When setting out to create an origin story for a monumental comic book character, such as Tony Stark/Iron Man, I can only imagine how daunting the task might be. You’ve got years, and hundreds, if not thousands of comics worth of material to pick from. A mediocre introduction will not suffice, as it will disappoint the fans, and a lackluster jump-start will be lost on everyone but the most die-hard followers.
Unfortunately, the latter is the case with “The Invincible Iron Man.” Now, first and foremost, I want to make it abundantly clear that I have no exposure to Tony Stark, or Iron Man outside of the live-action blockbuster released this year. As a result, I can only picture Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Terrence Howard as James Rhodes. And the incredibly detailed, and magnificent Mark III suit as it was envisioned for the most recent film.
As if to further raise the bar, I’ve been told by many an Iron Man fan, that Jon Favreau’s depiction of the title character has been the most faithful, and entertaining to date — an argument that I can’t help put purport given my disposition towards the film, and my belief that it was the greatest comic book film until The Dark Knight hit theaters. In a few words, “Iron Man” is a masterpiece.
So where does that leave “The Invincible Iron Man?” It’s not awful, it’s really awful. From the moment the opening credits lifted, and the animation filled the screen, I caught myself tensing up — as if to brace for impact. It was a good thing I did, because to be quite frank, the film that unfolds is an extremely bumpy ride.
Chock full of poor animation, emotionless voice acting, and a lackluster/unbelievable story make for one of the most forgettable origin stories I’ve ever seen. I’d like to think that some Iron Man fans will find something worthwhile here, but I’m not sure it’s possible. Quite literally, I don’t think it’s possible for the filmmakers to have made a worse movie. Not only is Tony Stark’s sarcastic line delivery, and smarmy nature butchered or left out, but he appears to have the emotional depth of a sheet of paper. It’s that bad. The romance sub-plot is tired and worthless. The camaraderie between Rhodey and Stark is non-existent or stale. Oh, and the father/son relationship is bogus and unnecessarily enigmatic. As for the nemesis, “The Mandarin” and his elemental goons, they’re as worthless as can be, and equally out of place in the origin story for Iron Man.
As I said before, I was hoping to find something worthwhile, but alas, I did not. As far as origin stories go, this is one of the most laughable, and uninspiring attempts I’ve ever experienced. I hate to put it so bluntly, but if I were to pull some punches, I wouldn’t be truthful.
Simply put, this is one to avoid. If you’re in the mood for a quality Iron Man origin story, look no further than Jon Favreau’s comic book masterpiece, “Iron Man.”
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