By Samantha Ofole-Prince
It seems each year the summer blockbusters are released earlier and earlier, it seems that Hollywood can’t wait to separate moviegoers from their hard-earned dollars. Case in point: enter “Iron Man” the 1963 Marvel comic book character retooled for the 21st century. “Iron Man” is getting a month’s head start on its comic book, summer blockbuster competitors “Indiana Jones,” “Batman” and “The Hulk” which are coming soon to a theater near you.
Robert Downey Jr. stars as industrialist Tony Stark, a boozing and lecherous right-wing manufacturer of WMDs, who changes his hardcore right-wing hawk politics after getting blown up by his own weapons in Afghanistan. Captured by insurgents, Stark spends three months in captivity building an iron suit that powers his shrapnel-shattered heart. Stark escapes his captures and returns to the U.S. After reflecting on his near death experience, Stark becomes the superhero Iron Man, after adding hot-red and gold to an even cooler iron suit with high-tech capabilities.
“Iron Man” has many humorous parts that work well with its breath-taking CGI scenes, which can be distracting at times. However, the computer enhanced scenes are not distracting enough so that comic book fans won’t enjoy the movie. Well-written and highlighted by great supporting cast including Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, “Iron Man” lives up to its hype and should satisfy the most savvy comic reader who won’t mind parting with a few of their hard-earned dollars.
