GO SEE IRON MAN IMMEDIATELY! Second after second, your mind won’t let your eyes stray from the screen. He flies! What else do you need? How about the armor, and the repulsor rays, and the explosions, and the jets, and the weapons, and the robots and…well it’s real simple – this is your kind of movie!

::

Audience quotes: “I’m going to see it again tomorrow.”
“Robert Downey Jr. was awesome.”
“That movie kicked ass!”

Cool Factor: 200 percent
(100 is perfect, 101 is beyond cool, 200, however, is twice the cool to rule)

Silencing Factor: 100 percent
(The only sounds were applause DURING the film)

Cellphone Usage: 5 percent
(The minimum, but this time those people were just turning them off so they could pay attention to the movie without anyone bothering them)

Best Facet of the Film: Guarantees Iron Man II … and more.

Concept Crossover: Iron Man is the first Spider-man movie, Batman Begins, and Lord of War all rolled into one. Aside from that, it has universal appeal and what it takes to get loads of award nominations, including Best Picture in all the major ceremonies.

Words for the Filmmakers: Thank You So Very Much. The film is an inspiration for aspiring and professional filmmakers.

Peapod Reviews:
Friends Pea – GO SEE IRON MAN IMMEDIATELY!
Family Pea – GO SEE IRON MAN IMMEDIATELY!
Cinephile Pea – GO SEE IRON MAN IMMEDIATELY!
Escapist Pea – GO SEE IRON MAN IMMEDIATELY!
Geek Pea – GO SEE IRON MAN IMMEDIATELY!

Main Review: Well whaddya think I’m gonna say?

Okay, Okay, you want details … I’ll give ‘em to ya.

Friends Pea:
The Thursday night showing I went to, at 11 p.m. mind you, had groups of a dozen or more friends going together, and no one was disappointed. Like them, you’ll be talking nonstop afterwards, mentioning everything you loved about the movie, and at what time you want to see it again the next day (straight up truth on that – people were making plans).

Family Pea:
There’s something for everyone, no matter what the age. You don’t have to worry about bad language, but Tony Stark does have a drink in his hand a number of times (his character in the comic books has struggled with alcoholism in the past, and they were being true to that). This isn’t much of an issue, but you can address it afterwards, if you feel it’s necessary, so that the little ones don’t get the wrong idea, if they were even paying attention to that with all the cool stuff they’ll see in the movie.

Cinephile Pea:
Like I said above, it has all the ingredients of a ‘Best Picture’, so for that alone it needs to be seen, especially if you’re a filmmaker. If you’re the type that runs away from comic book movies, this movie will change your opinion completely, and make you head to your closest comic book store to buy a slew of ‘paper’ films. This is mainly because the screenplay is so good, it manages to pull audiences in immediately, even though they’re watching a Marvel character they might not be too familiar with.

Escapist Pea:
He flies! What else do you need? How about the armor, and the repulsor rays, and the explosions, and the jets, and the weapons, and the robots and…well it’s real simple – this is your kind of movie!

Geek Pea:
 He flies! And it ain’t easy at first. You’ll be too busy watching the film to run through some of the trajectory formulas on the calculator in your backpack, but you’ll also forget about that quickly after the movie when you start sketching robot designs and your own suit of armor. Aside from one green screen shot that needed more attention, you won’t be nitpicking. And you’ll be reminding everyone in the theater to stay until after the credits, because you’ll know what’s up already.

Main Review:
Never a dull moment. Second after second, your mind wouldn’t let your eyes stray from the screen. I used to buy Iron Man comics, but lately not (don’t get me started on Marvel’s Civil War story line). He’s in the Avengers books I’m picking up though, so I know what he’s up to. This movie reminds me of the Iron Man comics I used to buy, but it also improved on them. A wise cracking Tony Stark, on par with Spider-man but more mature, offers up a complex character that keeps you fixated on him – every second followed by another – even when he’s off screen.
This is the story, according to the film world, that has been created (don’t worry – there’s no spoilers, but if you want the True Believers story, see the link from Marvel at the bottom):

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a genius inventor sired by an equally brilliant father who died in a car crash with Tony’s mother, and once the son became 21, he took over the family business, weapons manufacturing, from mentor Obadiah Stane, portrayed by a captivating William Hurt. Currently, Pepper Potts, emulated by an oh-so-likeable Gwyneth Paltrow, is Tony right hand do-it-all assistant whom he couldn’t survive without. That’s if he survives an attack on him in the first few minutes of the film after he gives a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan. How does he go from victim to Iron Man? Well, I’m stopping right there – I’m not one of those killjoys who ruin a story for everyone by revealing too much.

Okay, just a little more. Rhodey (Jim Rhodes). He’s Tony’s main man in the military, and is played quite well by Terrence Howard. If you want to know more about his importance, check out the link at the bottom (word of warning, it may spoil the surprise of Iron Man II for you (you’ll know why after you see the movie).

So, I caught it the night before the release, and this was a tough crowd. Literally every trailer got groans and boos except for Indiana Jones, and The Incredible Hulk (I’ll get to the Hulk later). The whole audience clammed up when Iron Man started, and after the ‘prologue’, there was actually applause. There was applause throughout the movie too. I can’t remember the last time that happened.

The thing for me though were the comments afterwards. While I was waiting on line to get in, I noted a pretty significant ratio of 95 percent men, and 5 percent women. After the film, the women were thanking their male escorts for bringing them to the late 11PM show the Thursday night before the Friday release date. I’ve never heard that after a comic book movie. Never. Another comment, from a male cynic that was won over: “I couldn’t believe I liked the whole story line with Gwyneth Paltrow – it was unexpected.” About the main man himself, “Robert Downey Jr. was awesome.” The most telling were these two: “That movie kicked ass!”, and “I’m going to see it again tomorrow.” With the latter people, I’m sure they were making use of their iPhones and ordering tickets immediately, because it’s going to be a sold out weekend.

Alright, by the numbers. The screenplay? Tight. Cinematography? Top notch. Editing? Seamless. Acting? Expect a lot of awards for Robert Downey Jr. Production values? Exceptional. Want more details? Catch the trailer. I couldn’t do the film justice with words. No, no, I didn’t forget about the directing. John Favreau definitely flexed his filmmaking muscles, and also utilized his acting skills, playing bodyguard Harold “Happy” Hogan. I like the dea that he was guarding the film on two different levels. There’s a link below to his character in the Marvel Universe, but, if they utilize that story line, you may get a spoiler like with Rhodey. Favreau didn’t need to prove his comic book knowledge after his panel discussion at last year’s Comic Con, but the fanboy in him definitely showed up in the film. Good comic book films result from creators who know the universe they’re dealing with, and not just regarding one character. Favreau’s Iron Man is evidence of this.

If you really need to know for sure, yes, Stan Lee was in the film, but like you’ve never seen him before.

What you really want to know about though is the future. Will there be an Iron Man II? Hehe, it was pretty much written into the screenplay with a ‘next time’. However, Marvel has big plans. This is the first production from Marvel Studios, and it is the beginning of the crossover movies. Tony Stark will be in the Incredible Hulk, and as for Iron Man, you’ll have to stay until after the credits to see the unbelievably special epilogue (there’s no way I’m saying more, out of respect for the film). Previously, the variety of film companies doing Marvel movies didn’t allow for characters to guest star or have cameos. Now, it’ll be possible, making comic book fans, including me, scream with glee (the audience was absolutely ecstatic after that final minute).

Final Taste Test: See it at least twice. ‘Nuff said.

After Taste Test: You’ll be sad when it finally leaves the theaters. Thankfully, that’ll be about four to five months from now. You’ll be annoyed that you can’t reserve the DVD immediately, but you’ll at least have the video game. Your local comic book store will help you out too, offering up trade paperbacks, statues, posters, T-shirts, and more, especially for those who go to a comic shop the day after the Friday opening, which is the annual Free Comic Book Day, occurring once a year on a Spring Saturday.

Links:
http://www.marvel.com/universe/Iron_man
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ironman

If you really must know about Rhodey…
http://www.marvel.com/universe/Rhodes percent2C_James

If you really must know about Harold “Happy” Hogan…
http://www.marvel.com/universe/Hogan percent2C_Happy