Give the Tin Man a Heart

[eumelia]

****This is a review of "Iron Man" Spoilers Ahoy!****

Ever since getting the insight of the analogy between the Tin Man of Oz and Marvel's Iron Man I can't get it out of my head.

A formal disclosure; usually when I go to comic book movies I know the characters. With Iron Man being a Marvel character, I went in to the movie as a blank slate knowing absolutely nothing other than that Tony is an industrialist ala Bruce Wayne, that he has a mechanical heart, that he's a member of the Avengers and that he is good friends with Captain America.
That is all.
It doesn't even brush the surface of who Iron Man a.k.a Tony Stark actually is.

And with this blank slate a whole slew of understandings and insights sailed through my head as I watched the movie.

One of the things that has been said to characterize comic book movies (and comic books in general) is the fact that they are more plot and image driven than character. And that the morality (and often ethics and ideology) depicted in this particular medium is binary - Good and Evil.

"Iron Man" touches on that, because Stark Industries (SI) is a weapons manufacturer. The movie is put in a universe parallel to our own in which the US is fighting The War on Terror. We are not sure who the enemy is other than that they are somewhere in central Asia between Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places in that region of the world. That region has lots of mountains, caves and villages that do not benefit from technology in any way other than everyone having guns (none of them Russian as far as I could tell, not an AK in sight). In the interest of making this easy I'm going to call that place Clalistan*.

Tony has inherited an arms business and a business partner; Obadiah Stane, his father's right-hand man.
From the beginning you can see the strain of keeping that corporate facade of "The Best Weapon is One You Only Have To Use Once" which Tony sublimates in reckless behaviour in his personal life, treating everyone around him as nothing more than functionaries, from the women he sleeps with to his business partners and even his friends Pepper Potts (his Girl Friday) and James Rhodes (his military liaison).

When he is in Clalistan with the military to show off his spankin' new toy (a cluster missile by the apt name of Jericho - incidentally, it is well known that cluster bombs, along with land mines, cause the highest percentage of collateral damage in conflict areas... that means they hurt civilians more than they hurt combatants) he is injured and kidnapped by an international coalition of terrorists whose motivation - other than killing as many people as possible - is unclear. The injury, in beautiful metaphor, shows us the change that Tony goes through during his captivity.

Despite Tony's clear disregard to himself and the people around him, he seems to genuinely believe that what he does is for the Greater Good. This illusion is very quickly shattered when he sees the terrorists use his SI weapons to fight his fellow Americans.
The change of heart is literal.

There is nothing controversial about the movie, not really. Whatever controversy there was about Tony's weapons dealing was set straight by his change of heart and loss of control over his business after his release from captivity.

The bottom line of it all, it's a feel good movie, I enjoyed it very much and if you like comic books movies, special effects movies or just enjoy bright colours in general, then this is the movie for you.

I'm writing that because within the context of it being a cool movie with a likable hero, likable sidekicks, likable robots and AI personality there are major, and I do mean Major flaws, which can go unnoticed if you wish, but I can't ignore the things that made me go *stabitty*.

Like the sexism, my GD the sexism.
It's one thing when it comes from Tony, as it is his disposition and I'm inclined to believe that it's because he considers everyone as a functionary to his own aims and not specifically any kind of inherent chauvinism towards women - he thinks he's superior to everyone.
But the movie's attitude is just, ewwwww.

The movie itself has only two women characters of any significance: Pepper Potts, Tony's personal assistant/Girl Friday, there's a flirtation between them, though it seems to be a regular thing and the Vanity Fair reporter he sleeps with thus establishing his sexist image and the shrew-ness of this particular reporter who is now a "Woman Scorned".
Tony is a playboy, how he views women shouldn't be the way the movie views them. A movie of this kind shouldn't be attached to the hero's perspective, there are too many details the audience needs to know that Tony doesn't. Add to that there was only one female soldier (who dies) and no woman in a power suit and the only other women were those fawning over Tony or other wealthy men and refugee mothers and wives who scream and cry as their husbands and sons are taken away by terrorists to be shot.
Not good gender representation.
Unless you're an assistant, then you are required to perform heart surgery on your boss.

The corporatism. Yeah, yeah, greed is bad, but look how much good private corporations can do! Tony saves people from his own guns, oh the circularity of it all. There was no mention of the US government involvement in the conflict, other than Tony criticizing the lack of culpability overall, though even then I suspect he was talking about SI and not the US goverment which is very much not there other than the military which seems to be working independently.

I have lots more to say, but this entry is kind of gigantic so I'll understand if you want to skip it. [smugness]Though it's a really cool review, if I do say so myself [/smugness].
Also it took me a long time to write it, so take that into account, I don't only write for myself ya know!
:-D

*Clali - כללי is "in general" in Hebrew

Comments

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I was somewhat disturbed by the lack of background female characters - I didn't mind the reporter, actually. She fell for Tony's smooth act, then was pissed off with herself and later called him to task over the photographs of his weapons being used by terrorists. I saw only one female soldier (though I don't mind that she died, as the rest of her unit did too - she wasn't singled out), one female air traffic controller and one female engineer in the background.

Pepper was actually pretty cool - she was highly competent, was aware of what people think of PAs who sleep with their bosses, and most of all she went to the authorities the second she had evidence - and I have no problems with a female PA being a major character. The problem for me was that she was the only prominent female character, and she was very much in an assisting role. Tony has a long list of awesome girlfriends in the comics (my favourites are Bethany Cabe and Rumiko Fujikawa) but even without them, there's no reason why the SHIELD agent, for example, couldn't have been Maria Hill.

[bitter-moss.livejournal.com]

I liked your review, although it's pretty much the same as the review i made in my head during/after seeing the film (and i had about as much prior knowledge as you). Get outta my head girl ;)!

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

He and Cap pretty much hate each other at the moment, actually. I'd say their relationship isn't that of friends, but friendly colleagues. Kind of like Bats and Supes. And his heart's not mechanical. It just needs some sort of electromagnetic gadget to keep shrapnel from embedding itself further into it, thereby killing him.

I look forward to reading this entry tomorrow, after I see the movie.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

See how little I knew of Iron Man.

I'd say their relationship isn't that of friends, but friendly colleagues. Kind of like Bats and Supes.

Bruce and Clark have hot monkey sex while Selina and Lois watch and exchange notes. Friendly colleagues *rolls eyes*

;-P

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

I just read your review and it's pretty valid, though I think you're reading a tad too much into the sexist angle, if only because you criticize there being no female power suits, which is keeping with continuity. Very few people in the Marvel Universe ever wear Iron Man armor and though there may be some women pilots, I would be surprised. The only three protagonists I can think of off the top of my head are Tony as Iron Man, James Rhodes as War Machine, and Peter Parker, who had a cybernetic Spiderman outfit for a little while a year or two ago.

Good review otherwise, though. I enjoyed reading it.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I dunno, there was distinct absence of women in the movie other than the PA and The Shrew Reporter, at least it seemed so to me.
But then again, I have to raise the bar on suspension of disbelief because I analyse everything I encounter :)

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

I admit I didn't really notice any lack of women, but I'm not as sensitive to it as you are. I concede that the film may have been sexist by omission and even by action because it does view women through Tony's womanizing eyes like you said. I just don't think the complaint about the lack of female power suits is a valid one. Marvel doesn't have the same glut of -girl and -lads that DC does, thankfully. It's one of the things I actually prefer about the company.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

The way I see it, comic book movies, no matter what company, are like an alternative time line or universe.
Seeing as "Iron Man" was keeping close to the reality in which it was created (War on Terror), which comic books don't always do, I think it should reflect our reality better.
For example, there could have been a female SHEILD agent instead of Coulson (which I'm pretty sure doesn't exist) and we know there are female agents from the comics (lilacsigil rightly suggested Maria Hill).

Did you stay after the credits?

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

I agree that Maria Hill, Sharon Carter, or even Natasha Romanova could have replaced Coulson. My only difference of opinion is about you feeling there should have been a woman suit pilot because I feel that comic book movies have a responsibility to try to stay fairly close to their source material and there would have been a huge outcry if, for instance, Pepper were to have donned the silver suit and become Iron Woman. I'm all for egalitarianism but that would have been baseless pandering.

I did stay after the credits. Samuel L's a hometown boy.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I don't recall writing about a female suit pilot. Though if there had been a woman fighter pilot (which there are in real life) it would have been nice.
It seemed that there were very few women in the background, there weren't any women in the command center either and those are Intel jobs which women can fill equally as men.
Again, it just seemed to be a whole lot more men in a disproportionate way in general, not in the main characters as such.

And I don't want an Iron Woman! I want my heros/heroins the same gender they are (unless there's a parody ;))

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

You mentioned it here: Add to that there was only one female soldier (who dies) and no woman in a power suit and the only other women were those fawning over Tony or other wealthy men and refugee mothers and wives who scream and cry as their husbands and sons are taken away by terrorists to be shot.

I agree with everything else you've said. That was my only criticizement of your review, which might seem like nitpicking, but it's something that I feel strongly about. I do not mind reimaginings, but since comics are such a visual medium, I think as much about a character should be kept the same as possible and there should be as little superfluous additions as possible.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

LOL! Ooops, should have realised, but my bro proof read this review and I didn't think anything of it.
I meant power suit as in women's business suit.

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Ah. I would have gotten that in any other context than a discussion about Iron Man. :p

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Though I suspect Tony would have made Pepper a pink Iron suit and nicknamed her RC... he's goofy like that :D

I can't wait

[(Anonymous)]

to see it now! hopefully soon but first we have to have a bday-outing for your birthday :)

(you write so so well. we should make some, I don't know, a fangirlish "Meavrer"-like zine-pamphlet-thingy, in which we say fangirlable things)

Fo' sure!

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Fangirl zine rules!

(thanks)