Student Film Reviews

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1. Brendan Fleming 10.08.08 / 11am

   I disagree with most of what Mr. Feilden had to say about Iron Man. I did see this film in the theater, and just bought it on DVD last week. Iron Man was the first big event film of the Summer, and it hit it out of the park. Batman was probably the most anticipated film of the Summer, but Iron Man wasn’t far behind. Not many people knew who Iron Man was, but people were excited to see a superhero film with Robert Downey Jr. directed by Jon Favreau. (this guy knows how to pick films to direct, what a diverse track record)

   With Batman, you knew what you were going to get, and it was awesome. With Iron Man, even when you do know the history of the character, you didn’t know how it was going to translate. Robert Downey Jr. nails it as Tony Stark/Iron Man. When the press first announced him as the lead, a lot of people didn’t think he was the right choice. I thought he was the perfect choice as the arms inventor, womanizer, superhero with a drinking problem.

   Mr. Feilden suggests that the film didn’t know if it wanted to be slapstick or serious. Well, nobody slipped on a banana peel, but Robert Downey does have a sense of humor and uses it effectively. Life does have its moments of laughter and seriousness, often within moments of each other. And the scenes when he’s inventing the suit and things go wrong are humorous, but more importantly, real. If he was able to make the suit right off the bat with no problems, that would have been too convenient and uninteresting. It makes the payoff even bigger when he gets it right.

   Mr. Feilden also says he enjoyed that the movie got the history right, but then says the movie spent too much time in the beginning “batter metal in a furnace.” That’s the history, this is the moment where Tony finds his calling. This is when he designs the first suit, and gives him the idea to create the real gold and red one. Mr. Feilden also says: “We also get a half hearted attempt at tying the film to current events with a transparent ‘we should be careful whom we arm’ message.” It isn’t half hearted, it’s the backdrop for the entire film. It’s why Tony Stark invents Iron Man in the first place. As a fan of comic books, I understand the impatience of wanting to get past the origin of the character and get into the “cool” stuff, but non-comic book people have to know the background or they won’t care. Tony Stark doesn’t have a “dark and twisted world either.” Sure there have been a couple of dark periods in the comic book. Alcohol did get the best of him at one point, but for the most part he likes being a superhero, being rich, and getting hot girls. When the sequel hits, I’m sure we’ll get the action right from the start and I’ll be sitting in my seat waiting for the theater to go dark.
2. Wyatt Feese 10.17.08 / 2pm

   Although this film was a bit far fetched, I really enjoyed watching it. I thought that it was interesting and entertaining. The way that the directer payed such detail to the original story line of Iron man was incredible. Though I know that the war aspect in the movie was a little strange, ultimately I think that it brought Iron man into the 21st century by relating the movie to things that are happening in our lives now.
3. LindsayRenteria 10.17.08 / 6pm

   This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I thought it had an interesting storyline. I enjoyed all the action and suspense. I was amazed to see how intelligent Tony Stark was. I have to agree with Feilden about the creation of Iron Man. It did take a while for us to realize where and who Iron Man was. However, it was very interesting to watch the creation of Iron Man. I couldn’t believe how Tony Stark could come up with such an idea, create it, and be it! On another note, I thought about what Feilden said about Tony Stark going to a “war-torn country” to test out a weapons system. The point of that was to sell that weapons system to that country. So, they were there to show them how it worked. Overall, this is an outstanding movie. I’m hoping they come out with a sequel.
4. Clifford Gere 10.17.08 / 7pm

   I thought Iron Man was an excellent film. While there were some holes in the plot, I thought they did a great job of making Iron Man into a movie. The movie does a good job of following the comic book, and Tony Stark’s character was played very well. The actor seemed to fit the role nicely. I do not agree with the comment that the film spent too much time on the creation of Iron Man. It was important to build the character. After all, they spent at least half of Batman Begins telling how Batman came to be. Iron Man is one of the best comic book movie adaptations made and I can’t wait for the sequel.
5. Brandon Molder 10.17.08 / 9pm

   I really enjoyed this film. I think the actors did an amazing job, especial the main actor, who I thought he played the part perfectly. Before this movie, I didn’t even know who Iron Man was, and I really did not care to see the movie. But once I saw it I loved it. The action scenes were amazing and very intense.
6. ryan woltz 10.18.08 / 5pm

   i really enjoyed this movie and don’t think that I could say anything too bad about it. It is really well made, especially with regard to the special effects. There were a few parts, however, that were hard to believe, such as when the roof blew up and Iron Man was still alive at the end. Overall, however, I think the film was excellent, and better than most of the comic book movies that come out. It had twist-and-turn villains that you would never expect. My favorite part of this movie has to be when he is in Afghanistan building the robot. Also, his house is super cool, and I just wish i could live there!
7. Alexandra Vaughn 10.20.08 / 3pm

   I really liked this movie. Although it was a bit slow at times, I liked it overall. It makes you think about what really possible with technology today. I enjoyed it because it has a very likeable protagonist, and a good combination of suspense and comedy. It also includes current issues pertaining to the weapons we make and where they end up. The special effects were nicely done, though I did find a few parts a bit far-fetched. Other than that, I thought it had a good storyline and I would definitely recommend it.
8. MarkRomasanta 10.21.08 / 7pm

   In general I agree with Richard Feilden that this film did have some shortcomings, but overall, for a comic book being turned into a movie, I believe Jon Faverau did a pretty entertaining job. Of course, the background of Stark is a bit shallow, and he might even be seen as an flat character. But for an action movie with a sprinkle of jokes and a splash of seriousness, I think Mr. Feilden is being a little too critical of this Blockbuster money maker. Everything this critic talks about is in quite a negative tone, but could be completely switched to aspects of the film that people really liked. I don’t know if he maybe felt cheated by paying eight or nine dollars to see Robert Downey Jr. fly around the screen for a couple of hours, but I think this critic is quite a bit biased.
9. Richard Feilden 10.21.08 / 8pm

   Since writing this review I have wondered if it was the odd attitude of the audience that I saw this film with that coloured my perceptions of it. I do intend to revisit it as soon as Netflix spits out the disk. However I do stand by some of my points.

   The slap-stick elements make no sense in this film, particularly the ones where the incredibly smart engineer turns on his jets at full power and slams into a wall with enough force to turn him into jam. Give me comedy, but keep it in tune with a) the characters that you’ve worked to develop and b) the tone of the film. Batman had moments of dark humour that I had no problem with; this film seemed uneven.

   I also stand by my dislike for the immediate abandonment of the ‘foreign threat’ and ‘who do we arm?’ sub-plots. As soon as possible it was turned into a tale of corporate greed. The corporate story is much more in line with Tony Stark’s world, so why bother with bringing terrorists into the mix? I question the film’s motives in this regard.

   On the point of my desire for a darker film, and Tony Stark’s world not being a dark as Batman’s, I really do have to disagree. A quick look at the recent World War Hulk and Civil War story lines gives a pretty good impression of Stark’s role in society and that is what I hope to see in future.

   Finally, I’m not biased, I’m a film reviewer. There is no science to this and, unlike film analysis, it is a matter of opinion. When I look for film reviews I look at those of reviewers who hold strong opinions, but opinions that I have a record of agreeing with. That way I know I’m listening to something that might match my own tastes. Everyone has their likes and dislikes and this one fell foul of mine. It isn’t bias, it is personal preference (I love Downy and have enjoyed Faverau’s work before, just not this time).

   Having said all that – please keep disagreeing with me! I love it when my posts generate this level of discussion. This is half of the point of the website – not just for the reviewers to let you know their opinions, but for discussion to take place. Thank you for reading my ramblings!

   Oh, and I’m Rik, not Mr Feilden :)
10. David McGovern 11.10.08 / 11am

    I agree with this review in the ways that its focused more on the creation of Iron Man itself. I did enjoy how instead of a normal super hero movie who is suddenly transformed into an super hero over night. This movie took the time and the detail into Iron Man lasting more then half the duration of the film. The audience sees the final creation of Iron Man within the last 30 or so minutes of the film. This film attracted a wide variety of viewers, making well over millions of dollars. This mise-en-scene was apparent in the film, but i’m not sure if it was executed into an efficient way to make the viewers believe the world Tony Stark lives in is diagetic.
11. Michael Cranton 11.10.08 / 12pm

    I disagree with richards comments. I feal that it is being related a bit to much to Batman when it is a completely different movie that just so happens to follow the comic book structure. Personally I thought that Iron Man was the blockbuster comic book movie of the summer, With a great adherence to the original story and a stellar cast to pull off the diverse characters. To pick apart Iron Man in such ways as to say why were they out in enemy territory testing weapons is absurd, its based on a comic book just like Batman, in which movie there are very many similiar strange circumstances. I have to agree that Robert Downey Jr. did a great job acting his part and I can’t wait to see number two, hopefully with a larger role from Terrance Howard.
12. Colin Martorana 11.10.08 / 8pm

    I too saw this film in theatres, one of the first days it came out in fact. And, as you mentioned, I felt the comedy seemed misplaced and unneeded, if in fact I had no previous knowledge of the movie beforehand. However, I did. With this knowledge, I had experienced the hype and focus of the film, and it seemed it was being directed to a simpler movie-going crowd, looking only for laughs and explosions. With that in mind, I proceeded to the theatres to laugh along with everyone else, and that’s what I got. In addition, I like how you pointed out the similarities to Batman, if not for you, I would have never noticed. Overall, for what I was expecting, it was an enjoyable film, yet, being a car buff, I didn’t enjoy watching his Cobra get smashed, but oh well!
13. natasha thompson 11.10.08 / 11pm

    I agree that this movie fell short in a few areas although, overall, it was a good movie with a funnier twist to a comic book hero type tale. It kept me interested. The ending definitely set it up for a sequel. I felt that it ended too abruptly, which I didn’t like very much. I definitely didn’t have the feeling of the suspension of disbelief. I believe that’s why the need for comedy was necessary to keep my interest. I did however like the beginning a lot where they were driving Tony Stark out in the military vehicles. The heavy artillery used there made it seem very real in the beginning. The film was unified through the story, which is tied back to Tony’s father. We get to learn some of the reasons for the whole chain of events that become this film. In the end both goals, public and private, are accomplished. He beats the bad guys and he gets the girl.
14. rmettner 11.20.08 / 11am

    I really enjoyed the movie Iron Man, and I thought Robert Downey’s performance was impeccable. He was already deemed a great actor, but I felt as if this movie propelled him even higher. I disagree with people who feel as if this movie fell short. I thought the comedy was not overused or put in areas where it didn’t need to be, it was placed in a timely place. We all expected Batman to be what it was, but when I went in to watch Iron Man I had no idea how it was going to play out. That’s why I came out so surprised because I had no preconceived notions. I thought the director did a great job making the movie legitimate without crossing the line of fake and unreal.
15. Rorry Nakayama 03.18.09 / 5pm

    I really enjoyed Ironman and Robert Downey Jr’s performance. Being a really smart guy and pretty much a creator of futuristic objects makes him wealthy and one of the few in his type of career. I like how the movie tied in the future with the present ideas and it wasn’t too graphic for young kids to watch. Also, with Marvel movies, they tend to be a bit cheesy and not that well. But with Ironman, I was surprised at how much it exceeded my expectations. The film remained constant in the plot that was building throughout the film. I really enjoyed the action shots and how they incorporated everyone and everything being blown up from something different than a first person point of view. There was also a story of love and affection beyond the action story of robots. Overall, I would recommend this film and I am looking forward to the sequel.
16. Anaiya Mussolini 10.29.09 / 11am

    I thought this film was well thought out. The execution impressed me, from everything from the plot to the story. It was also nice to see some romance mixed in with a little comedy and misery because life really incorporates these things. To have a mixture between some fiction and non fiction created a wonderful story. It was nice that it was not too one-sided, too much fiction or vice versa. This was not a time in the movie where I ever was bored and it was filled with emotion, I even cried. They also stressed the idea of relying on others to survive, as exemplified by Quenith Paltrow’s character. It was a masterpiece and I plan on buying the DVD.
17. Leland Hsu 04.29.11 / 11pm

    Iron Man was a favorite of mine. Combined with action and comedy, the film came out to be quite the catcher. The CG effects with Robert Downey Jr. being suited up with his invention of the suit, shows the future of what it has in store for the world. I absolutely loved the acting of Robert Downey Jr., as he made the moods different at times which gave it a little spice. My favorite part was when Stark (Downey Jr.) and Obadiah Stone (Jeff Bridges) fought it out head-to-head in Stark’s Iron Man suits. The story in general, is formatted very well, and laid out.
18. Olivia Ortiz 10.21.13 / 1pm

    What i like about Iron Man was that it had a bit of everything. It had romance, adventure, mystery, and disbelief. I think a big part as to why the film was so successful was because of the how Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Tony Stark. He really got into character and made us feel like if we were in the movie.
19. Cody Segal 02.28.14 / 8pm

    While this reviewer backs up his arguments with valid details, I still disagree with much of what he says. Perhaps the biggest argument that I have with this review is where he says that the humor in the film comes from violent scenes of Iron Man killing terrorists. Personally, I believe that these scenes are humorous not because people enjoy watching other people kill each other, but rather because audiences enjoy scenes where the good guy gets the bad guy. I loved watching Iron Man, mostly because it is centered on strong American values and encourages patriotism. Also, I disagree with the argument that the film spends too much time focusing on how Iron Man builds his suit. Personally, I believe that these scenes build credibility for the film and turn it into something that many people can somewhat accept as “real”. When the audience watches Tony Stark build the suit, we believe that he might actually exist in our own world because he interacts with the space around him in a very recognizable way. Overall, Iron Man is not my favorite movie of all time, but I do believe that it deserves some credit as being a very interesting and exciting film.
20. shuyu Ning 07.26.14 / 10pm

    I was so crazy about Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” and spend too much time watching this movie. I like the Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds which is my hero. Many people wondering that how the man makes the suit. I always not believe that the suit make the man which makes him so powerful? Why he has to follow the rules and be so responsible to fight the enemies? At the end of the film, I think these Super-hero pictures are my guilty pleasure and be my favorite style.
    We also like this film because of its comedy flight and weapons tests.
21. Ryan Veasy 10.20.14 / 2pm

    I loved the film Iron man and it instantly became one of my favorite superhero movies – due to the fact that it reminded me of my childhood. Even though that favoritism is now seconded to guardians of the galaxy, it still was an awesome film. I disagree with parts of this review. Even though this film had no crazy story twists, it still was a feel good film that made you excited and laugh. I mainly disagree with the paragraph that explains how the film is too focused on the building of the suit. That is one of the coolest parts to the film and it will be followed up in the sequels.
22. Natalie Player 06.17.16 / 11pm

    I thought that Iron Man was a very interesting and cool movie. I really liked it and the different things that it had in it and how he could fight al of the huge crime and fight off the cartoon villains.
23. Armando Meza-Casillas 07.15.17 / 11pm

    Iron man is a pretty good movie. i think the role of Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr. really sets the movie up to perfection. this movie has a little bit of the comic book feel to it and it had its funny moments in it. i like how when developing the iron man suit Tony basically made the suit out of nothing and made the most of it to get out of the enemy base. when he was creating the second suit, the hot rod color way of the suit really popped. what threw me off in the movie was when tony finds out that his dads business partner kind of just went behind tony’s back and sold weapons to the enemies.
24. Chin Cheng Pai 07.20.18 / 9pm

    First of all, Iron man was my favorite movie. Because I prefer to watch action movies. In the movie of Iron man, Tony Stark is a person who are genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist. I am really admire him. My favorite part in the movie is when Tony developing the iron man suit, also how did he escape the cave, it make me feel tension and stimulate. In my personal point of view, this movie was so successful, and the reason why is so successful is because of the actor Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Tony Stark. He is a really good actor.
25. Troy Ganter 03.11.19 / 10pm

    This has to be one of my favorite movies I have ever watched. This may be because I am apart of a younger audience, but I also think that this was the start to all of the other marvel masterpieces. I agree with you that this movie wasn’t necessarily the funniest film out there, but then again I didn’t go to see this film to laugh. I think the iron man suit was the most standout part of the entire film to any audience. This made me think of what technology we have there today in the real world. Out of all the Iron man movies, this one had to be the best.
26. Alexis Cardenas 06.14.19 / 3pm

    This movie was one of the best movies ever made. Reason being was because it was the first movie to this incredible and phenomenal era of new superhero movies that were collectively called the avengers. This movie was the one that started it all, through incredible CGI and editing along with amazing acting by the main character Robert downey Jr. as Iron Man, I felt that this movie was fantastic. We see many action scenes as well as very many dramatic and saddening scenes. All of those factors put together is what made this film so entertaining to watch and to rewatch for years to come.
27. adam paramo 07.21.21 / 1am

    The first Iron man was a great movie, Though I don’t agree with you when you said “If the billionaire-playboy-righting-wrongs shtick sounds familiar, it’s because Iron Man is in many ways Marvel’s answer to DC’s Batman” they are 2 completely different characters just because a heroes parents have passed away doesn’t make them the same. I feel like the creation of Ironman was necessary for this film because it really sets a foundation for the future films, Not just the Ironman sequels but also the entire MCU. I also enjoyed how the director knew his knowledge of Ironman and the Marvel comics, The director definitely knew that this first Ironman film was going to launch off something way bigger than Ironman and that’s apparent in “Avengers Endgame” and “Loki” which deal with time travel and the “multiverse” Something that was set up all thanks to Ironman.
28. Tommy Lombardi 01.27.22 / 12pm

    I disagree somewhat with what Richard Feilden said. I actually rewatched this film a couple days ago, as it’s one of my favorites. I do agree on the fact that Robert Downey Jr. was incredible in this movie. I do disagree when you said it focused too much on the creation of Iron Man, with the comedic faulty test flights and hammering metal nonstop. I disagree because this is what the ironman character is based on! Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man are comedic people and thats why we like them as much as we do. Because he seems human, with more human problems and mannerisms than most superheroes. I do agree it took a little long to get to the climax of the film, but it is still one of my favorites to this day.
29. Jason Beckman 01.31.22 / 11am

    Richard had a particularly unpleasant experience with what I consider to be a film that goes down in history as, without exaggeration, one of the best in history. The comedic delivery of billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark (RDJ) is what sets Iron Man apart from other superhero origin films such as the Batman franchise. Early on, Stark is shown to be a cocky, arrogant character with a love for himself and his interests, with no real cares in the world besides his next profitable weapons demonstration. Over the runtime of Iron Man, director Jon Favreau really emphasizes the scenes that are meant to be humorous and lighthearted, and the scenes that show a deeper growth in Stark’s cares. When Tony realizes that his weapons are falling into the hands of terrorist organizations really is, as is called back in later Marvel films, “proof that Tony Stark really has a heart”. The funny-yet-serious style of contemporary superhero films was pioneered by Iron Man and Jon Favreau’s memorable work on the film, and the story (and the CGI) still hold up to this day, 14 years later.
30. Andres Salcedo 05.16.22 / 12am

    One of the best films I watched as a young boy and must see in the movie theatres. The technology in the film was futuristic but not so futuristic that you found it unbelievable – once again, it found the right balance between current and future tech. What also made it different to previous and future super hero films is the fact Tony doesn’t actually have a smooth transition into the Iron Man persona and suffers mechanical mishaps during trials and still has very clear limitations on his suits abilities. I can watch this film over and over again and great comeback for Robert Downey Jr.
31. Anders Hedberg 10.21.22 / 6pm

    This is one of the best superhero movies of all time for many different reasons and I personally believe that the whole marvel franchise through all their movies were led to success through this one film as well. Although the villain in this movie was the only part that I didn’t enjoy, learning about the main marvel character for the next 15 years Tony Stark was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr was phenomenal in the film and he really made everyone who watched the film captivated and intrigued with the character. We all loved that it was a regular person with no powers just money who bought his way into becoming a superhero but the truth is it wasn’t just about that it was also his superior intellect and arrogance that helped him along the way.
32. Roy Touma 03.04.23 / 7pm

    I agree with Dr. Foden on this movie completely. It is basically just a copy and paste of the D.C movie Batman, but it’s alcoholism instead of dead parents. I also didn’t really like the film because to me there wasn’t that much action shown in this movie and not that much interest in watching the rest of it. It was directed well and Tony Stark was the only reason that movie was watchable in my opinion. This movie just didn’t live up to the hype for me in my opinion.
33. Aidan Marquez 03.22.23 / 3pm

    Out of all major superhero films, I really enjoy watching Iron Man, and is one of the few films I actually rewatch often. Although I feel at times the scenes can be a bit awkward, I think it goes a great job throughout the film keeping us engaged. This film as a major plot and is not all over the place like Babel for example. With the film having a clear and evident plot, at allows us to get a better sense of the film and to possibly predict what is coming next. I think the graphics and CGI that was used in this film was inside thinking about when the film came out in 2008. All in all, this is a film I would definitely recommend to a friend to watch.
34. Ian Jewell 10.17.23 / 11am

    I disagree with mr. Feilden, this movie is a masterpiece and is one of the starts to the avenger series as a whole. Feilden I think was expecting this movie to be funny. there is some comedy aspects but is mostly an action movie. I think the Mise en scene of this movie is good. The way it was filmed gives the movie a sense of realism. the humor in this movie is partially based on the good guy beating the bad guy. I don’t think it was directly funny that he was killing terrorist but the fact that the good guy was taking out all these bad guys so easily.
35. Sebastian Cerezo 03.15.24 / 4pm

    I strongly disagree with Roy Touma’s claim that the first Iron Man film was disappointing and a “copy and paste” of Batman. His claim that the main difference between the protagonists is that one suffers from alcoholism and the other dealt with trauma from dead parents is simply completely inaccurate. In reality both of them struggled with the death of their parents and neither faced alcoholism as an issue. Roy also claimed that the film did not have much action, which I would completely disagree with, as a majority of the movie displayed Iron Man fighting evil terrorists and other villains. I also believe his claim that this film was barely watchable is a gross overstatement and I believe the director Jon Faverau used many techniques such as unique camera angles, special effects, and intense sounds to make this movie truly come to life and present Tony Stark in an exciting way.
36. Miles Marcum 03.17.24 / 4pm

    I disagree with Mr. Feilden on his review on Iron Man. First, I think that they notion that Iron Man character is nothing more a ripped off Batman is kind of a ridiculous claim. I believe Jon Faverau did an incredible job crafting Robert Downey Jr’s character into one of the most unique heroes I have seen in a movie. For example, one of the largest differences between Batman and Ironman is that Batman lived his life completely in the shadows while Iron Mans life was out in the open. Additionally, I think many of the techniques Jon Faverau used to incorporate sound in the movie were interesting. With such an action packed movie incorporating sound correctly is important and I believe he did a good job executing.
37. Hector Creda 07.21.24 / 12am

    This particular movie is a special one. This was one of the greatest superhero movies ever to be created due to the fact there’s 4 movies of iron man and it introduced a new superhero. Although I don’t agree with the statement “If the billionaire-playboy-righting-wrongs shtick sounds familiar, it’s because Iron Man is in many ways Marvel’s answer to DC’s Batman.” because Iron man was a hit in the summer time I 2009 but everyone already knew who batman was, so comparing the 2 doesn’t really make sense because there 2 different kinds of superheros. Another thing I disagreed with is that roy stated that batman and iron mans parents felt with alcoholism but that’s a false claim. None of there parents dealt with alcholosim but suffered from there parents death.

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