Quote from: Ian AbsentiaRe: Robert Downey Jr., I can't help but wonder if the fact that he has been such a substance-abusing fuckup had something to do with him being cast in this role.  I can see some casting director making the same quip Internet-wags everywhere have been making: "Let's see...he's supposed to be an alcoholic with crippling doubts about his self-worth?  Give Robert Downey Jr. a call!"  He's a fine actor, though, and recent roles have really let him shine.  Fingers crossed that this movie is going to be handled better than, say, "Ghostrider" or even  "The Fantastic Four".

I think his troubled past had a great deal to do with his casting. That's fine though, as he's one of the few actors around who possessess both the real-life and acting experience necessary to pull this kind of role off convincingly. It's one of those rare moments when credibility, authenticity and ability intersect. The casting directors could have taken the easy route and opted for some monosyllabic tweenie pin-up like Ashton Kutcher, instead they went for actor who, personal problems aside, is commonly regarded as one of the finest of his generation. That says to me they're taking this film seriously, and I can't wait to see the results.

Quote from: joewolzIs Iron Man a comic book guy?

The character is drawn from a novella by former UK Poet Laurete Ted Hughes, and made his first appearence in Adam Strange #879 where he self-assembled from spare washing-machine parts in Braniac 5's garage before promptly jumping off a cliff. He is thirty feet tall, can fire lasers from his eyes and fights giant space bats with humanist rhetoric. He is the alpha and omega of dry northern English wit, and now imprisons super heroes who don't sign his petitions for more oil-based lubricant in comics by imprisoning them in Guantanamo Bay on the Moon.

Quote from: Drew...they went for actor who, personal problems aside, is commonly regarded as one of the finest of his generation. That says to me they're taking this film seriously, and I can't wait to see the results.

Quoted for emphasis.  I agree with you entirely.

On a related note, has anyone here seen the straight-to-DVD animated Iron Man movie?  For what it is (a quickie DVD movie), it wasn't half bad.  Well, with the exception of the hot Chinese cultural guerilla who liked to wander the compound wearing skimpy workout clothes with her wrist to her forehead.  The contrast of Tony Stark with Bruce Wayne was interesting -- instead of seeing his multi-billionaire industrialist father gunned down before his eyes and forever more fighting to avenge his death, Tony Stark lives in the shadow of his multi-billionaire industrialist father and tries desperately to live up to or exceed his reputation.  It was a nice twist on the rich-boy superhero.

!i!

I saw a bit of it on Cartoon Network, and my wife and I watched what we saw with interest enough to see it through to the end.

Robert Downey Jr. seems to have been pumping iron prior to the movie.

Just in case someone hasn't seen it...

Iron Man trailer (YouTube link)


Hell yeah!

I'm ... intrigued by the portrayal of Tony Stark.  Also ... yay, IRON!

I'm hoping that the best dialogue didn't get used up in that trailer.  Downey is great on delivery (see Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang for a great example of what I'm talking about), so if he's fed a good script and competent direction, he could really take off.  Marvel movies have an unfortunate way of becoming trite and goofy, though, so I'm genuinely hoping they're going to take a more sensible and serious approach to this one.

All that aside, that trailer had me grinning like a goofball a few days ago.

!i!

Well, the trailer, at least seems to be highlighting some of the Iron Man title's classic love/hate relationship with the military-industrial complex ... so I find that encouraging.  There's certainly the potential for a good deal of really good material out of that ... Tony Stark not just as somebody commenting on the abstracts of warfare as a business, but straight up offering up one specific person's evolving position.

But then ... I'm an optimist.  And I loved the "Weapon you only need to fire once" line

Quote from: JongWKJust in case someone hasn't seen it...

Iron Man trailer (YouTube link)


Hell yeah!

Heh!  Heh heh!  Heh heh heh, huh huh heh heh huh!