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Iron Man

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Iron Man (2008)

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Reviews Counted:15

Fresh:12

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey make this smart, high impact superhero movie one that even non-comics fans can enjoy.

Rated: 12A

Runtime: 2 hrs 42 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:02-05-2008

Synopsis: For both comic book fans and those who can't tell the Green Lantern from the Green Arrow, IRON MAN is the type of summer blockbuster whose appeal lasts far beyond the season. Robert Downey Jr.... For both comic book fans and those who can't tell the Green Lantern from the Green Arrow, IRON MAN is the type of summer blockbuster whose appeal lasts far beyond the season. Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy and genius who puts as much effort into chasing skirts as he puts into chasing his next big idea. A trip to Afghanistan to sell weapons quickly devolves into chaos, and Stark finds himself at the mercy of a warlord who wants him to build a missile. Instead, Stark creates a powerful suit of armor, turning him into Iron Man and allowing him to escape. When he returns to America, his assistant Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow), friend Rhodey (Terrence Howard), and right-hand man Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) all marvel at the change in the man they knew. IRON MAN is the first film to be self-financed by Marvel Studios, and they should be proud of their freshman effort. They didn't take any obvious routes with choosing the cast or crew, and it pays off. Director Jon Favreau, who also has a small role in the film, is best known for directing ELF, but his first action-driven effort is nearly flawless. Casting Downey was gutsy but inspired: this is his first big action picture as well, but the wit he displays in films such as the cult hit KISS KISS, BANG BANG works perfectly for the character of Stark. IRON MAN features nods to its beloved source material, as well as to the classic animated series of the 1960s. But even for the uninitiated, this film provides an interesting entry into the Marvel superhero's universe. Audiences who keep watching after the credits have rolled will be rewarded with a bonus scene. [More]

Starring: Robert Downey, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub

Starring: Robert Downey, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, Clark Gregg, Faran Tahir

Director: Jon Favreau

Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matthew Holloway
Producer: Avi Arad, Kevin Feige
Composer: Ramin Djawadi
Studio: New Line Cinema

[See More Credits]

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  • Comic-Con 2006 Interview
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    Robert Downey Jr.
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    Mark Fergus
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    Robert Downey Jr. (SDCC 07)
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  • Jon Favreau (SDCC 07)
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    Terrence Howard (SDCC 07)
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    Gweneth Paltrow (SDCC 07)
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    2008 Audi R8 (SDCC 07)
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  • Trailer
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    Jon Favreau
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    Robert Downey Jr.
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    Super Bowl Trailer
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  • WonderCon 2008: Jon Favreau
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    Trailer #2 - 2/28/2008
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    UK Red Carpet Interviews
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    Robert Downey Jr. AU Interview
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  • Out Of Breath
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    Deploy Flaps
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    Interview
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    We Make Weapons
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  • Let's See What This Thing Can Do
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    Pepper's Birthday Present
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    The Jericho
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    Red Carpet Premiere
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  • RT Review Revue - Iron Man, Made of Honor
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    RT Review Revue Mini - Iron Man
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    Addictive TV Trailer Remix
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    Robert Downey Jr. & The Mark 1
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  • Making The Scene With ILM
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    Favreau On Effects
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    Modeling Iron Man
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    Exclusive Deleted Scene - Dubai
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Reviews for Iron Man

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1 - 15 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Based on yet another Marvel series, Iron Man has plenty of things going for it, the main assets being an enjoyably sardonic Downey, his hardware, and the downturned mouth of his new metal visage - a warning that this self-styled messiah means business.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment 1 Comment
05/02/08
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph
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Despite the convulsively jittery address to the role, [Downey] is never in the smallest degree engaging in the way director Jon Favreau appears to think.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 10 Comments
05/02/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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Iron Man is the first blockbuster movie of the summer, and, despite the topical Taleban atrocities, it’s a roaring fairground ride.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/02/08
James Christopher
James Christopher
BBC
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Is it summer already? The first of the big budget superhero blockbusters has arrived, and it's a roaring success, thanks to a combination of superb special effects and canny casting.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/02/08
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC
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It's fantastic to see a superhero movie getting away from the navel-gazing to serve up overboard action with a knowing sense of humour.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 1 Comment
05/01/08
Jim Hall
Jim Hall
Channel 4 Film
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Light on both CGI and moral quandaries, [it posesses] neither the zip and sparkle of a Spider-Man nor the brooding existential subtexts of Batman Begins.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 24 Comments
04/25/08
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out
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It’s not sure where to go once the final Iron Man suit is constructed, and seems in a rush to get there, but Downey Jr and the supporting cast are so perfectly placed we're already looking forward to the bound-to-be-better sequel.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/25/08
Dan Jolin
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
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A supremely confident, well-tooled entertainment. It's bound to be the early pace-maker for the oncoming glut of summer blockbusters.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
10/18/08
Tom Charity
Tom Charity
CNN.com
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At the end of the day it's Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 1 Comment
06/20/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Iron Man is an unusually good superhero picture. Or at least -- since it certainly has its problems -- a superhero movie that's good in unusual ways.

comment 3 Comments
05/01/08
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
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It's Iron Man to the rescue, yanking movies and the worldwide box office out of its months-long doldrums and into the stratosphere.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
05/01/08
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
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Downey's unbeatable charisma makes these problems less troublesome than they would be otherwise, but wouldn't it be nice if they didn't exist at all?

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment 23 Comments
05/01/08
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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Iron Man is simply great escapism. It deserves to be the first blockbuster of the summer.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 1 Comment
05/01/08
Bill Zwecker
Bill Zwecker
Chicago Sun-Times
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Iron Man may not make the A-list of Marvel Comics' stable -- home to Spider-Man, X-Men and the Hulk -- but he may be the cinema superhero for the rest of us.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment 5 Comments
04/28/08
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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[An] expansively entertaining special effects extravaganza.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 1 Comment
04/25/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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1 - 15 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Iron Man

September 21, 2009: Copyright Battle Erupts Over Marvel Characters Opens in new window
What's next for the lawyer who successfully wrested chunks of the Superman copyright away from DC and gave them to the estate of creator Jerome Siegel? A similar lawsuit, argued... More...

April 22, 2009: Total Recall: Robert Downey, Jr.'s Best Movies
Early in his career, he seemed destined to be typecast as a go-to guy for fast-talking, lovably odd characters in lightweight comedies -- and later on, he was in danger of... More...

April 14, 2009: Is Faran Tahir Iron Man's Mandarin? Opens in new window
Remember Faran Tahir's appearance as an outwitted warlord in "Iron Man"? Yeah, well, so does Tahir -- and as he tells Sci Fi Wire, just because his character doesn't appear in... More...

March 27, 2009: Marvel Seeks Writers Opens in new window
Hey, screenwriters! Looking for steady work? Know a thing or two about Marvel's costumed crimefighters? You may be one of the writers the studio is looking to add to its team! More...

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