Iron Man (2008)

"Let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing." Tony Stark

I really love Tony Stark. I think that he is absolutely hilarious. This film really sets the tone for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We see both scientific and political themes. We get this idea of futuristic, but now. We see characters faced with things that would break most people, and we see determination to rise above. We see honing of skills and ideas. And of course, we see boring superhero-paralleled villains. Let's talk about the good stuff first. The science that we see in this film is freaking gorgeous! Even better, it's believable that we're not in some distant future. It seems attainable and current, though still foreign. It's something that only people with money to burn can afford, and it's beautiful. It's clean and clear and smart and absolutely incredible to see used. We see how world-wide events affect Tony. We see the politics that he must (and fails to) abide by. We see Tony put into a situation and forced into submission, only to prove that he doesn't answer to anyone. We see development, trial and error, and change. We see Iron Man become what he needs to be and we see the process that taught Tony exactly why the end result is what it is. It's all done so well. Robert Downey Jr. takes Tony from this arrogant prick who can't see three feet in front of his own face to someone with beliefs, ideas and a reason to fight for them. Plus, he manages to keep that brash sarcasm that makes Tony Stark who he is throughout the whole process. It's beyond entertaining. The biggest fault with this film is the villain. Not only is he boring and incredibly predictable, he pretty much becomes Iron Man for the final battle. Now, I know why this has to happen. If Iron Man just fights a normal person, it's obvious who will win. So they make Iron Man fight wannabe-Iron-Man, which in my opinion is just boring. They've brought them so closely to the same level that they might as well just have a thumb war and call it a day. The same thing had to happen at the end of The Incredible Hulk. Like fights like. What would be infinitely more interesting would be if the villain had some kind of strength or power, just not the exact same one as the superhero who's trying to stop him! Don't put Iron Man against wannabe-Iron-Man who is basically just going to cancel out his awesomeness by having the same abilities. Put him against someone with superhuman strength or someone who can scramble J.A.R.V.I.S.'s systems. It would not only have been a more interesting (and less predictable) fight, but it would have been more empowering for Tony. It would have taught him more about both himself and Iron Man.
Basically, this film is brilliant. It falls victim to Marvel's highest hurdle, but the rest is so good that you don't really care. (I've just had a lot of time to think about much cooler the final battle could have been.)

Rank: 37