; less in terms of organic web shooters than camp 1960s dialogue. But I was happy that the movie was made and that it proved as strong as it was, because that meant comic fans could count on more big screen versions of our favorite characters. And now, six years later, I find myself thanking the original Spider-Man because it has led us to Iron Man, which is exactly what a superhero movie should be.