The really good comic book movies are the ones that realize that what makes superheroes interesting isn’t their flashy costumes or their extraordinary abilities. What makes them interesting is their flaws and eccentricities; the things that help the audience sympathize with characters that might otherwise seem like demi-gods. The first couple Spiderman and X-Men movies worked so well because they provided both spectacle and depth. Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman was kind of a jerk when he first acquired his powers, but his emotional journey makes the movie that much more interesting.
Iron Man works in a similar vein. Tony Stark is a weapons manufacturer whose wealth is only matched by his shallowness until a traumatic experience forces him to acknowledge his own complicity in bringing suffering to the forgotten corners of the globe. His physical scars from that experience also enable him to reinvent himself as Iron Man, a superhero with no natural abilities but ones granted by technology. Robert Downey, Jr. is pitch-perfect as Stark, capturing his insouciant charm and arrogance without coming off like a dick. Gwyneth Paltrow, as Stark’s devoted personal assistant Pepper Potts, isn’t given nearly enough to do, however. But stuff does blow up real good.
And be sure to stick around for a fanboy surprise after the credits.
