Positive Experience/Entertaining? Dude–this is the kind of movie I had hoped for from last years Transformers. Lots of great effects and a story that didn’t make me feel like I was being treated like a moron. The fact that I enjoyed the hell out of this movie and didn’t feel like I had just been peed on in the process (like John Turturro in Transformers) I greeted like a miracle. Now, don’t get me wrong–this wasn’t some deep, thoughtful treatise on the evils of corporate greed and America throwing it’s weight around the planet in the interest of cash. To the movie’s credit, that was a theme, however.
Technically any good? Dude–to say the CGI was seamless is almost an understatement. Instinctively, I always look for that seam. I found it in one shot. A while after that, I gave up looking and just enjoyed the damn movie. The acting was pretty damn solid (amazing for a modern action/adventure movie) and the script was pretty faithful to the comic (though it did cherry-pick plot elements, but I didn’t mind). The only technical aspect I didn’t care for was how the script treats Iron Man’s personal assistant. She came off way too girl-next-doory for someone who would be in her position. When you’re the only woman in the movie, I’d appreciate a stronger acting choice than “Oh no! He might kill me!”
How did it leave me feeling? VERY entertained. Is the movie perfect? No. There was a rushed quality to the film that I think too many Hollywood movies have these days. Apparently characters never sleep, eat or go to the bathroom–or recognize the passage of time, the weather or take moments to breathe (or allow the audience to breathe). Such things, if done well, don’t have to slow down the movie, either. Also, I could go into the racism/ethnocentrism of this movie (Afghanis are portrayed as either evil thugs or innocent, simple but helpful martyrs) but I really think the movie’s message is more powerful than it’s lack of a depthful middle-eastern characters. The movie is about a guy taking responsibility for what he’s done. These days, anyone who does that in a movie or in real life is a hero in my book. Jon Favreau is my hero for making this movie with this message at this point in American history.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - it’s summer action/adventure fun with a message. Bring the kids and teach them (and remind yourself) how much fun taking responsibility can be! (That will make more sense when you see the movie.)