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Iron Man (2008)

★★½ — Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man arrived in May 2008 as the opening salvo of Marvel Studios' first attempt at self-financing its own productions, a genuinely risky move given the studio had mortgaged the rights to several of its characters as collateral for a $525 million loan. Jon Favreau, whose directorial career up to that point ran to the modest likes of Elf and Zathura, was an unconventional choice to helm a $140 million superhero picture. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. carried its own gamble, given his well-documented personal troubles through the late 1990s and early 2000s, but producer Kevin Feige pushed hard for him. The film drew on the original Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comics from 1963, updating Tony Stark's origin story from Vietnam to the conflict in Afghanistan.

A Billionaire in a Tin Can Honestly? Iron Man is just a bit dull. Yes, it kickstarted the MCU, yes, Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, and yes, the suit-building montages are cool… but strip away the flashy CGI and the quippy dialogue, and what’s left is a fairly by-the-numbers origin story that drags in places. When you compare it to The Dark Knight Rises for example... another film about a billionaire tech genius reinventing himself, the difference in depth is staggering. One is a gritty, layered character study. The other is, well… an extended advert for a shared universe. I know Marvel films aren’t really my thing, but even setting that aside, this feels like a functional but uninspired start. Good in hindsight for what it built, but on its own? Just alright.

Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2008 | Watched: 2012-03-02

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Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK

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