A Decade Ago, Iron Man Is A Mess

A decade ago, Iron Man introduced the world to a new kind of superhero movie. Its multi-billion dollar franchise would help bring comic book style continuity to the big screen and spawn a media empire that is unrivaled in modern times. However, the movie is not without its faults. It seems hard to believe now, but the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a bit of a mess in some places. The story is overstuffed and a few key moments don’t quite work. Still, it’s impossible to look at the film today and not marvel at its impact.

Iron Man is the story of an ingenious billionaire who is forced to live like a hermit after his weapons technology is turned on him by terrorists and nearly kills him. As he hides in his underground headquarters, Stark creates a suit of armor with guns, flamethrowers and jet engines built into his arms so that he can make his escape from the cave. This is just the start of the story that ends up shaping the entire MCU.

One of the most important things about the film is that it establishes an emotional connection with the audience. As a result, the action isn’t just a series of loud explosions and super hero fights. There’s real heart behind it all and the characters aren’t just caricatures.

That mix of emotion and angst is what sets this movie apart from so many others and makes it such a success. The fact that director Jon Favreau, who also directed the Will Ferrell comedy Elf, used that approach on his work for Marvel shows he understands how to ground sci-fi fantasy in recognizable real estate and humanize the action.

Another thing that helps is the cast. Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow provide a solid core for the movie and their chemistry is electric. Iron Man also helped launch the #CoupleGoals era of MCU films.

The biggest problem with the film is the pacing. Iron Man was filmed just before San Diego’s Comic-Con International, and the film feels like it was made for the show. This doesn’t mean the movie is boring, but it does slow down the pace a little.

There’s also some issues with the special effects. ILM’s photo-real work is fine, but Favreau, who is much more of an actor’s director than a visual effects person, doesn’t always deliver the full symphony of state-of-the-art firepower that you might hope for from a movie about a guy fighting giant robots in his underwear.

This year’s Iron Man Year Set comes with a couple of interesting sets that are worth checking out. Its main build is a not-quite-identical but close version of the Iron Man armor. The set also includes an Ivan Vanko figure that uses the second generation Iron Man helmet mold and does a good job of capturing Michael Rourke’s performance as the maniacal Russian mad scientist. This figure also comes with two trans-light blue chains that help to give him a more distinctive appearance.