The Original Iron Man - It's Still Probably The Best

I spent last Sunday with Iron Man. My father-in-law, mentioned below in my look at Captain America The First Avenger, is an old school movie guy. He likes cowboy movies, war movies. He's a John Wayne kind of guy that probably would be confused as hell if his son-in-law, now in his 50's, told him that he has never seen a John Wayne movie from beginning to end. True, I have only seen fragments of John Wayne movies, never a whole one. I find Wayne to be unappealing for a number of reasons, always have. Anyway, thinking about what my father-in-law might want to watch I thought about the original Iron Man movie from 2003. 

Like Captain America, when you strip Iron Man down to its most basic level, its a war movie and Iron Man is the cowboy in the white hat (or Iron Mask in this case). Instead of flights of superhero fancy, Iron Man fights a war on terror and the corporate arms machine. In that respect Iron Man the movie is more grounded, gritty, and realistic than most superhero movies. It also has great writing and superb performances by all the main players headed by Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and a very creepy and menacing Jeff Bridges. 

I go back and forth on what is the best of the Marvel superhero movie of the ones that now fall under Disney control. The Avengers and Iron Man 1 run neck and neck as far as I'm concerned and which one is best may only depend on how I feel that day. (If I could take Sony's Spider Man 2 - that movie would also jump into the mix as well) For today, I will say that Iron Man is the best of them from its tight, rocking, explosive, AC/DC beginning to an ending that simply says "The truth is... I am Iron Man:" it's a movie that not once loses its focus on the story of the narcissistic Tony Stark and his Iron Man creation.

The best of Marvel? The original Iron Man may just be one of the best movies ever in my book. Certainly, its in the Top Ten. And yes....my father-in-law thoroughly enjoyed the movie as well.