Iron Man

Una película tonta pero divertida que no te clavará en tu asiento con la dinámica y el espectáculo de X-men o Spider-man, pero te divertirá con el alarde de Robert Downey (toda la película está basada en él) y te sorprenderá con su interesante elenco. Jeff Bridges como villano calvo y Gwen Paltrow como ayudante del superhéroe, eso no se ve cada día. Pero por lo demás, Iron Man es súper inofensivo y familiar, rozando lo infantil. Haría falta más cinismo y una perspectiva adulta irónica. (02.05.2008)

Naprosto nechápu ten obrovský humbuk kolem Iron Mana. Byl jsem velmi zvědavý na jednu z údajně povedených komiksových adaptací, ale viděl jsem pouze další americkou sračku, která krmí akčedychtivé diváky po celém světě. A to teda té akce tam bylo málo, maličko. Nudný začátek, nudný prostředek, mírně dobrý závěr. Americký příběh o morálním prozření arogantního boháče, který se rozhodne bojovat za lepší zítřky v Afganistánu, nechápu, že taková nesmyslná slátanina může někoho vůbec zaujmout. Jedna hvězdička za Gwyneth a Bridgese. Downeyho jsem viděl v mnohem lepších rolích. Fuj, to byl snad nejhorší film, jaký jsem letos viděl, brrr. Jen doufám, že se opravdu nechystají zabahnit Iron Manem docela solidního Hulka. (30.11.2008)

Iron Man isn’t any dumb B-movie, but it lags a good couple of miles behind being a quality movie. The screenplay aren’t so awful, the genre, but the dialogs are simply terrible. I’m not expecting a second Shakespeare from this uncomplicated popcorn movie, but this is really too much. Some tongue in cheek could have saved it. But somehow they forgot about that option and all we get is a couple of family jokes, which just don’t do it. We get no proper action, effects don’t count (but aren’t bad, come to think of it) and so the whole thing rests on the wide shoulders of a “Rambo-like" Downey who operates more with his charisma than doing any acting (and basically he just plays himself anyhow). However, his charisma is so enormous that it manages to carry the whole movie from start to finish. As for Iron Man becoming a timeless classic like the Black Sabbath “version", or even a flagship of the genre, it’s unthinkable, although with a little imagination you can picture it happening. Someday. (04.05.2008)

That intro in Afghanistan, along with the snide remarks on American foreign policy today, is a little off from the rest of the film, which is deep in the waters of comic-book hyperbole thanks to its flamboyance. Yet as much as I didn't want to believe it myself, the film ultimately works beautifully without Favreau pulling off any flashy action or uncompromisingly innovative ideas. The film is built on the actors (yes, Downey could have taken a drink with him into the film) and the fast pace that races through the simple dialogue, which is a joy to listen to thanks to life’s bon mots and (once again) the actors. The standard genre archetypes of heroes are unexpectedly subverted (who is it that gives Stark his heart after all?) and it still manages to be sympathetically intrusive in the circle of a family spectacle for an evening, all whilst winking at those who have already made some films. I have a feeling that nobody will take the title of "most pleasant surprise of the year" away from Iron Man. 4 ½. (18.09.2008)

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Without him, this film would really be just routine scrap metal, but thanks to Downey, Gwynneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges, it's a surprisingly catchy and likeable film. Of course, it's hard not to see Favreau et al. behind Downey with all those action scenes that lack decent ideas. Nevertheless, except for the ending, I had more fun with this stupid thing than I have had for a long time. Marvel should perhaps find better directors and better screenplays, but even the first X-Men feels a bit cumbersome... I’m happy to wait for Stark's next arrival. (04.05.2008)