BEFORE: I suppose it could have made sense to follow up "The Phantom" with "The Mask of Zorro", since both films star Catherine Zeta-Jones. But I'm anxious to get to the superhero movies, since the release of "Avengers" film is coming up in about a month. And fortunately, Billy Zane was in a film called "Danger Zone" with Robert Downey Jr. (last seen in "Sherlock Holmes")
THE PLOT: Because of his superhero alter ego, Tony Stark must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends and new enemies.
AFTER: I think I'm very comfortable with the direction they've been moving the "Iron Man" franchise - they got a lot more right than wrong. Tony Stark's arrogant attitude is spot on - this may not be a guy you want to hang out with, but it is the guy you want building a machine that's going to solve a problem or protect the country.
There's always been a bit of a disconnect with the character in the comic books, since he started out as an arms dealer, and then later made a point of making sure his company was not in the business of selling weapons - yet he creates and regularly updates the Iron Man armor, which is at heart a very sophisticated weapon. Even if you use it only for defense or to subdue enemies, it's still a weapon. This film addresses that by showing that Stark considers the armor as the ultimate deterrent - he built the world's greatest weapon so that no one else could.
The problem with that theory is that if he chooses not to design weapons for the U.S. military, someone else will come forward and fulfill that need. In this case, it's Justin Hammer (another legit character from the comic books), and it makes sense that his company would be in competition with Stark Industries, and it makes sense that he'd be the one to further weaponize a spare set of Iron Man armor, and turn it into War Machine.
I could get all nitpicky and point out that in the comics, James Rhodes took over as Iron Man when Tony Stark was dealing with alcoholism, and then again later when Stark was believed to be dead, so he really was the substitute Iron Man before becoming War Machine - but the movies don't have to mirror the comic books exactly. This way of getting there is just as logical and may in fact be quicker and neater.
Another slick move was to have "stock footage" of Tony's father, and get one of those "Mad Men" actors to play him, lending it a real 1960's vibe. Howard Stark was limited by the technology of his time, so he could only assume that his son's inventions would surpass his own. However, I have to call a NITPICK POINT on the method he used to leave his son a message that led to a major discovery in this film. I suppose it works if you want it to, but it contradicts the previous stated fact - an inventor in the 1960's couldn't have known something that was unknowable at the time. Also, he wouldn't have been able to predict the NEED for said discovery, so how did he?
They never really said exactly what Whiplash's beef with Iron Man was - I guess we can fill in the story gaps and say that his father might have helped developed the arc reactor, and didn't get any credit for it - but wouldn't this have been during the Cold War, when U.S. and Soviet scientists weren't likely to work together?
They could have given Black Widow more to do - if she's such a great spy, why not put her to use. Mostly we just see her giving Iron Man information by computer, and that's not very exciting. Are they saving her real talents for the "Avengers" movie?
Also starring Don Cheadle (last seen in "Out of Sight"), Gwyneth Paltrow (last seen in "Shallow Hal"), Scarlett Johansson (last seen in "He's Just Not That Into You"), Mickey Rourke (last seen in "The Wrestler"), Sam Rockwell (last heard in "G-Force"), Samuel L. Jackson (also last seen in "Out of Sight"), Jon Favreau, with cameos from Garry Shandling, John Slattery (last seen in "Flags of Our Fathers"), Clark Gregg, and the voice of Paul Betthany (last seen in "Legion").
RATING: 8 out of 10 repulsor beams
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