Batman Begins or Iron Man

[jmc]

Both films for me are different viewing experiences. I always try to remain as neutral for a film as possible, for these two films it was easy, for BB my expectations were low due to the Schumaker fiasco, and for Iron Man not being really familiar with the character meant I could watch the movie from an average movie goers perspective.

Both occasions I walked out of the theatre pleasantly surprised, for Begins it was the total 180 turn in terms of tone, the character depth and the great cast, for Iron Man it was the fun and also the cast, and more importantly Robert Downey Jr. Are both films perfect? No, both have there flaws, infact both suffered from somewhat lackluster finales, Batman has some casting issues whilst Iron Man has some story issues, but no film is perfect.

So if I had to pick one over the other? Well it's actually easy, as a Batman fan, Begins was essentially the Batman film I'd been waiting for for years, it combined my love of gritty cop films with my favourite comic character. The problem I find with comparing the two films is they are both different viewing experiences, Begins doesn't feel like a conventional superhero flick so I view it differently to other superhero flicks. Iron Man on the other hand doesn't really push any new boundaries for the superhero genre, it's much easier for me to compare Iron Man to Spider Man as both film are more or less the same viewing experience for me, fun actions movies.

Which will be remembered longer? Overall, I think Begins gave the superhero genre the kick in the arse it needed as superhero films had started to become an absolute joke, I feel its tone, casting and depth will most likely see it appreciated more in years to come.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

I voted Begins BUT both films have similar problems: both have disappointing third acts and featured two actresses I loath. Where they differ is Iron Man had a great writers and mediocre director, where as Batman Begins had a mediocre writer ( David Goyer...cringe) and a great director.

 

[DoomRulz]

You didn't like Goyer's script really eh? Gwyneth Paltrow was far superior though to Katie Holmes.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

You didn't like Goyer's script really eh? Gwyneth Paltrow was far superior though to Katie Holmes.

I like the story in batman Begins, but it really could have benefited from Jonathan Nolan's involvement.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

BB is definately the better movie, i find IM over-rated, though i really enjoyed it.

 

[Darth-IronMan]

Batman Begins for sure... I think it is apparent now that Iron Man was just in Major fad mode when it come out. It is the same as the first Harry Potter film.

 

[The Shadow]

I wish I could say Batman Begins was better, but honestly Iron Man was much better. Theres no humor in DC comic movies, thats one of the many problems with DC movies. When they do have humor, its dumb camp humor like in Batman & Robin. But, I much prefer the character Batman as opposed to Iron Man.

 

[Bubonic]

Batman Begins for sure... I think it is apparent now that Iron Man was just in Major fad mode when it come out. It is the same as the first Harry Potter film.

I can't believe you can call it a fad.
As far as comic book movies are concerned Iron Man will be regarded as part of la creme de la creme alongside BB for years to come.

Saying it's a fad is on par with saying that it really isn't all that good, that the hundreds on here that are still amazed by it, and the hundreds of thousands worldwide that love it still were all just confused by the hype.

Can you back that up?

I made a mistake putting two very different types of movies up against each other in a poll.

I do sometimes feel that because BB is so much darker that people feel it more relevant and worthy as a film.

 

[Spidey220987]

Iron Man for me easily, as I never enjoyed Batman Begins first time around, and first viewing makes all the difference.
Plus on top of that,Iron Man is top of my comic book movies list, and Begins didn't make my Top 10
I'll see where it is when The Dark Knight comes out on Friday (UK)

 

[Spidey220987]

Oh,and I did watch Batman Begins last night, so my opinion couldn't be any more fair either lol

 

[zanos]

Iron Man is the more entertaining film. Characters are more likeable but less developed. Much faster paced but to the detriment of the film.

 

[jaymes_e06]

Iron man was good. BB was bad I'll go with IM over BB any day.

 

[marcvader]

Loved both films immensly.. Batman Begins/dark and depressing-Ironman/light and fun depends what mood i'm in.

 

[brainchild81]

IronMan was a better start easily. Made more $$ and was more enjoyable. BB was OK, but the fights & batvoice left me w/an empty feeling. IronMan 2 has a really tough act to follow now though. TDK is quite possibly the best Superhero movie ever

 

[AlyssaX]

Iron Man was the better start, but I prefer Nolan...let's just see how Iron Man 2 does, it won't be able to match the madness that was TDK.

 

[Twin723]

BB is definately the better movie, i find IM over-rated, though i really enjoyed it.

Yup..

 

[Ultimate_Superman]

I still have to go with Routh as Superman he IMO nailed it more then these two.

 

[ReTrO JuNkIe 42]

thanks ult supes i needed that laugh

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

TDK > Iron Man > Batman Begins

 

[*Dark_Phoenix*]

Ok so BB vs. IM.... where do I start?

* Downey's Tony Stark is perfect while Bale's Wayne is so-so, he does a good batman tho, but I dunno he is missing something regarding Wayne.

* To me, Iron man is cooler than Batman; I mean we see Iron Man’s evolution from Mark I- Mark III, while with Batman is all Morgan Freeman and Michael Cain babbling boring stuff.

* I'll be honest, before this movie to me Gwyneth was just another insipid actress that won an Oscar for best overrated actress in 98, and with Katie god *No comments* I also blame the casting crew for this Rachel fiasco, I mean, they made up the roll for the film and they were not able to find the right actress? God, she sucked so hard that not even Maggie was able to pull it off. But Gwyneth, God, her Pepper Potts, perfect comes to mind, I was afraid she will bring the movie down, cus Pepper is... just let's say she is not what it seems, as a fair example Gwyneth made of Pepper Potts what Famke made with Jean. Some how Marvel's redheads are very complex, and the only one that hasn’t been able to pull it off is Kirsten Dunts but that’s for another thread.

* Which leads me to the love story, Pepper and Tony's relationship imo is the best in all comic-movies, very subtle and romantic. They have a lot to explore, meanwhile Bruce and Rachel's was so lame, [BLACKOUT]that they had to kill the poor character in TDK.[/BLACKOUT]

* When it comes to the story, Iron man is easier to watch and follow, while in BB if you get distracted for a sec (which is very possible since is way too slow) you will lose interest and fall asleep (don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it was boring).

* The villains, Iron Monger is a great villain but if IM failed in something was in portrayed it, and the screen time was minimum, but I mean scarecrow is kind of a turnoff as well, so ill say as far as villain and main fight they are even.

* I think that BB is that good because it had a guide of "what not to do" which Iron man did not.

* Iron man (the comic) was not that popular, to be honest, it’s kind of lame, but tell me, Does it sound impossible to make a GREAT movie that is based on some mediocre superhero with not interesting plot? Yes it sounds Impossible, but for the amazing people behind Iron Man was not.

So that’s why…

Iron man (the movie) is one of a kind, and it gets my vote.

 

[ord0g]

Ok so BB vs. IM.... where do I start?
* I think that BB is that good because it had a guide of "what not to do" which Iron man did not.

Actually, if anything, BB showed Marvel what it needs to do to make a good superhero/comic book movie. Take a good director who respects the source material, write a decent plot, cast some well known actors and you're already halfway towards a good movie.

 

[Zero_Vault]

I make a statement of personal reaction, which should be fine - nobody needs to write an essay to state what they think in an opinion thread like this. But if someone's going to bother to challenge it, they better do more than just state a trite statement. Otherwise the discussion devolves into "This is right!" "No, this is right!" spirit, and we can at least try for a little more depth and detail despite the inherent subjectivity of this discussion.


I disagree. But putting that aside, what was great about the story in IRON MAN?

Aside from Stark, the characters aren't handled in a particularly exciting way (a lot of potential went nowhere, especially in regards to Pepper Potts). Nor does it provide Stark with a really interesting threat to respond to (both the terrorists and Obadiah are prime examples of bland cinematic villainy without depth or unique characteristics). Even Stark's character arc is fairly standard stuff.


I'm not speaking of plot holes, I'm speaking of plot mis-steps.

Obadiah is a forgettable character, very weakly drawn in terms of motivation, with a very cliche and obvious background conspiracy (his badness was predictable, as were the ways in which he was bad - I called the "He got Stark into the terrorist hands" a long way off). And when the driving villain behind your storyline is that weak, it inevitably effects the whole story. The stakes just aren't that interesting anymore.

Now, the tension between Obadiah and Stark does begin to amount to something, despite Obadiah's rather uninteresting nature... but just as we're starting to get there, the movie throws them into two metal suits and goes into action mode, undercutting any real character interaction between the two of them. Obadiah starts muttering awful "villain" lines, and still expects to get away with running the company (really?!).

Not to mention the fight itself is just forgettable. No really interesting staging (aside from the moment where they both fly into the stratosphere), no interesting drama... just generic hero versus villain shtick as presented by two warring robot suits that doesn't even have the thrill of TRANSFORMERS' robot battles.


BATMAN BEGINS and IRON MAN share a lot of the same issues. Both have problematic third acts. It's just that, I believe, IRON MAN has them to a worse degree.

All right, I admit it.

The last part of Iron-Man sucked.

But Batman Begin sucked in every part. There's the difference.

 

[*Dark_Phoenix*]

Actually, if anything, BB showed Marvel what it needs to do to make a good superhero/comic book movie. Take a good director who respects the source material, write a decent plot, cast some well known actors and you're already halfway towards a good movie.

which BB learned to do after their crappy last 2 movies...

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Actually, if anything, BB showed Marvel what it needs to do to make a good superhero/comic book movie. Take a good director who respects the source material, write a decent plot, cast some well known actors and you're already halfway towards a good movie.

You mean like the first two Spider-Man, X-Men, and Blade movies?

 

[Spider-Fan]

Actually, if anything, BB showed Marvel what it needs to do to make a good superhero/comic book movie. Take a good director who respects the source material, write a decent plot, cast some well known actors and you're already halfway towards a good movie.

What? SM2 is better than BB, and SM1 is about as good as BB (depends on my mood in saying which is better).

BB didn't teach Marvel anything, except that Batman movies were back to being good. Not much else.