Movie Review – Iron Man – Genius, Philanthropist, etc who started it all

This is the movie that started it all for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it still holds up after all this time. In fact, knowing the character arc of Tony Stark (at least up to the end of Infinity War) makes this first movie even better. Not many franchises can say that.

Those doubts about Iron Man, so long ago, put to rest

One of the few criticisms the MCU has had over the years is that many of their villains have been rather cardboardy. That has been said of this first Iron Man, but I tend to disagree. First, they didn’t try to set up an ongoing villain. They created one that was a one-and-done, which works best for an origin story.

Secondly, they made up for it with the misdirection. We think we know who the villain is going to be — then we get a 180. For a first time movie viewing it worked really well. The humor, the pathos…it WORKS. Robert Downey Jr single-handedly improvised his way into something brand new in the superhero genre — and created the entire foundation of MCU greatness. Just ask the box office for Avengers: Endgame, and ten year’s worth of rabid fans.

I remember when I first saw previews for this movie. My first thought was: Robert Downey Jr., as a superhero? Seriously? This must be some sort of joke.

Little did we know what was to come. No one could have done Iron Man better, or set up what’s become the world’s most exciting continuous franchise. No one else comes close.

Grade: B+

About The Peetimes: The first Iron Man movie predates RunPee — by about one year. We added these Peetimes retrospectively, just to create continuity with all the other MCU movies.

There are extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of Iron Man. (What we mean by Anything Extra.)

Rated (PG-13) for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Superhero