When superhero movies show up and uncle Rico (he’s not really my uncle but all the kids in the neighborhood call him that because he likes to let his bathrobe hang open) starts barbecuing with 90 proof liquor you know summer has arrived.
Studios used to open summer movies Memorial Day weekend but soon realized two things, 1) if you gave people summer sized blockbusters earlier they would show up and 2) after consulting with a lawyer it is illegal to write that Josh Hartnett “must bed all his female co-stars” in his contract.
What better way to kick off the summer than with Jon Favreau’s Iron man? The trailers look great, the online buzz is positive and the cast (with the exception of Gwyneth Paltrow who makes my stomach turn faster than Linda Blair’s head) can really act. Casting Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role of Tony Stark has been described in the press as a bold move, but if you think about it, it seems like a no brainer to me. The guy can really act, and (with the exception of Chris Klein) who is better at playing a flippant playboy than Downey.
The Iron man character is not a tortured soul like Bruce Banner, he’s a quick witted billionaire who ends up fighting crime. Once Hollywood woke up and started casting real actors to fit the part (i.e. Tobey Maguire as the shy introverted Peter Parker) the comic book movies started becoming real films and not just shlocky Dolph Lundgren vehicles. Do I really need to see Adam Brody as The Flash next year? Next thing you know Mischa Barton will pop up in a cameo and Phantom Planet’s California will play over the credits.
Everyone is aware of Downey’s talent, the bigger concern was obviously his past drug use and whether or not he would fall asleep in other people’s beds. But to me (and remember I didn’t put up the $180 million for the film) it is a chance worth taking especially since Downey has been sober for a few years now and this film will actually launch him into other great leading roles.
The bigger worry is not Downey’s behavior but that this is Marvel’s first self financed film. The comic book company finally realized they could make these things themselves instead of letting movie studios take all the cash for their characters. From the little bits of footage I’ve seen I don’t think Marvel needs to worry (at least not until June 13th when they release The Incredible Hulk). Iron man will clean up at the box office and allow me to make a bold prediction here and say it will still be number 1 in its second week beating out the Wachowskis Speed Racer.
With Marvel putting more on the line with this film than Lara Flynn Boyle does when she eats a cheeseburger, there is some concern that the character is not as well known as Marvel’s bigger names like Spider-Man, Hulk and X-Men. As a comic book geek I don’t really understand this worry since I know and love the Iron Man character. Still, I guess some people might not be rushing out opening weekend to see a film about a guy in a tin suit.
But this film has a huge marketing campaign behind it and the awareness of the film must be through the roof, so as long as the filmmakers have created a good, entertaining film I don’t think they will have trouble getting people into the theater. Especially since people are waiting on the edge of their seats for the summer blockbusters to arrive.
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