Iron Man

In a bit of some "funk and doldrums" post-DC, what better way to break free than to take in a deliciously entertaining popcorn movie? Iron Man certainly fits the bill. Per the IMDb: "[director] Jon Favreau describes the film as 'a kind of independent film-espionage thriller crossbreed; a Robert Altman-directed Superman (1978), with shades of Tom Clancy novels, James Bond films, RoboCop (1987), and Batman Begins (2005).'" As always with The House of Gordon movie posts, the trailer for your viewing pleasure:

Robert Downey, Jr. was absolutely AWESOME in this movie. He plays to a T the prickish womanizer who you genuinely come to adore and enjoy his company...or maybe it's because of the Gordon love of sarcasm and smart-assedness. A thrill for comic book lovers! Now don't go thinking that just because it's a Marvel-based film, it automatically gets a huge Gordon score. Some comic book movies were just awful: 2003's Daredevil and 2005's Elektra. (The Gordon jury is still out on the two Fantastic Four movies in '05 and '07.) This movie legitimately garners a big score because it was FUN and an entertaining ride for a solid two hours; plus, it had an actor who actually, well, ACTED. Again, Robert Downey, Jr. was just outstanding here. This warms the Gordon heart because frankly when the trailer first appeared on television during a Daily Show with Jon Stewart episode, it looked a little forced and corny. Thankfully, the movie blows the trailer out of the water.

Score? A stout House of Gordon FULL PRICE victory.

The movie differs from the comics though in a big way. I mean, the donning of the suit of "iron" is a little more intensive in the movie than just lugging around a suitcase full of pieces parts. Scanned from the Gordon archives (actually the boxes of comics in the office closet):
Ironically, the above issue includes the first appearance of Terrence Howard's character Jim Rhodes, who later becomes War Machine. This is a pretty cool comic to find as (spoiler alert!), Howard's Rhodes gazes upon a 2nd armor suit in the movie and states, "Next time." Chills, I tell you. Chills!

As an aside, enjoy the inner back cover of this January 1979 issue. Poster anyone? Click to enlarge:
In conclusion, while in Alexandria last weekend at the Brannon hosuehold reading (and I quote James in one breathless run-on) Entertainment-Weekly-the-best-magazine-ever there was a great bit of news concerning the Marvel movie future:

Following Iron Man's impressive $98.6 million debut this weekend, Marvel Studios has set a date for a sequel: April 30, 2010. Meanwhile, the comic-book-based entertainment company has unveiled the roster of superhero movies it plans to release during the next three years:
Thor — June 4, 2010 (with Stardust's Matthew Vaughn on board to direct)
The First Avenger: Captain America — May 6, 2011
The Avengers — July 2011 (bringing together the characters of Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Thor in one movie)
Ant-Man — In development (with Hot Fuzz's Edgar Wright attached to write and direct)
All of these features will be financed, developed, and produced by Marvel. While the company had enjoyed great success for more than a decade with movies based on many of its popular characters — including Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four — it only recently started fully financing and producing its own films. Iron Man was the first major release under this new plan; The Incredible Hulk arrives in theaters on June 13.

Abso-frickin-lutely giddy, I tell you! Giddy!

(Almost forgot! The Gordons are mocked and abused by friends for staying all the way through the credits when they see a movie. For Iron Man, STAY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CREDITS. You'll thank us.)