The boys and I saw Ironman last week when it opened. Now, I have watched MANY superhero movies, and of all of them, I was most worried about this one. Among the comics, the main hero Tony Starke is known to be one of the most flamboyant playboys of the comics . . . and that's saying something! I was concerned about how they would portray that part of the character in the movie. I was pleasantly surprised. While there were two back-to-back scenes that had to be mommy-edited (hands over your eyes, boys!), they were brief and singular. Instead of dwelling on Starke's womanizing and carousing, they focused on his materialism and indifference toward the consequences of his fortune-generating weapons production business.
There is violence--lots of explosions and shooting (which delighted my boys. Why do they giggle at such things?), but for the most part it was not personal and even when it was those scenes were brief. There are also problems with some of the language, but not enough to really bother me (probably more a comment on my sensitivities than the purity of the language of the movie). There is also lots of drinking, smoking, partying, and some gross-out scenes (not bad, but there).
To me though, the thing that redeemed this film and made it something worth discussing with the boys was the message. The playboy without a conscious Starke is radically changed when he is abducted by terrorists using weapons his company manufactured. This has a profound influence on him as he finally realizes the serious consequences of producing more, bigger, and better weapons. He uses his genius to escape, then determines to right his wrongs. He suspends his company's weapons production, and works to perfect his suit so he can personally intervene when help is needed. It is his radical turn-around that makes this film so good. It is reminiscent of salvation, and can provoke a lot of discussion about what makes a man great and what is worth pursuing in life.
I would be cautious in taking a younger child to this movie. My youngest probably wouldn't have gone if he hadn't had older brothers. But for young teens and older, this is a good movie to spark some conversation.
A more detailed Plugged in Online review is here.
There is violence--lots of explosions and shooting (which delighted my boys. Why do they giggle at such things?), but for the most part it was not personal and even when it was those scenes were brief. There are also problems with some of the language, but not enough to really bother me (probably more a comment on my sensitivities than the purity of the language of the movie). There is also lots of drinking, smoking, partying, and some gross-out scenes (not bad, but there).
To me though, the thing that redeemed this film and made it something worth discussing with the boys was the message. The playboy without a conscious Starke is radically changed when he is abducted by terrorists using weapons his company manufactured. This has a profound influence on him as he finally realizes the serious consequences of producing more, bigger, and better weapons. He uses his genius to escape, then determines to right his wrongs. He suspends his company's weapons production, and works to perfect his suit so he can personally intervene when help is needed. It is his radical turn-around that makes this film so good. It is reminiscent of salvation, and can provoke a lot of discussion about what makes a man great and what is worth pursuing in life.
I would be cautious in taking a younger child to this movie. My youngest probably wouldn't have gone if he hadn't had older brothers. But for young teens and older, this is a good movie to spark some conversation.
A more detailed Plugged in Online review is here.
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