 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Iron Man
- Review Date: April 28, 2008
- PG-13
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2008
Common Sense Media says
Great action, lots of style, some iffy stuff.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that kids may clamor to see this fast-paced, action-packed comic book-based adventure. But it's definitely more age-appropriate for teens than younger children. Although much of the violence is clearly meant to be based in the realm of sci-fi and fantasy -- and/or is shown at a distance -- there's plenty of it, from massive explosions to children held at gunpoint to super-powered fistfights. Some of the violence is war themed, and some characters get hurt and/or die. While much is made of lead character Tony Stark's devil-may-care lifestyle of fun and frolic, viewers also see him turn away from the more irresponsible aspects of playboyhood. Language is minimal, and sexual content is more suggested than shown overall -- though there are a few eyebrow-raising moments.
What's the story?
Bringing another Marvel Comics hero to the big screen, IRON MAN begins as brilliant billionaire industrialist/inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is abducted during a weapons demonstration tour in Afghanistan. Grievously wounded by the very weapons his company manufactures, Stark is forced by his terrorist captors to build a missile; instead, he designs a high-tech suit of armor to make his escape. Returning to America, he wonders how the bad guys got hold of his company's products and vows to set things right with the help of a rebuilt, stylish new iteration of the powered exoskeleton that made his escape possible.
Is it any good?
Iron Man knows that it's a comic book movie; not only does it have all the plot points and moral messages that we're used to from Spider-Man, Batman Begins, and others in the genre, but it also subtly mocks and twists them. Director Jon Favreau keeps the film light and bright; the special effects are impressively crafted, and the setup for another film is handled gently and well. The plot touches all the bases of the traditional "origin story" (how our hero becomes a superhero, his first outing with his new powers, etc.), and it shows plenty of hustle and style as it does so.
But if there's any one thing that makes Iron Man more than just a run-of-the-mill superhero film, it's Downey Jr. His work here is funny, human, heroic, and completely engaging, capturing the brisk breezy laugh lines, the adrenaline-fueled action, and the moments of bold purpose that every superhero has to have as they start out. He gives both Stark and Iron Man a little swagger and coolness -- in a field normally filled with nerds (Spider-Man's Peter Parker) or stiffs (Superman's Clark Kent), it's a refreshing change.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the popularity of comic book movies. Do they speak to escapism or darker fantasies about power?
How does the fact that much of the movie's violence is based in fantasy affect its impact? How is it different watching human characters get hurt than robots and other beings?
Iron Man may be a do-gooder, but he's no Boy Scout. Can heroic characters still be flawed? Does that make them more heroic or less?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Parents should be more careful reguarding the media they select for their children
Us parents, tend to be too liberal when it comes to making decisions reguarding movies our children should watch. I have noticed a reviewer ( even though he/she is only twelve) saying: " I've seen more violent movies than this", as if this argument makes it ok to go against what the experts say regarding violence for young children. Before being informed about ratings and age appropriate media for children, I let my 7 year old watch this movie.
Now that I am informed ( after a huge amount of research) I can say that I regret letting my son watch it.
I don't care what a turn around "Playboy" tony had towards the end of a movie. He is shown in bed with a stranger ( and I don't want anyone giving me ANY crap that they did not show anything. REGARDLESS, you do not need to show the whole sex scene for the child to subconsciously comprehend that tony just had an "adventure" with that reporter only to have left her dumped in his room to be escorted by his secretary and to make things worse, to not even have remembered her name when he encountered her again. Parents, may I remind you not to judge the sexual and violent scenes according to the 30+ years you have been living, but, instead, according to the kind of scenes a child should be exposed to?
May I remind parents that children MUST be exposed to good role models of masculine and femenine behavior.
It doesn't matter that Tony had a turnaround in his life. The problems he had were on an adult level.
Problems should be more at the child's reality. If it does not, I think that is a clear indicator that the movie is inappropriate. For example, can it be possibly good for an 8 or 9 year old to learn from a Playboy bandit turn good?
The problem he turned away from is by far, ages away from youngsters realities.
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AGE
Awesome!
This movie was great! It's different (and personally, better) than the series. But there is a lot of violence (though not as much as some other PG-13 films), which mostly includes shooting, lasers, etc. There is a bit of sex. In one scene, a man and a women (unmarried) are shown tumbling off the bed, implying sex. Some language, like h-ll. Some drinking. But it's a really good movie, and it isn't an edgy PG-13.
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AGE
Superhero fans will have a field day with this movie
Action packed with lots of suspensful scenes. I enjoyed it. parent's may not like the cursing and how the film potrays Tony Stark (Iron Man) as a sexual based person in some scenes.
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AGE
Great movie!!!
I really love this movie. I've seen it twice already and I'd gladly watch it again right now. It was a little violent and the main focus was war and weapons. Nothing that I would be worried about my 10 year old brother watching. Some sexual content in the beginning that didn't bother me, but I wouldn't really be happy with someone under age 9 seeing. It had a good plot and was really exciting. I say that everyone should see this movie.
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AGE
Too Intense and Violent
I took my 3 kids 14, 12, 8 to see it thinking it would be somewhat like Transformers. Much more of a older teen movie!! My two younger ones and older daughter watched the movie with their eyes covered through many of the blow up scenes. One scene shows a middle eastern soldier holding a gun to a father and the kids begging for him not to be killed. That was barely a second in the beginning but I thought was awful. Too much violence and too intense for little kids I think. This movie is better for 15-17 year olds. I hate how the trailers make it look so "cool" and then you get there and it is much more violent than you would expect.
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AGE
I did not like this movie
but I was forced to watch it in school ugh
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AGE
Best special effects for the almost perfect superhero movie.
This movie has the best special effects but the hero tells everyone he's Iron Man. There is only one scene where to people make out in bed for a few seconds and that's just it.
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AGE
violent sexual content brief language some drug use
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AGE
i am iron man, running over bad guys in my van
plenty of explosions, with fireballs, missiles, and ray guns. bad guys threaten to kill kids and parents. flamethrowers, giant fists, and power suits are used throughout. 2 characters get in a fight and blow up a building. a family in a car nearly gets killed.
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AGE
Awesome movie, Alright for tweens and parents alike
Iron Man is one of the best superhero films made. The storyline is great, depicting Tony Stark's transformation into Iron Man , and how he is forced to fight Iron Monger, who tried to have him killed.
The violence is moderate. We see a torture scene where Tony Stark is dunked underwater, and another where his asistent nearly swallows a hot coal. There is also some blood; tony stark bleeds after being hit by a missle and is then operated on (we see a brief bloody wound), a villian has part of the skin on his head missing and we see his veins (not too graphic). In non-bloody scenes, we see iron Man killing multiple henchmen in two scenes, and we see Iron man and Iron monger figting during the finale. During Iron monger's death, we see him being electroquted (no blood, not graphic at all).
There is a brief sex scene, where we see Tony making out with a reporter on a bed, and then falling off of it. Stark is fully clothed, and the woman has a shirt and panties. In the next scene, we see the woman naked in bed (the only thing we see his her bare back).
We also hear talk about martinis, and see Stark drinking in one scene.
Overall, an excellent and must see film, and in my opinion, Marvel's best film.
Kids 12 and up should be OK, as long as they aren't scared by the scene where Stark is operated on. Iron Man is also iffy for 10-11. The biggest concern is the sex scene, which may leave parents having to have an awkward discussion with younger kids afterwards.
The mesage is also good, showing how Stark, a millionaire playboy, discovers his true purpose in life. I give it 5 out of 5. It isn't as good as The Dark knight but comes extremely close to it.
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| Topics: | superheroes |
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Director: | Jon Favreau |
| Cast: | Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Robert Downey Jr. |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 125 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 2, 2008 |
| DVD release date: | September 30, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content |
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