Iron Man

The summer movie season kicks off this year with Iron Man (and snow here in Denver, by the way). This superhero film, directed by Swingers "wingman" John Favreau, follows the usual formula but takes it to another level.

The fantastic Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, the world's foremost weapons developer. After being kidnapped and seeing his weapons in use by the enemy, Stark has a change of heart. He decides to use his immense wealth and power for good instead of for the bottom line. And yeah, he makes a flying armored suit. It's sweet.

Iron Man deals with the ethics of war, even if the special effects take center stage. Are those who make weapons responsible for their use? Where does business ethics come in? Do we need to make these massively destructive weapons to keep peace in the world? Is it a necessary evil? Do those who have more have a greater responsibility to do more with that (ie. Jesus' parable of the talents in Mt. 25)? If so, Stark was not using his talents wisely at all at the beginning of the movie. But by the end, he decided to stop being incredibly selfish and start doing good, even at great personal sacrifice. Iron Man is a different kind of super-hero. Like Batman, he does not have super-powers or genetic mutations. This is all based upon money and science. Therefore, this superhero is more believable and realistic (this can be a plus or minus, depending on your preference). But it is clear that, with the right tools and funding, a great deal of good can be done in this world. Though ultimately, the world will still be the world, and evil will still be evil, no matter how much we fight it. That doesn't mean we stop fighting though. We are called to fight, but we as Christians are also to remember that the only lasting change comes by the power of Jesus Christ, not by anything that we can do.

What makes this film epically enjoyable is the performance of Downey Jr. He is hilarious, yet carries the depth and realism of the character very well. Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges all do great, but it is truly Downey Jr.'s show. The script is great, with a fantastic balance of action, comedy, and thought. It is a popcorn flick, but a perfectly tuned one. It makes us think, but also makes us laugh and makes our jaws drop (especially that Audi R8, wow). For the second summer in a row, we have a film that is all that summer movies should be. It's time to get excited about all the other potentially great "summer movies" to come this year (Indiana Jones, The Happening, The Dark Knight).