A comics novice at his core, JT had never seen any of the MCU movies prior to 2019, when he decided to start this Journey Through Infinity from the start. Follow along for his thoughts, rankings and more!
The Movie: Iron Man (2008)
Quick Thoughts: Iron Man was one character I did know a bit about prior to this journey. I had read some of the origin story a few years ago and it certainly was an intriguing one. Heading in with the brief amount of knowledge, I thought they did a good job of lifting Tony Stark's story out of the Cold War Era and dropping it into modern times. Right away we get a feeling for who Tony is: a rock star in both his industry and pop culture.
The movie was really fast paced and chugged right along, which I mostly enjoyed outside of how quickly the heel turn from Obadiah Stane happens. Having spent a while with the Netflix Marvel universe, I am used to long, drawn out reveals and turns, so when Stane went sour so quickly I had to adjust.
That said, he was a good big bad to get us going, learning how to take Tony's tech and make a monster version of it to wreak havoc. However, Tony outsmarts him in the end and with the help of the ever-present and loyal Pepper Potts, finishes the Iron Monger off in a fun finishing sequence.
I also loved the closing scene where Tony reveals he is indeed Iron Man. That was also something I wasn't used to in the world of Superheros... known identities. But it certainly plays into Tony's bravado and stardom that he wants to bring on the adulation and respect that comes with the role. I also liked that we got the first glimpse of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Phil Coulson pops in late in the movie and then Nick Fury shows up in the post-credits scene to really get things going.
Finally, it will take some time, but we are already seeing changes in Tony's personality and character development from selfish to genuine. It is slight here, but it's starting.
This was a really good start to the journey and I dug pretty much everything about it. The sound that becomes so synonymous with Iron Man's blaster will become the backdrop from here on out.
Best Non Iron Man Character: I know it is polarizing (I have quickly become immersed into the culture and opinions of this universe, it seems) but I really liked Terrance Howard as James Rhodes. I thought he carried with him a strength and delivery that was believably matched to Tony, which makes sense given they are positioned as peers in a way. His delivery was on point and I enjoyed the scenes he was in, especially late in the movie.
Worst Non Iron Man Character: I don't think anyone really stood out in a bad way in this one. I do think Stane could have used some more development but he was fine overall. This is a me-problem, but I can only think of Shallow Hall when I see and hear Gwyneth Paltrow.
Best Scene: The final scene. I really did dig the battle between Tony and Stane and there is so much visual goodness in here, but I thought they nailed the final scene where Tony reveals he is Iron Man, especially how it cuts right into Iron Man by Black Sabbath for the credits.
Why it Was Awesome: The visuals were tremendous; Robert Downey, Jr. IS Tony Stark upon impact; The final fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger was wonderfully executed and they payoff to Tony revealing that the suit would freeze in space is both a great callback and a perfect swerve because it seems like that is the end of things but then it picks back up; They did a nice job carrying the story into modern times
Why it Sucked: The heel turn for Stane is a little rushed, as stated above, with him going from the head of the company to being wanted by officials within minutes; We could have used more background on Tony's family and the arc reactor technology, but that is still to come; I am struggling here...
Final Grade (1-10): 8
The MCU Movie Rankings:
1) Iron Man (2008)
The Superhero Rankings:
1) Iron Man
Listen to me talk more about Iron Man here!
The Movie: Iron Man (2008)
Quick Thoughts: Iron Man was one character I did know a bit about prior to this journey. I had read some of the origin story a few years ago and it certainly was an intriguing one. Heading in with the brief amount of knowledge, I thought they did a good job of lifting Tony Stark's story out of the Cold War Era and dropping it into modern times. Right away we get a feeling for who Tony is: a rock star in both his industry and pop culture.
The movie was really fast paced and chugged right along, which I mostly enjoyed outside of how quickly the heel turn from Obadiah Stane happens. Having spent a while with the Netflix Marvel universe, I am used to long, drawn out reveals and turns, so when Stane went sour so quickly I had to adjust.
That said, he was a good big bad to get us going, learning how to take Tony's tech and make a monster version of it to wreak havoc. However, Tony outsmarts him in the end and with the help of the ever-present and loyal Pepper Potts, finishes the Iron Monger off in a fun finishing sequence.
I also loved the closing scene where Tony reveals he is indeed Iron Man. That was also something I wasn't used to in the world of Superheros... known identities. But it certainly plays into Tony's bravado and stardom that he wants to bring on the adulation and respect that comes with the role. I also liked that we got the first glimpse of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Phil Coulson pops in late in the movie and then Nick Fury shows up in the post-credits scene to really get things going.
Finally, it will take some time, but we are already seeing changes in Tony's personality and character development from selfish to genuine. It is slight here, but it's starting.
This was a really good start to the journey and I dug pretty much everything about it. The sound that becomes so synonymous with Iron Man's blaster will become the backdrop from here on out.
Best Non Iron Man Character: I know it is polarizing (I have quickly become immersed into the culture and opinions of this universe, it seems) but I really liked Terrance Howard as James Rhodes. I thought he carried with him a strength and delivery that was believably matched to Tony, which makes sense given they are positioned as peers in a way. His delivery was on point and I enjoyed the scenes he was in, especially late in the movie.
Worst Non Iron Man Character: I don't think anyone really stood out in a bad way in this one. I do think Stane could have used some more development but he was fine overall. This is a me-problem, but I can only think of Shallow Hall when I see and hear Gwyneth Paltrow.
Best Scene: The final scene. I really did dig the battle between Tony and Stane and there is so much visual goodness in here, but I thought they nailed the final scene where Tony reveals he is Iron Man, especially how it cuts right into Iron Man by Black Sabbath for the credits.
Why it Was Awesome: The visuals were tremendous; Robert Downey, Jr. IS Tony Stark upon impact; The final fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger was wonderfully executed and they payoff to Tony revealing that the suit would freeze in space is both a great callback and a perfect swerve because it seems like that is the end of things but then it picks back up; They did a nice job carrying the story into modern times
Why it Sucked: The heel turn for Stane is a little rushed, as stated above, with him going from the head of the company to being wanted by officials within minutes; We could have used more background on Tony's family and the arc reactor technology, but that is still to come; I am struggling here...
Final Grade (1-10): 8
The MCU Movie Rankings:
1) Iron Man (2008)
The Superhero Rankings:
1) Iron Man
Listen to me talk more about Iron Man here!
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