Iron Man Socialist review of Iron Man

[Darkstar]

And it's surprisingly positive:

IF YOU haven't given in to the peer pressure from coworkers and friends to see this film, do so now. Directed by acclaimed Swingers creator Jon Favreau, Iron Man premiered this past weekend to sold-out theaters across the country, far surpassing expectations, even for the most skeptical critics.


The film begins in a patriotic fervor when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), the womanizer, drunk and CEO of weapons manufacturing company Stark Industries, is captured by Afghan terrorists while trying to sell his new "freedom line" of high-tech weapons of mass destruction.

Spending three months in captivity, Tony Stark has a change of heart. Literally. Complete with a newly implanted electromagnetic heart, Tony Stark realizes in captivity that his company has been profiting from and thereby supporting terrorism in Afghanistan (Taliban, anyone?).

He escapes by building an iron suit made from weapons his company sold to his captors. Stark Industries organizes a press conference upon his return, where against the board of director's wishes, he announces a new mission: to destroy all the weapons Stark Industries has created.

From here, stock markets plunge, corporate villains are created, and Tony Stark gets to work on the new and improved body armor (with some trial and error). The technophiles will salivate with every step in the production process, and there is something ultimately rewarding about going through the process with Tony Stark of making oneself into a superhero.

Iron Man seeks redemption[/quote]

Socialist review of Iron Man

 

[Iron Burger]

Good article, sums up the truth of the film: it's good at what it does in being as non-confrontational as possible. The aims of both the Ten Rings and the U.S. in Afghanistan are not dealt with what-so-ever. The Ten Rings could have been an interesting organization with a unique motivation (having nothing directly to do with the Taliban) while still being written for the lowest common denominator. The sequel better flesh them out with the Mandarin being the obvious character to do so with.