Iron Man (PG-13)
RATING: 3 EXCLAMATION POINTS
Industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) builds a metallic suit to escape Afghan captors and decides to use it to reclaim his company’s weapons stolen by evil-doers.
Catch it: Iron Man’s suit is a gorgeous beast of drool-worthy, clanging fanboy power, inspiring lust for its awesome strength and inherent sense of responsibility. The equally good-looking movie, though bogged down by a slow start and lack of a central villain, is funny without being cartoonish and serious without being dull, a difficult balance that also happens to be an apt one-line bio for Downey.
Skip it: … if you believe that every military snafu is the result of a simple “training exercise.”
Bottom line: “Iron Man” flirts with greatness without closing the deal, providing some soaring, badass moments to rave about in a film you’re unlikely to fully love. Still, its comfortable groove of simple, satisfying entertainment is a place most summer movies only dream of and most superhero flicks never even glimpse.
———-
MPAIS@TRIBUNE.COM
