Countdown To Avengers: Iron Man

This week in the UK sees the long-awaited release of The Avengers, the first ever big budget superhero team-up movie. Well, actually over here they've officially titled it Avengers Assemble, to avoid confusion with a British TV show at the same time, but everyone with half a brain is refusing to actually call it that.
Anyway, I'm going to be going to see that movie on Saturday, which gives me just enough time to rewatch the five movies that preceded this and give my impressions. There will be spoilers for all six movies. You have been warned.



Directed by Jon Favreau
Written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway

Cast
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes
Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane
Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts
Shaun Toub as Dr. Yinsen
Faran Tahir as Raza
Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS
Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart
Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury (post-credit cameo)

This is where it all began, back in 2008, the same year in which a far different superhero movie was released. In contrast to Christopher Nolan's grim vision of Batman in The Dark Knight, Jon Favreau brought Iron Man to life for the first time as a light, fun action blockbuster.
The story of Tony Stark, a flamboyant playboy, womaniser and arms manufacturer who is kidnapped by a terrorist organisation by The Ten Rings in Afghanistan, where he realises that very weapons he's been designing to protect America are being used against it. Creating a suit of armour, powered by the same groundbreaking technology that he has created to keep a piece of shrapnel from piercing heart and killing him, he manages to escape and decides to right the wrongs he has inflicted on the world as Iron Man.
As an origin story, Iron Man works extremely well. I think it's the most successful transition of an origin story from comic to screen ever, with a lot of the best scenes coming before he even first dons the famous red and gold armour. Of course, once he does over an hour into the movie, there is a great sequence where he saves an Afghan village from the terrorist group that kidnapped him before making an escape from US fighter jets.
When the main villain of the piece is revealed, the movie falls down a little though. Jeff Bridges brings a fantastic smarminess to the role of Obadiah Stane, and gives one of the best performances in a movie full of great performances (I've never liked Gwyneth Paltrow as much as I do when she's playing Pepper Potts, and the way both her and Terrence Howard bounce off of Robert Downey Jr. as Stark brings some extremely memorable moments and dialogue), but once he goes from the smarmy, plotting traitor, to full on supervillain with mechanised armour of his own, the movie loses some of its charm. The final battle between the two is okay, but nowhere near at the same level as the previous action sequences.
I found the decision to stray from the comic books and have Tony admit to being Iron Man at the end to be a stroke of genius - and actually far more in character for Tony. As much as he has serious and genuine motives for becoming Iron Man, Tony Stark never loses the trademark egotism, and thrill-seeking nature that makes you believe that there's something of wanting the glory in there, too. So of course, Tony would want the world to know that it was him.
It was a brilliant move by the screenwriters (and Downey Jr.) to have Stark's worldview change thanks to his experiences in captivity, but keep his character stay largely the same. The movie wouldn't have been nearly as effective if he suddenly became a dour brooding superhero. He'd in fact be Batman, and as much as I love Batman, that doesn't work for an Iron Man movie.
Clark Gregg brings a welcome change of pace as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson. We don't see much of him, yet, but we'll be seeing more of him in the movies to come.

And then of course there is the matter of this being the first movie in the build-up to The Avengers. A couple of tidbits are included, including a brief shot featuring a prototype of the shield used by Captain America, but the kicker comes after the credits. Up until then, that there was an Avengers movie in development was only a rumour. But thanks to one of the most closely guarded secrets in the internet age, it was confirmed by a eyepatch-wearing Samuel L. Jackson introducing himself as Nick Fury, Director Of S.H.I.E.L.D. to talk to Tony about the "Avenger Initiative". Boom! Fans of the comics rejoice!