Iron Man

(obiglotory pun sub-heading coming up) You’d be STARK staring mad to miss it (kill me, please)

Being a comic book nerd rarely pays off, you never really get to smugly sit back with a big I-told you-so grin, until this film. Grittier than most comic adaptations Iron Man is a corker* of a film. Robert Downey Jnr charmingly steals every scene he is in with such likeable ease I’m not sure if I want to be him, be his mate or just plain fuck him with a geek het crush so strong I had to resist the urge to sigh every time he appeared on the screen. Other notable mentions go to The Dude for carrying of a believable but menacing bad guy, not just for a comic book movie but for any movie, and Gwyneth Paltrow for making red hair look attractive. At no point in this film was I impressed with the CGI, but this is not a bad thing - I never even noticed the CGI which is how it should be, the effects seamlessly intertwined with the live action in a way that makes Titanic look as convincing as a Punch and Judy show. Although I did find the thick vein of American jingoism that runs throughout distasteful, I suppose it could be argued that Iron Man isn’t necessarily patriotic, its just that he is the ultimate extension of capitalism, which is also happens to be the principle that America is founded on. Also in some uncomfortable scenes the conflict in Afghanistan is depicted, I’m not sure I was entirely comfortable that such scenes being used as entertainment, while the conflict is still going on. But with wry additions to the script to keep the fanboys happy, and enough emotional clout to make it engaging I heartily recommend you see this film (and stay after the credits for pure nerdgasm).

*so good it seems I can only use 1950’s schoolboy slang