Truth is ... I am
Iron Man
Review by Ross Anthony

Robert Downey Jr.? A superhero? Really? Truth is … this comic book pic is really pretty good.

Yes, I was suspicious with this cast choice, but when Christian Bale took the screen in Batman Begins my narrowed eyes became widened with his rich performance. Downey Jr. makes Iron Man his own – fun, eccentric, cocky, decisive. Yes, the film is well directed, edited, and paced, but it's really Downey Jr. that adds the spark, the flair, the heavy metal. Had the film delivered consistently the quality presented in its first ten minutes …

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… it would surely have earned an 'A+' from me. Unfortunately, the quality is interrupted a handful of times, mostly due to holes in the script. "Oh come on, it's based on a comic book …" others might remark, expecting me to forgive a few gross implausibilities in the name of good film fun. To which I would reply, "If you can build a solid suit of iron around a man and not only make him fly, but make me believe it (which I did), then you ought to be able to create a solid script around that superhero and make a film that flies as well."

My only other criticism of the film is that the general story line comes a little too close for comfort to other past pictures, namely "Robocop" and The Iron Giant. But even with these impurities in the iron, I enjoyed "Iron Man" – easily a strong 'B+'. In fact, here's a quote from my girlfriend who defended the picture and even wanted me to give it a full 'A', "I am not a comic book person, but I was pleasantly surprised! This is a very good film. People are going to get their money's worth!"

Iron Man

-- Book Contest --


  • Iron Man. Copyright © 2008.
  • Starring Robert Downey, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow.
  • Directed by Jon Favreau.
  • Screenplay by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matthew Holloway.
  • Produced by Avi Arad, Kevin Feige.

Grade..........................B+ (2.5/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Tuesday, 29-Apr-2008 09:14:24 PDT