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‘Iron Man’ invading early and packing a CGI punch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Officially, the summer movie season begins on Friday, but Paramount’s “Iron Man” will invade early with thousands of Thursday night screenings nationwide.
Already there are more than 130 screenings beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday and on into the night in metro Atlanta theaters. That’s a change from the usual 11:59 p.m. or 12:01 a.m. sneak previews Hollywood has generally used in the past to launch potential blockbusters.
While the early salvo looks like it could reduce the official “Iron Man” three-day opening weekend box office tally, the Hollywood Reporter speculates that Paramount is counting on word-of-mouth buzz from so many early screenings to increase audiences on Saturday.
The move is also likely due to summer’s lineup. With big projects coming each Friday (“Speed Racer” opens May 9; “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” debuts May 16; “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” arrives May 22), some studios are looking more to bolstering opening week box office than opening weekend box office.
Predictions have been that “Iron Man” will earn $60 million to $70 million or more its first weekend. But buzz has been building. In early reviews, “Iron Man” has earned a 92 percent approval rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Associated Press movie critic Christy Lemire calls it “a blockbuster with a brain.”
The film has the expected explosions and eye-popping CGI, but the screenplay also has input from two of the writers involved with 2006’s heady drama “Children of Men.”
Paramount screened the film Tuesday night in some Atlanta theaters. Several scenes have also been available on Youtube.com for weeks.
At just over two hours, the film, based on the Marvel comic, involves billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark who invents a remarkable metallic suit enabling him to single-handedly fight terrorist forces.
Here’s what fans will likely be talking about as “Iron Man” opens:
The first firefight: The initial bomb can jolt you out of your seat — even though you know it’s coming. In an attack on a military motorcade there are large explosions and intense sprays of bullets.
Robert Downey Jr.: Always a reliable, interesting actor, he plays Stark with the same wit, arrogance and charm he brought to TV’s “Ally McBeal.” He lets the jokes fly (as the consummate partyboy he orders military man Terrence Howard to ride “in the Humdrumvee”). Expect “Iron Man” to seriously raise his status in Hollywood.
The gadgets: Stark drives a sleek, cool Audi R8. His garage wheels include a Shelby Cobra, a Saleen S7 and a Tesla Roadster. Oh, and his private jet comes with a stripper pole.
The co-stars: Jeff Bridges, in bald head and beard, is a standout as executive Obadiah Stane. So is Gwyneth Paltrow, who thankfully drops her usual fake English accent, to play Stark’s assistant Pepper Potts.
The “futurism”: The schematics, the metalworks, the CGI and the sleek, roadster-red tinged titanium alloy suit all meld to give the film the feel of “The Terminator” meets “Spider-Man.”
Are you looking forward to “Iron Man”? Will you see it this weekend?
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Bob Longino
Comments
By Jeff
April 30, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this
I am SOOOOO looking forward to it!
I’m going Sunday afternoon with my father in law and soon-to-be brother in law.
Is it bad that I’ve been playing Black Sabbath’s Iron Man repeatedly all week on my ITunes and cd players???
Oh, and btw: Even though I do enjoy Marvel movies, this is one of the VERY few I’ve gotten this excited about. The other two were Ghostrider and Punisher.
By Happy Hogan
May 1, 2008 11:00 AM | Link to this
I’m taking a vacation day off to see this movie, which I predict will finally be the first Marvel Comics movie that does it right since the 1st Spiderman.
By Chris
May 1, 2008 11:00 AM | Link to this
I hope this is more like in your face true to the comics rather than some Robocop pc sermon about how guns and war is bad.
By Jeff
May 1, 2008 11:27 AM | Link to this
Chris:
I honestly expect this to be a look - as much as a comic-based movie can anyway - at how weapons can be designed both to protect and destroy. In this movie, you essentially have Iron Man vs War Machine, with War Machine being worn by the Big Bad of the movie rather than the James Rhodes who we know eventually comes to wear it.
The official site has an amazing ‘experience’ section that has several scenes/quotes/pics from the movie…
By Fulton
May 1, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Haven’t been to a movie in a while but…I might hafta go see it 2 nite!
By Dan
May 1, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this
I’m there. If Downey got this one half right, it is going to beat everything we’ve seen out of Marvel so far.
By ламинат
August 12, 2008 3:29 AM | Link to this
v Een plaatje zegt alles, toch ? t Het volledige rapport is hier te vinden. Lees natuurlijk f de blogposting. e r паркет 9h
By ламинат
August 13, 2008 5:41 AM | Link to this
hgz Een plaatje zegt alles, toch ? fis Het volledige rapport is hier te vinden. Lees natuurlijk g de blogposting. x s Thanks for interesting post! zxy ламинат и паркет 1o
By lavidjio
January 28, 2009 3:16 PM | Link to this
lavidjio