A Veiled Tell: Nil Soli - 5/11/2008

Iron Man (2008)

On Friday night my friends and I viewed the much hyped Iron Man movie. We all enjoyed the film. This review is done for those who have seen the movie as I have made no attempt to conceal spoilers. I have subdivided the review with headings as most will not be interested by all of it (or any of it). Theological applications are at the end of the post.

Synopsis

Iron Man is the story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), an extremely affluent industrialist whose company specializes in producing armament. On the one hand, Stark is a sarcastic womanizer with no impulse control. On the other, he is also a genius with a “work hard, play hard” mentality. He seemingly has it all.

While field testing Jericho missiles, his latest weapon of mass destruction, in Afghanistan his convoy is attacked by terrorists and Stark is mortally wounded by a blast from one of his own weapons. His attackers take him hostage and a fellow captive and scientist (Shaun Toub) saves his life with a makeshift electromagnetic implant that keeps the deeply embedded shrapnel from piercing his heart. Thus, Stark literally has a change of heart.

Stark is held captive in a cave and forced to replicate his weapon. Instead, necessity being the mother of invention, he develops a suit of armor equipped with rocket boosters to escape. The experience of seeing his own weapons used against him and innocents produces a stark realization (pun intended) and a mid-life crisis. Upon his return to the United States he announces that his weapons manufacturing company will no longer produce weapons. He upgrades his make shift armor and with that Iron (technically “titanium alloy” Stark specifies) Man, the technologically advanced superhero, is born.

Production

The movie not only marks the first blockbuster of the summer but Marvel Studios' first self-financed movie. Instead of leasing out their characters to other studios, they are finally making movies themselves.

The film was eighteen years in the making. In April 1990, Universal Studios bought the rights to develop Iron Man with plans for horror icon Stuart Gordon to direct a low-budget film. Iron Man bounced around studios, being optioned to both 20th Century Fox and Paramount at various times. Directors Quentin Tarantino (1999), Josh Whedon (2001), and Nick Cassavetes (2004) were all attached to the project at one time. In November 2005, Marvel Studios worked to start development from scratch, and announced it as their first independent feature, as Iron Man was their only major character not yet depicted in live action. Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura) was hired and directed the film that hit theaters.

The movie was filmed from March 12-June 25, 2007. Favreau chose to shoot primarily in California, rejecting the New York setting of the comics in an attempt to differentiate the film from numerous other superhero movies. The location was so close to her home that Gwyneth Paltrow could with her two children during the entire shoot which was one of the reasons she took the part. Evidently one way to secure Paltrow’s services is giving her an Apple a day...

Iron Man Comic Book

The film is based upon the Marvel comic of the same name, though the viewer need not be familiar with the comic to appreciate the movie. This is the first attempt to bring Iron Man to the big screen. As Marvel made the film, it is faithful to the source material while adapting it to a modern setting. Iron Man debuted in 1963 amidst the idealism of John F. Kennedy's presidency. In the comics, Tony Stark participated (and became Iron Man) in the Vietnam War; whereas in the film the character's origin was updated to modern-day Afghanistan as Favreau did not wish to make a period piece.

Creator Stan Lee admittedly based the character on Howard Hughes (1904-1976). As a tribute to Hughes, production was mainly based in the former Hughes Company sound stages in Playa Vista. The scene where the Iron Man Mark III armor was created was filmed in the area where Hughes assembled the H-4 Hercules airplane (better known as “The Spruce Goose”).

The film is a compilation of many parts of Iron Man’s history. The origin story is the modern version detailed by Warren Ellis in "Extremis" (as noted, with Afghanistan instead of Vietnam). The presence of James Rhodes (Iron Man #118, January 1979) as the supporting character and villain Obadiah Stane (Iron Man #163, October 1982) is from the later Bob Layton/David Michelinie period. Tony Stark's immediate motivation for becoming a superhero is modeled heavily on "Armor Wars."

Though Iron Man is a Marvel staple, he has hardly been an A-list superhero, languishing behind his more easily recognizable peers who have already had movies made. This movie may change that.

On the surface, Iron Man shares much in common with DC’s Batman. Like Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark is a rich, brilliant, (in the films) orphaned playboy who must endure personal tragedy in order to trigger a heroic transformation. Each are humans with no superpowers who use their vast wealth and intelligence to produce gadgetry to compensate for their humanity. As such each spends time perfecting their suit of war. Their wealth also allows them the time to develop an alter ego. Each has an entrusted assistant. Their lack of super powers also gives them the unique (for superheroes) attribute of having agency in their creation.

Iron Man also shares similarities with Robocop - a robotic human who served justice, battled an internal conflict, and saves the day.

Despite these parallels, Iron Man is unique in that he is exceedingly flawed. Iron Man is a man. He is cynical, promiscuous, often drunk, arrogant and seldom reflects upon his actions. He earns billions creating inventive weaponry for America. Robert Downey Jr. described the role as the "a challenge of making a wealthy, establishmentarian, weapons-manufacturing, hard-drinking, womanizing prick into a character who is likable and a hero."

His wealth and fame may make Tony Stark less relatable. While Iron Man, by his very nature, cannot provide the everyman perspective of a Spiderman, he can be identified with for his desire to make amends for past mistakes. The need for redemption is universal.

Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard's father, composer Ramin Djawadi and Stan Winston are among the film's crew who are fans of the Iron Man comic book.

Cast

Iron Man is aided by an all-star cast. In addition to Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard all have prominent roles. All four have been nominated for an Oscar, with Paltrow winning (Shakespeare in Love). This is rare for a comic film. Unfortunately, like most origin stories, there is not a lot of room for the supporting characters to shine.

The movie is a showcase for Downey Jr. Casting an actor over-40 to be a superhero was a bold move. Even were he not 43 years old, Downey would not be the typical superhero (perhaps a villain). Favreau had planned to cast a newcomer in the role, but ultimately chose Downey (a fan of the comic) because he felt the actor's past, including cocaine use, made him an appropriate choice for the part. Art imitates life as the comic character delves into alcoholism. Only in Hollywood would cocaine use be a plus for obtaining a job.

Downey Jr. worked very hard to develop the character. He also had a great deal of input into it. It was his idea to have Stark hold a news conference on the floor and he created the speech Stark makes when demonstrating the Jericho missiles. To prepare for his role as Iron Man, Downey Jr. also spent five days a week weight training and practiced martial arts to get into shape. This was necessary as The Iron Man Mark I armor weighed 90 pounds.

Downey Jr's charm mixed with Stark's flawed character makes this hero more interesting than most. Downey Jr not only brings humor to his role, but also makes the conversion from an egocentric billionaire to humanitarian believable. Without Downey’s understated performance and humor, the role could have seemed...mechanical.

Typically, a hero is only as good as his villain. Favreau faced a serious challenge in determining who would be Iron Man’s adversary as he wished his film to be grounded in reality (as much as possible). It was decided to have a foe in the film who would parallel Stark (an armored opponent) and Favreau also wanted the enemy to be enormous, akin to RoboCop 2. Well-known enemies like the Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo were considered, until the lesser-known Iron Monger, Obadiah Stane, was chosen as Iron Man's adversary. The character is never named “War Monger” in the film though Stane uses the phrase in his dialogue. The choice to create Obadiah Stane was actually done after Jeff Bridges was cast.

Bridges plays a rare villain. He shaved his head and his being older makes Stark appear younger. Favreau does a good job making Bridges seem enormous and intimidating in every shot, even while riding a Segway, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Stane’s betrayal is predictable. The less talented underling is seldom actually a good guy. In a brilliant move, the classical music that Stane plays at the piano is that of Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) who, according to legend, was so jealous of Mozart and his superior intellect, that he tried to kill him. The relationship parallels the Stane-Stark dynamic.

Other villains that appear in the film are the terrorist group that kidnaps Tony Stark. It is called the ‘The Order of the Ten Rings’ and is a based on long-time Iron Man foe, The Mandarin. Mandarin uses ten rings that he found in the wreckage of an alien spacecraft as his own source of power. Favreau felt depicting The Mandarin as the primarily villain would be challenging, as he finds the character dated (it was created as a metaphor for communism).

Some complained that Arab militants were typecast as villains but they were not portrayed as terrorists working on their own but as men hired for a specific reason. Relatively speaking, the film vindicates them by exposing Stark himself (and therefore, America) as the supplier of their entire arsenal. The film even humanizes the Arab “other” by having Iron Man fly to Afghanistan to save a sympathetic village. As such, the film is not anti-Islamic.

Perhaps the greatest villains in Iron Man are the weapons manufacturers whose personal profit is their the sole reason for being. Jeff Bridges' character personifies their greed. In many ways, Stark himself is the villain, as Iron Man spends his time fighting Stark's inventions.

Terrence Howard plays Stark’s military liaison and friend, James Rhodes. To prepare for his role, Howard visited the Nellis Air Force Base on March 16 2007, where he ate with the Base's airmen and observed the routines of HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and F-22 Raptor jets. His part is highly underwritten and his soft voice does not seem to fit the part. The character serves as a contrast for Stark as to chooses between the team (military) and a solo act.

The jury is still out on his role as he was cast with sequels in mind as his character becomes “War Machine.” This is foreshadowed prominently as when Stark leaves Rhodes to face Iron Monger, Rhodes looks at Stark's Mark II armor and says, "Next time."

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts (a great name), Stark’s administrative assistant and confidant. She is his girl Friday. Jon Favreau wanted Potts' and Stark's relationship to be reminiscent of a 1940s comedy. In the framework of the antique role, Potts loves Stark but cannot say so. Due to the this, some may find the film to have retrograde attitudes about women.

There is good chemistry between she and Downey. What is best about her role is what was is not done. Stark does not exactly get the girl and she refrains from sleeping with him.

There are many cameos in the film. The director plays the driver ("Hogan") who, in the comics, becomes Pepper's love interest. Comic book writer Stan Lee, as always, has a cameo as well. This time he is the man with three blondes whom Tony Stark mistakes for Hugh Hefner. Lee has cited this as his most fun cameo.

The most ballyhooed cameo is after the credits roll. Like most Marvel films, there is an additional scene. Samuel L. Jackson makes an appearance a Marvel's Ultimate Nick Fury. The cameo was filmed with a skeleton crew in order to keep it a secret, but rumors appeared on the internet only days later. Marvel Studios's Kevin Feige subsequently ordered the scene deleted from all preview prints in order to maintain the surprise.

Cinematography

The film, though long (126 minutes), is paced well. The plot is coherent and the action sequences are easy to follow. The humor is appropriate, unlike the far campier Spider-Man 3. This is also the first Marvel superhero movie to abandon an opening credit sequence in favor of thrusting the viewer directly into the action.

Favreau's ability to supply dual information simultaneously is well orchestrated, showing Stark creating in his basement while the television in the background updates what is happening in the outside world and inside his own company. The only pacing flaw is the unnecessary flashback at the film’s outset following Stark's abduction. The movie's rhythm is stunted unnecessarily and makes the film seem disjointed.

The CGI is exceptional. Stark's ability to interact with three-dimensional holographic representations is stunning. The building of his suit and the process by which it is mounted are also stellar. This process also answers a question raised in episode of "Seinfeld" which has Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza debating whether or not Iron Man wore underwear. George famously says, "and I still say he's naked under there!" Costanza was wrong again.

Make no mistake about it, though an action film, the movie is more about Tony Stark than Iron Man. It focuses less on the high-tech superhero than the human condition behind the hero. As such, as much time is devoted to building the iron men as using them and the movie is not as action-packed as the trailers would lead one to believe.

Like any comic book film, there must be some suspension of disbelief as the film has several implausible scenes. Examples: A weapons demonstration would not be conducted in a war zone. Stark would not be able to create an iron suit in the middle of a terrorist camp while under surveillance. (This was like the A-Team always being held in a room full of building materials.) Stane should nit be able to enter Stark's technologically advanced mansion without some security detainment. The chairman of the board should not be able to throw together an Iron Monger suit more advanced than Iron Man's. Further, some technology is contemporary while much of it is light years away.

The most disappointing aspect of the film is the final showdown. It never lives up to the material preceding it. It is very ordinary, vague and not even especially climactic. At least it does not drag on.

This movie, however, sets the stage for sequels...

Sequels

The day following the first film's highly successful opening weekend, Marvel announced a release date of April 30, 2010, for Iron Man 2. Favreau planned Iron Man as the first in a trilogy, and has signed on all the original actors for two sequels. Downey will also cameo as Stark in the upcoming The Incredible Hulk. The series is building to an Avengers movie as the director considers The Avengers as the third film. He explains, "It's very difficult to keep these franchises from running out of gas after two [movies]. The high point seems to be the second one, judging by history."

Some future developments are foreshadowed. S.H.I.E.L.D., the spy organization of the Marvel Universe, is referenced throughout. An expansive terrorist network referred to as the "Ten Rings" (of the Mandarin) is also included. The most obvious precursor is Rhodes (the future War Machine) vowing "next time, baby" upon seeing a silver-grey suit of Iron Man armor.

Downey noted, "the next one is about what do you do with the rest of your life once you've completely changed...I think the drinking and all that stuff would be a good way to confront his age, to confront his doubts, to confront the fact that maybe Pepper gets a boyfriend." Downey and Favreau met with Shane Black, who suggested they model Stark on Robert Oppenheimer, who became depressed with being "the destroyer of worlds" after working on the Manhattan Project.

Conclusion

The film is the best the Iron Man story could have been presented. It is a story of a man literally reinventing himself, and realizing the world is far more complex than he believes. Who would have known that Iron Man would be such a hit both commercially and critically?

The movie earned a PG-13 rating for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content. The Lord’s name is taken in vain in addition to other limited foul language. Still, there should be nothing overly offense to most Christians.

I went away entertained, but not wowed. It is typical Marvel fare: good vs. evil, an attractive female sidekick, lots of one liners and humor juxtaposed with action, new model cars (and other shameless endorsements), and the obligatory Stan Lee cameo.

Theological Applications

The film has a lot of material that can be used in presenting gospel themes. The most obvious theological theme of Iron Man is that of redemption. Iron Man is aimed at those who have made mistakes and want to redeem themselves. You too?

Like most people, Tony Stark's first priority was himself. After a frightening wake up call in which he is hailed as America’s most prolific mass murderer, he seizes the chance to redeem himself. Stark grows from a carefree tycoon to a man with a mission to improve the world. Tony Stark resolves to use his gifts for good instead of for evil, for the common welfare instead of for personal gain. He is a fictional example of the fact that a person redeem herself, regardless of how poorly they have lived in the past (See Romans 10:9).

In the process, Stark literally gets a new heart. One of the central images in the film is the glowing circle over Tony’s heart. (The character has much in common with L. Frank Baum's Tin Man.) For Christian viewers, this new-heart metaphor will especially resonate. (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26).

"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, NASB)

As in Christianity, true repentance leads to a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). Stark turns from his (and his corporation’s) former sins, to help others. He, however, still maintains much of his original personality. Downey Jr. explains, "What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you're supposed to buy into all his 'Let's go do some good!' That Eliot Ness-in-a-cape-type thing. What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he's unrecognizable. When someone used to be a schmuck and they're not anymore, hopefully they still have a sense of humor."

Like Christian conversion, Stark is given a purpose for living. As Yinsen lay dying, having sacrificed himself so that Stark can escape, Stark acknowledges, "Thank you for saving me.” Yinsen, replies (in shades of Saving Private Ryan), “Don’t waste your life.” Stark later confesses, “I shouldn't be alive... unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right.” Purposeful living is also a Biblical concept (See II Corinthians 5:11–21). Rick Warren would be proud.

Yinsen's sacrificial death is one of the principal reasons behind Stark's decision to change the direction of his life and company. His own death is also a catalyst as he faces his mortality, realizes that his life has counted for nothing, and resolves to be a different sort of person. All of us have experienced sacrificial death whether we realize it or not (John 3:16-17).

The film also accurately presents the futility of hedonism. Tony Stark sleeps with supermodels, drinks expensive alcohol, has all of the latest stuff from a mansion to a fleet of expensive cars, and has celebrity, yet he has nothing.

Tony Stark: You got a family?
Yinsen: Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?
Tony Stark: [quietly] No.
Yinsen: So you're a man who has everything, but nothing.

Jesus addresses this issue in Mark 8:36.

"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36, NASB)

The presumably wealthy tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is another example of a man who has everything but has nothing.

The film also addresses the issue of how public one should be about it once she has discovered her purpose in life,. In the final scene (pre-credits), Stark admits publicly that he is Iron Man essentially doing away with the duality of superheroes (the hero and the disguise). There are likewise no undercover Christians. In Christian circles this is known as a public profession. Jesus admonishes those who are publicly ashamed of him (Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26).

Another distinct Christian parallel is between Iron Man's armor and to the Christian clothing herself in the whole armor of God as presented in Ephesians 6:10-18. The obvious comparison between the two is that the armor is an exterior apparatus used for life-support and for the purpose of fighting evil.

Like many superheroes (most obviously Captain America) , this version of Iron Man is created in wartime. The viewer takes solace in a hero who can easily mow down villains even if their real life counterparts are not so easily defeated. Iron Man is the first comic book based movie to openly discuss the 9/11 trauma. It has a very contemporary reminder of the current status of world politics and weapons distribution.

In doing so, it addresses the issue of moral responsibility. Stark's first premise, of power being the ultimate deterrent (and hence a peace-keeping force) is undermined when the enemy gets hold of the same weapons and starts killing indiscriminately. American Christians must face the reality that America is the world’s largest arms merchant and supplied many of its enemies (most notably Saddam Hussein) with much of his arsenal. In the film, American soldiers are shown being killed with American weapons to illustrate the consequences of weapon distribution and Tony Stark renounces the military-industrial complex. America has actually lived out the words Tony uses about his conversion experience: "I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero-accountability."

Other possible comparisons:

• Much like Paul's "thorn of the flesh (II Corinthians 12:7), it is ironic (pun intended) that the man encased in armor who can protect others cannot save himself.
  
• Jeff Bridges' Obadiah is a an obvious Judas character who conspires with another group to kill his friend (Matthew 26:14-15).
  
• Iron Monger may be an example of David fighting in Saul's armor (I Samuel 17:39). His unfamiliarity in the armor not designed for him contributes to his demise.

Iron Man, also has some Biblical allusions. Jericho, the name given to Stark's finest military weapon, was the first city destroyed in the conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 6). Obadiah, the name of the villain, is also the smallest book of the Old Testament and deals with the theme of retribution (for Edom).

Current IMDB rating: 8.3/10. Chanalysis: 7/10.