I haven't gone to the movies in a long time. What with my Netflix membership on top of the amazing selection of movies I can get through my library, I don't feel the need to spend $9 or more on a movie that is more than likely gonna be not worth it.
But sometimes, I fall into the trap of wanting to see a movie only because of who's in it, and simply can't wait for it to come out on DVD. When I saw that Robert Downey Jr. was in Iron Man, I instantly wanted to see it. I am not into the world of comic books or super heroes, but when you put Robert Downey Jr. in the mix, I am interested and must satisfy my curiosity as soon as possible.
I went and saw Iron Man on Saturday night. First of all, I haven't been to the movies in so long, that I had forgotten just how insane it is to go to a movie on a Saturday night... at seven o'clock. Moreover, I had forgotten just how important it is to allow yourself time to be able to find a seat when the lights are on and there are more empty seats next to each other available. When my sister and I walked into the theater, it was already 7:05, and there were hardly any seats that would allow us to sit next to each other. We ended up sitting in different rows.
A preview for the new Batman movie (another one I wanna see for who's in it) came on, and it made up for the annoying reminders I'd had shoved in my face after months of not going to the movies in the first two minutes of entering the theater.
Then the movie started. Robert Downey Jr. is in Afghanistan being transported by a Humvee with military personnel. I think to myself, "Oh God. I'm not in the mood for this." Then a roadside bomb goes off, and a flashback tells us how Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., ended up in this pickle of a situation in the Afghani desert. In this flashback we are familiarized with Stark's background as a child genius who graduated from MIT incredibly young, and inherited his father's fortune and business of manufacturing weapons. Stark is a ladies man with a down-to-earth attitude and Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, for his personal secretary.
The story begins the way most super hero stories begin... some oblivious guy with everything material and nothing of actual substance. Stark is set up perfectly to be drastically affected by the incident the movie began with, and it is this effect that is the foundation for the story that soon begins to blow the viewer away. A very potent message is present in Iron Man about a very real issue or two; just how far the hunger for power can go, and how that very hunger can blind its possessor to the point of his/her own detriment.
Though Stark sports a gadget in his chest to keep him alive after the incident in Afghanistan, we never forget that he is just an ordinary human being without any special powers other than his powerful brain. It is with this powerful brain that Stark builds the armor that makes him Ironman. Without this high tech armor, Stark cannot do much other than math and building complex, high tech machines, i.e., weapons.
For the sake of not spoiling anything for those wanting to see the movie, which I recommend you do, I am simply going to say that Stark is faced with quite the obstacle in the final battle, where he is smaller and less advanced than his opponent. We are convinced he is going to die and it will all be over until Stark utilizes his most powerful feature... his brain. With his genius, Stark overcomes the giant obstacle thrown in his way, and comes out on top, though a little haggard from the battle.
Iron Man has many messages one can get out of it, but none as powerful as the message that it is up to us as humans with thinking and working brains to make the world a better place. That is my take on this super hero flick with Robert Downey Jr. as its star and selling point.
For the first time in a long time, I went to the movies and came out feeling good about it. I just need to work on my timing.
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