Iron Man, Finally.

After realizing that I was perhaps the only person left on Earth who hadn't seen Iron Man, I remedied that situation Saturday night. I wasn't intentionally trying to avoid it or anything... the timing just hadn't worked out. But it did qualify as a movie that I desperately wanted to catch while it was still at the theater, so I knew this was probably one of the last weekends I'd be able to do so. Or maybe not, considering that the show was still completely sold out two months after its premiere (although admittedly I was in perhaps the smallest theater ever built... but, you get my point).

The miracle is that despite crazy-high expectations for this movie--after everyone I know telling me how great it was and that they couldn't believe I hadn't seen it yet--I DID still love it. That's really saying something, considering that usually when my hopes are up so much I am invariably disappointed.

Although I am not a fan of Robert Downey Jr., you really can't help but like him in this movie--he did an excellent job playing Tony Stark, the genius billionaire who creates/becomes Iron Man. I also thought that Terrance Howard and a barely recognizable Jeff Bridges were good fits for their roles, too. Unfortunately, as I knew would be the case, Gwyneth Paltrow was totally annoying as "Pepper Potts," Stark's assistant.

First off, who comes up with these names for the women in all of the various comic book series? Oh yeah, dorks. That must be why most of the female characters' names are so ridiculous. But beyond the stupid moniker, Gwyneth's character--solely because she was played by Gwyneth--was definitely the worst part of this movie. She had absolutely ZERO chemistry with Stark, even though they tried desperately to act like there was something there. I also can't stand her lispy voice... she sounds like a ten-year-old girl. If it were not for the fact that 1) she is married to Chris Martin and 2) she was in one of my all-time favorite movies, Sliding Doors, I would absolutely despise Gwyneth Paltrow. AND she didn't deserve to win an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love. (End of random rant.)

I also thought it was funny how Jon Favreau, who directed the movie but also had a very small part as Tony's chauffeur Happy Hogan (who has a much bigger role in the comic book), suddenly just disappeared from the film. In the beginning he was rolling around as the limo driver, but then must have realized the movie was going to be harder to direct than he previously figured, and so he was never seen again on-screen. My husband and I both agreed that he's a much better director than actor, though. I love me some Swingers, but the bottom line is that Vince Vaughn made that movie, and Favreau's acting in it was pretty horrid. Let's not feel too bad for him, though, since Iron Man made about a gazillion dollars and the sequel is already planned for 2010.

My husband also pointed out that Tom Morello, the guitarist from Rage Against the Machine, was one of the bad guys. What's up with this dude making small appearances in a ton of movies?

Anyway, I won't officially recommend Iron Man because I know it's too late--you've already seen it. It was great and I'm glad I finally checked it off of my list. I do have a small question about the ending, though, so check the comments and help me out if you won't be spoiled. But also, regarding the ending, I must say that I think the final line in the movie was unexpected, but perfect.

Next up from Superheroland... Hancock this weekend.

- e