Iron Man Watched

Last night, I cracked the whip and demanded an early start to the evening rituals. The snot bags were hosed down and read at break neck speed. Their reading time extended to account for my movie viewing. I scooted Wifezilla out the door to her kung fu session. And with the house quieted to a hush, I sat down in my favorite chair, fired up my entertainment system, cranked the receiver volume to “roof collapse,” and finally, finally watched Iron Man.

I loved it. Bob Downy Jr. was perfectly cast as Tony Stark. The story was solid. Yes, it was silly at times, like Afghan terrorists handing a hostage Tony a cache of weapons to build them one uber missile system. But it’s based on a comic book so I can definitely let reality bend. Especially when the story and dialogue are good. It was great watching Tony slowly put his second suit together. That was a great moment when he first tested his boot stabilizers; the powerful momentum sent him splattering against a ceiling wall.

I also really liked Jeff Bridges as a bad guy. I knew right away he was the movie’s villain; the lower cut beard gave it away. I also instantly predicted that Tony would need his first core heart, the one he tells Pepper to dispose. She frames it instead, referencing quite cleverly the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz. Tony later lurches and fumbles for it in the midst of cardiac arrest. Even though it was a neon sign plot device, I didn’t at all mind. Our heroes fight best when the odds are against them. Tony had to dig deeper than his power core provided to defeat the fully charged War Machine.

I can’t wait for the sequel.