Invincible refreshing take

xamtaro

One thing I would commend about Marvel Animation is that they are willing to learn from their mistakes. After the mediocre Ultimate Avengers animated movies came this one, The Invincible Iron Man.

This movie is everything Ultimate Avengers was not. Instead of a team, it focuses on one character. Instead of dumbing down an existing storyline(Ultimate Avengers was essentially "The Ultimates" story dumbed down to appeal to older children) Marvel chose to create a new storyline and place more emphasis on character drama than on wham bam action.

1) The story. Definitely a new take on the origin of Iron Man. After being exposed to so many "alternate dimensions" and alternate origins for Marvel universe characters, I was willing to accept this movie as another of such alternate stories. The story was very well written with a clear beginning, middle and end. The magic Vs technology sub plot was nicely fleshed out but thankfully did not overwhelm the character interplay. There were a few far fetched moments but they are forgivable due to the short length of the movie.

2) The characters Really, it is the characters that truly shine here. Being more of a character drama as opposed to an action movie, the interplay seen in the script is realistically played out. The dialogue is fluid and believable to the point being on par with many good live action dramas. Acting was excellent. Neither over the top nor underwhelming, but just right to convey the emotions of the characters

The only problem was the acting of one of the main characters, Li Mei. Her accent seemed inconsistent and her emotional range was rather limited, even in most emotionally charged final battle of the movie. If Marc Worden had not done such a good job of acting on his part, the whole romance sub plot between Tony and Li Mei would have fallen flat.

3)The action Sharp, fast and to the point. There is no beating around the bush or too much talking in the fights. The action scenes are well choreographed but are few. Like i said, this movie is more a character drama than an action show. There are 3 main action scenes involving Iron Man in total.

4) The Animation Marvel has definitely improved in their animation from Ultimate Avengers. The characters still retain that level of movement fluidity but the level of art detail has been increased. The backgrounds are really a sight to behold and the character designs have a distinct Asian flavor to them. No animation short cuts were present, lending to a very impressive viewing experience. The cel shaded CGI animation used for the Elementals and the Iron Man suits are on par with many big budget animated movies and it allows more fluid interaction of the characters during fight scenes. There was only one scene where there was a jarring clash between the CGI and 2D animation but the rest were beautifully rendered.

There could have been better closure to the story and i do hope for a sequel.

Overall, Invincible Iron Man was a very refreshing new take on the origin of a well loved Marvel superhero. Favoring complex character drama over action was a good move, though not many would agree with me. It would be a little too much for kids to enjoy though, so don't bother wasting this movie on them. For fans of more action oriented animated movies with less character development and interplay, i direct you back to Ultimate Avengers.

Get this movie if you're in the mood for something deeper than the usual "hero Vs villain" stories.

score 8/10

xamtaro 12 July 2009

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2094494/