Mark Kermode reviews Iron Man - BBC Radio 5 Live

www.bbc.co.uk/f...
The good Doctor reviews the first blockbuster movie of the summer: "Iron Man", starring Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges. Prepare for amazing impressions.
Get the podcast of all Mark's reviews every week at www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive

[@hilaryc8648]

Looking back at this now is funny. Iron Man is like the Dr No of the MCU isn't it?

[@fasciatus]

The robert downey jr impression was hillarious

[@mistaburrito]

Also on point

[@eap1234]

Hey what’s up with u 12 years later?

[@poshzombie]

Kermode having no idea what the MCU would become

[@Waldowsky]

poshzombie rubbish

[@musashi66973]

@@Waldowsky like u

[@commieRob]

More of the same? On a sad, endless timeline of increasingly expensive mediocrity?

[@michaelhall5429]

@@commieRob more of the same applies to almost all popular cinema. Mediocrity as well. MCU is hardly a monumental shift in film making. Don't let the capes make you a snob.

[@Clay3613]

@@commieRob GTFO Gary Groth.

[@maxharrison4708]

Tony Stark: “The greatest weapon is one you only have to use... ONCE” *Iron Man suits featured in 9 movies*

[@lapislazuli5035]

He was referring to the Jericho Missle.

[@lilshifty4758]

spot on impersonations

[@stcolreplover]

i was crying when he did the gwyneth paltrow impression. i like his review. though i do think robert downey jr is a better actor than he says

[@FriendlyPoison666]

Bwahahahahaha! Kermode is a legend with the impressions. Robert Downey JR sounds like a bassline :-D

[@SuperWillHatch]

lol. Your milage may vary. I thought the actor was very convincing at portraying a billionaire playboy weapons builder. When he had his epiphany, I felt that he did have one and that it was very profound to him, but what I appreciate is that his life doesn't change that much. He's still a playboy with little thought for others, but his heart is in the right place now. He just goes out and murders terrorists instead of apprehending them, which shows how immature he still is.

[@Treblaine]

Someone should do a mash up of Kermode's Downey, Paltrow and Bridges impressions, especially the "Hauuwraughhh" LOL!

[@ixat00]

A critic gets paid to present his opinion on a movie in a way that's informed, enlightening and entertaining. If you see merit in that, then he contributes something.

[@RamBam3000]

When I heard that Robert Downey Jnr had been cast as Tony Stark, I was like "That's *perfect*" I thought the movie was awesome and Kermode comparing the ending to Transformers is completely unfair, because Jon Favreau is a better director than Bay could hope to be in his wildest imagination. Plus, the female characters aren't there just to be ogled at. I missed Jervis the butler, though.

[@drdarkeny]

The Good Doctor Kermode isn't a comic book fan, so to him it's some obnoxious dude played by Robert Downey, Jr. intercut with CGI, against a snarly villainous dude played by Jeff Bridges, also intercut with CGI. He's wrong, of course, but that's no surprise under the circumstances....

[@commieRob]

Not just to be ogled at, but also to be HILARIOUSLY punished for having a voice by being sexually humiliated.

[@anirudhmenon4234]

I love Batman Begins but I prefer Iron Man. It's just such a monumentally entertaining film.

[@gioconda43]

In my opinion the beauty of IM lays on the simplicity of the screenplay, the final result is a well balanced and entertaining movie, quite diferent from other super-hero movies, which I think was Favreau intention.Most of the times simple things are the most effective ones.

[@rundle19938]

love the Gwyneth Paltrow impression XD

[@dmpcornwall]

He's reviewing Hannah Montana because that's his job. One of the strengths of the BBC Film programme (the TV show) during the Barry Norman years was that he reviewed EVERYTHING that came out that week from Hollywood blockbuster to Taiwanese arthouse flick. Then during Jonathan Ross's time, you only got 3-4 reviews a programme. It may be different since Claudia Winkelman took over, but I haven't seen any episodes of her shows. Kermode is watching everything so that different sections of

[@Nopperabou]

Iron Man isn't a first rate hero but you wouldn't know it looking at the movie. It really tapped into the iconic elements of the Iron Man story and managed to be pro-American in a semi-acceptable way.

[@jakebiomask]

"It is FAIRLY well suited" FAIRLY, Kermode you fool RObert Downey Jr is PERFECT as Tony Stark and he IS Iron Man, he is the main reason people love the franchise.

[@crazyrabbits]

His Paltrow impression sounds like Skeeter from the Muppet Show! LOL!

[@Samplelord]

@Regenmacher175 Maybe cuz IronMan is not about sacrifice...? Tony Stark was never an emotional driven hero, he like's the fame that come's with it... I find this movie refreshing amongst the list of angst ridden, emo, dark superhero movies. Just my 2 cents.

[@walonsubi]

Can I see the film with Gwyneth Paltrow as a dominatrix in 10 inch heels please?

[@crazyrabbits]

Kermode's comment about superhero films with deep character studies that fall apart at the end also holds true of Batman Begins. The last act was a ridiculous chase scene that featured comedic moments and unnecessary exposition sprinkled between a ridiculous plot to poison Gotham's water supply with a runaway train. It didn't negatively affect the movie in any way, but it is on par (in my view) with Iron Man's ending. They were both big action setpieces that strayed from deep character studies.

[@Charmingman93]

I liked Iron man, I thought it worked very well, the action and the chemistry between the actors was good. Iron Man 2, attempted to better that. I came out thinking "meh...".

[@alexnaoum88]

Mark spoils so much of the film in his review, did he have no tact back then?

[@awesomefrankrapid]

I don’t think he mentions anything that isn’t already in the trailer

[@EyEnOtgAy]

TDK was its own movie, and iron man and hulk were thiers, i hate that just because the dark knight was dark all the other movies need to be rebooted like superman and popeye~

[@JPWalster]

Compared to films since this was released, the smashy bashy Michael Bay influenced stuff seems almost minimal and restrained in Iron Man

[@apeltala]

...into the sunset after jumping onto his horse from a five story building and landing right on the family jewels. But hey, if you didn't like it, that's cool; it's not that I'm pushing Iron Man as the perfect film or anything (though I really liked it, clearly) but I'm really annoyed by the description of BB as this definitive yardstick by which all superhero movies must be measured. The first Superman film? Sure. BB? Hell, no.

[@rundle19938]

love the Gwyneth Paltrow impression XD

[@SuperWillHatch]

Actually I would say Ironman had as much depth and deep thoughts in it as TDK. Darkness is not a prerequisite for a film to be better.

[@Letter66666]

Mark Kermode should post a review of "The ABCs of Death", I'm really looking forward to hearing his opinion on it!

[@DrCruel]

The movie was very good - lots of action, great performances by Downey and Paltrow, and very consistent with the Iron Man mythos. When I went to see this film, the theatre was packed with Iron Man fans, and they all clearly enjoyed what they saw. Kermode has to be one of the stupidest reviewer out there. Dunno why his fans are such fanatical supporters of the twit. He's got the sort of movie opinions you go to a pub to hear, preferably near closing time.

[@ccp15]

Thank you apeltala for elucidating what I only vaguely remembered of BB. I also agree with you about Downey Jr, he acquits himself nicely in the film. As Kermode said he's quite watchable. Although, right after the introduction of his character I instantly put off by him. He's like Paris Hilton but with more beard. Do all these superhero types have to be insufferable bores before they get their powers?

[@apeltala]

...it was hardly the Holy Grail this Kermode and all those geekboys made it out to be. Where IM succeeds over BB, is that Downey, Jr., unlike Bale, has all the bases of the character covered. He's great as Stark and as Iron Man. Of course, the fantastic visual effects by ILM help out and the fact that the third act flows organically out of the first and second, unlike BB where, even though it should make sense scriptwise, the action towards the end feels tacked-on and perfunctory.

[@apeltala]

Well, there was kind of a tongue-in-cheekiness at this point. I knew verisimilitude in the traditional sense was completely out the window when he flew a few hundred feet into the Afghan sky only to crash in the desert, none the worse for wear and with his armor strewn about him. But this felt like a wink-wink, nudge-nudge from the filmmakers and (to me, anyway) didn't feel much sillier than Indiana Jones punching out Nazis after being dragged along by their truck or Zorro riding off...

[@MatthewLedZepfan]

I have no idea what that Robert Downey Junior impression was.

[@blokey8]

@bobbydylanio which in several parts occured in the second Transformers as well...

[@Jcolinsol]

@cieranjamesburt He's not a reviewer he's a critic. And he knows his cinema.

[@LuxDiabolico]

Turns out Jared Leto isn't Mark's best impression

[@chrishiggins7166]

The film is strongly acted, strongly directed, well written, action packed & is overall A fuel filled superhero film. (93%) (4.5/5 stars) (positive)

[@moeezS]

Who cares if the movie caters to its fans? It's a movie, not a fanservice infomercial. That's what the Nolan Batman movies are, full of substance and depth, but not having this disconnect of character and action.

[@IddyB]

LOL. Great impressions.

[@apeltala]

Do I detect a little jingoism here, considering BB was made almost entirely by Brits? Nah, that's probably just me. what I will say is that while BB told a brilliant origin story, it fell absolutely flat in the second half, where Bruce Wayne essentially puts on the Batman suit. Bale playing Bruce Wayne pretending to be a stuff-up billionaire is insufferably fake, and with the exception of the Tumbler car chase scene the action is terribly choreographed and edited. I enjoyed the film but...

[@dmpcornwall]

the audience know what's out there. He loves genre cinema and will praise genre movies done well within their conventions even if they're not great works of art. He liked Inglourious Basterds for the most part. I think though that Tarantino was one of the first to start down this bloated running time/multiple parts to films that we've seen so much of in the last ten years though.

[@Mmatycoon]

Just watched it; disappointed. The characters were all well played, interesting, engaging but the storyline was so boring! I don't get the point of action if you know what's going to happen. A vs B fight. The goodie will always win so for me zero excitement in car chases, fights etc. You can extend that concept to this entire film. You know good guy will win and bad guy loses. Some will die. Some wont. SO getting to the end has to be imaginative. It was obvious, slow and contrived. Oh well :)

[@bobbydylanio]

This film had the IDENTICAL ending to Avatar: Apparently stronger enemy is defeated against the odds by generic good guy, generic good guy appears to have died! Soppy crying nonsense before good guy is inexplicably revived, man and woman piss off together bla bla bla... in fact almost every film like this ends in EXACTLY the same way, but people lap it up!! Mental...

[@TheHappydead]

the director doesnt do the special effects (the flying,the set pieces, the fights) well enough downey jnr is great but the iron man stuff (altho the suit looks amazing)never truly satisfys and thats the case in 1 and 2. Im all for witty banter but theyre needs to be good, exciting, cool action also.

[@Angelious29]

uhhh i dont know if your being sarcastic but it seems like u were but the joker didnt fall off the skyscaper he was caught by batman...

[@ccp15]

And did the times when Stark was building things piss anybody else off? I didn't believe for one moment that he could put together anything more complicated than a kite in that cave. "-We'll get you anything you need, just build us this bomb. -OK I'm gonna parts X, Y, and Z that are only built in one factory in the US and cost a million dollars each. -Oh, we don't have those. -Well, then I'm gonna need a factory and ten thousand Chinamen."

[@untitledjunk03]

Those impressions of the actors in this movie are just PRICELESS. Lol

[@Apathesis0]

Yeah it was pretty weak and lame. Hopefully the second movie will be brilliant, with lots of action. The first movie really made me want to fly, the same way the Rocketeer did.

[@Angelious29]

uhhh i dont know if your being sarcastic but it seems like u were but the joker didnt fall off the skyscaper he was caught by batman...

[@derekdiercksmeier486]

Completely Agree With Dr. Kermode.

[@FrameByFrameIndian]

its good start for MCU

[@spacemonkey4811]

Mark doing Iron Man & Gwinnie makes my face hurt.

[@rangers94ism]

But isn't that what we all do after watching a movie? Don't you go to a movie with your friends a then when it is over discuss what you thought of it? That is what a critic is, a person(s) who have personality that appeals to the public discussing films hence Siskel and Ebert, Kermode and all the rest of them

[@ccp15]

above "WAS put off" & "I'm gonna NEED parts" My editor took the day off And then when he got out of the cave, it, incredibly, got even less believable. Tony Stark is apparently this mechanical genius, but he uses himself as a test dummy. He has no idea what's gonna happen after he flips the switch to turn his suit on. At one point he slams into the concrete ceiling at what must have been 50 miles an hour. Fortunately, he had already recovered from having his chest caved in by the next scene.

[@juancpgo]

I didn't know the show was about reviewing everything that comes out of hollywood. Now I understand... but still, in his position, if wanted to be a respectful movie critic, I would review only relevant, interesting movies. Of course he's got quite some respect, but perhaps not from "genuine cinephiles" or the majority of them.

[@darkamotions66]

That was hillarious!

[@harryhicks1142]

He doesn’t like that a comic book film about iron man has the iron man suit, defeats the object of the film really.

[@ccp15]

Well played sir.

[@90mv]

@FlavioSousa35 better than batman begins ? heeellllll to the no

[@20cleve]

At least, it wasn't Julian Sands.

[@Charmingman93]

RELAX, twas a joke.

[@ccp15]

You should check out his review of Pirates 3. He does a fantastic impression of Johnny Depp and Keith Richards. I don't understand why people like Nolan's Batman. In the immortal words of Mark Kermode, "Clearly, everyone has had some sort of terrible joint lobotomy". It was complete rubbish.

[@wmg100]

His wrong what?

[@gioconda43]

This is the first time I watch a Kermode review and I didn't like at all! Furthermore is doesn't make "impressions" - they are more like little kids squirelling at each other Maybe we could ask RDJ how to make a real good impression... And you can't compare BB with IM; they are quite different in style.

[@IddyB]

Win.

[@BartAlder]

Errr... so you're a what... a self appointed critic of critics? Personally I think I'll form my own opinion about what makes a shitty or a good film critic.

[@juancpgo]

I agree it's interesting to observe and embrace human culture and what is popular. But that's another thing. What is relevant in art is what is unique. Not only unique, but what comes out of an interesting vision. I don't embrace everything because most stuff being produced today are cr*p. Most movies start with: "Let's make a big hit", and not with: "I have something to say, even I loose money on this, I have to say it!!" You see clearly the distinction in the resulting picture.

[@Egoplantt]

did anyone else him slamming his fists on the desk making noise?

[@drdarkeny]

Oh, that's his schtick, Egoplantt! He gesticulates wildly when he gets excited (his video livestream/podcast fans call it "Flappy-Hands"), and he drums or slaps the table for emphasis - even though his co-host, BBC Presenter Simon Mayo, tells him not to at least once every 3-4 weeks! I only recently starting watching his clips on here and listening to this show on podcast, so I don't know for sure - but has he ever admitted to being either OCD, ADHD, or Aspie? He can "pass" until he gets excited, then he talks over whoever's else is trying to derail him to finish a point or an anecdote, he keeps drumming on the table and swinging his hands around knocking over anything around him even after being asked not to repeatedly and promising not to do it again, and when he was single he used to take dates out to see X-Cert films, usually violent horror movies. (He first came to people's attention in the UK as a Mainstream Film Critic who wasn't "Sniffy" about horror or trash movies.) He even jokes about how his wife and kids tell him to cut it out, same as Mayo does, and his wife sometimes texts Mayo to let her husband know to 'Skive Off! on one topic or another.

[@ccp15]

I know that he liked it, I just don't understand why. I've only seen the film once so perhaps I should revisit it. The thing that I remember most about it is how myself and the person I was with relentlessly made fun of it in the cinema.

[@WL1264]

What do you think about it now?

[@moeezS]

Hmm, I must've seen the wrong Iron Man movie, then. So, what is this Ironman movie with the depth and deep thoughts??? The Darkness was a great game! lol

[@13Yeared]

>when Kermode doesn't understand how comics work

[@ferrarim5p75]

Mark thinks Iron Man is so-so and he thinks that Godzilla and The Force Awakens are good films. Enough said!

[@TheSt1092]

This is actually one of the strongest MCU films.

[@Waldowsky]

I agree, Mark understand about film.

[@andrewrichardson2079]

I'm guessing English isn't your first language?

[@drdarkeny]

@@Waldowsky - yes, but he doesn't understand comic books, or comic book movies. I think if he revisited IRON MAN now, after being subjected to ZackSynder!'s GrimDark take on them, he might look upon Downey's Tony Stark and Favreau's direction more favorably.... Gwyneth Paltrow, though? How on EARTH did she ever win an Oscar when Downey still hasn't, and Bridges hadn't at the time...?

[@ihkeseteeietos5722]

His opinion is irrelevant lol

[@troyh2012]

your right hahha

[@Tbass17]

@cieranjamesburt You miss the point, so so badly.

[@ferrarim5p75]

+Phileas X He also thinks Spectre is good. I rest my case.

[@Waldowsky]

Phileas X what case? Dumbo

[@andrewrichardson2079]

For someone you claim not to like you're watching some very old videos

[@juancpgo]

I understand your point. But if I wanted to be a respectful movie critic, I would review only relevant, interesting movies. As for tarantino, I would defiine "bloated" as something I get tired of. I don't get tired of any effects or techniques that Tarantino uses, so I don't think it's bloated. In fact, I love it.

[@DrCruel]

He liked "Mamma Mia!". Which was the poit at which I was convinced that he's either deliberately malicious or a complete idiot. Not sure which at this point, although at the moment I'm leaning more to the latter.

[@Asif_I]

Yo man

[@MrFranquito1992]

What is this.

[@soundslave]

Mark "spoiler alert" Kermode hehe.

[@tenseman08]

aaaaaahhhh no one cares

[@TheConciseStatement]

Mark (sigh) you're obviously the best film critic in the business, but your impressions, ALL OF THEM, are c****ng atrocious. In the words of Martin Clunes in Shakespeare in Love, "Will - you - desist - madam?!"

[@jacobfleming3926]

13 years later

[@TheConciseStatement]

@@jacobfleming3926 Looking at my rankings, I currently have Iron Man as 15th out of 24. (TBH everything 11-21 is interchangeable due to the MCU’s competent, consistent and unremarkable quality.)

[@juancpgo]

Why do you need a 'deep' review of Iron Man?? Or Hannah Montana?? Why would you stop and think about these movies? That's silly. I have nothing against them, I'm only saying there's nothing to say about them. They're just pure entertainment for money. No one takes them that seriously, I would think not even the director or producers would stop and think. What's interesting to be reviewed is art: like Tarantino or Michael Haneke, and so many other movies. These are movies to be thought about.

[@andrewrichardson2079]

I mean he is paid to think about these films in this way,it is his job