Analysis of "Iron Man" trailer
The trailer starts with some shots we've seen before, of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) demonstrating his latest war weaponry in Iraq. The audio track of AC/DC's "Back in Black" might seem a bit random, but the riff certainly gets things off on the right foot. We get a bit more of the well-traveled sequence, in which Stark cracks some jokes with his military escorts. We can notice the tinkling ice cubes in that glass he's swigging from, and we some media intertextuality as if he were Dudley Moore in an "Arthur" movie — it's Favreau foreshadowing the alcoholism that will haunt Stark in the sequel. Is it better to be feared, or respected?" Downey asks. "I say, is it too much to ask for both?" This trailer shows us the full-on demonstration of Stark Industries' super-missiles, leading to a drool-worthy shot of the weaponry exploding behind Downey as he raises his hands like a god. He then raises a toast "to peace," Giving some good Insight Into his further character as a quite sarcastic and cocky man. Stark begins his downfall with a series of explosions, gunplay and a quick glimpse at the half-burned scalp of the mastermind behind his capture tying in with Todorovs
theory of equilibrium.” Tony Stark," we hear a man's voice saying through a thick accent. "Now you work for me." Tied to a chair and surrounded by gun-toting henchmen, the image is provocative and germane to the classic origin story, much like Bryan Singer's "X-Men" depiction of young Magneto at Auschwitz. An additional shot of Stark's captor who is portrayed as what could be perceived as either a cool character or generic terrorist. The escape begins. We see Stark at work, banging away on iron. This evokes a sense of dramatic irony. As the doors to Stark's cell threaten to ...
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theory of equilibrium.” Tony Stark," we hear a man's voice saying through a thick accent. "Now you work for me." Tied to a chair and surrounded by gun-toting henchmen, the image is provocative and germane to the classic origin story, much like Bryan Singer's "X-Men" depiction of young Magneto at Auschwitz. An additional shot of Stark's captor who is portrayed as what could be perceived as either a cool character or generic terrorist. The escape begins. We see Stark at work, banging away on iron. This evokes a sense of dramatic irony. As the doors to Stark's cell threaten to blast open, a group of generic terrorists take a fearful step backward and we see a quick, shaded shot of the Mark 1 suit which is what he will be wearing throughout the film. We see Tony arriving home and being greeted by his secretary/ love interest Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). We can also notice Favs himself in a cameo, as the limo driver. A wounded Stark returns to the U.S., being helped off the plane by his best friend and confidante, helicopter pilot Jim Rhodes "Tears for your long-lost boss?" Tony asks Pepper, to which she replies: "Tears of joy. I hate job-hunting." The sexual tension seems promising and hints at a possible plot line. we see assorted shots of Tony's swanky, hillside pad. Through his dress shirt, you can see the glowing electronic chest plate that keeps him alive leaving the viewer with a further slight insight into iron mans character. We see a shot of Starks newly acclaimed five-fingered metal hand and he fires a laser into his labaratory suggesting that Stark is becoming more fond of his powers. We then see more menacing shots of Bridge's Stane, as he meets with Stark's villainous former captor. "A man with a dozen of these," he says of seized designs of Stark's initial suit, "could rule all of Asia." The setup here seems to be a backstory payoff, indicating that Stane, in fact, set up Stark's capture and has been working in conjunction with the Middle Eastern kidnapper from the beginning. Unlike the Joker In Batman, who is interested only in anarchy and chaos, Stane is a more conventional and generic methodical supervillain known for setting up moves well in advance, with each act an incremental step to an overall goal. His goal here Is most likely a total takeover of Stark Industries. We then see Stane supervising the production of a replica suit that he will later wear as Iron Monger. It is our first look at the armor forming around Stark's body. The way in which Stark has dressed himself in the comic has changed dramatically over the years, up to and including a time when Stark actually stored part of the suit in the hollows of his bones. In this and subsequent shots, the approach is much more flowing. Stark takes the suit on a primary test run. "Let's see if this dog can hunt." Stark falls through two ceilings, once onto a piano and once onto a car. Interestingly, this brief sequence shows a fairly large departure for films made from Marvel comics, which have started with heroes already at the height of their powers ("X-Men"), or who learn way too fast and without many pratfalls ("Spider-Man"). Stark falling on his face here strikes us as belonging in "Batman Begins." And we the audience are willing to appreciate It as it challenges our expectations of what should be included in a marvel super hero film. Stark's computer lets him know the new suit is ready. "Sir, the upgrade is complete." "Till ya what, throw a hot-rod In there," Stark responds. Unlike nearly every other super-hero, Iron Man's appearance is constantly in flux as he upgrades and modifies his suit. We then see the complete version of the Mark III. It's a holistic, biometric, highly weaponized, nearly indestructible suit of body armor capable of flight and protected by a high-energy force field. Damn!" Jim Rhodes exclaims. Our thoughts exactly. Stane's iron monger armor assembles around him. It's bigger and bulkier than Stark's Mark III, with Stane's own devious enhancements. We then see Pepper and Stark sharing another intimate moment. "What's going on here?" Pepper asks, walking in on Tony as he assembles his armor. "Let's face it," he responds. "This is not the worst thing you've caught me doing." We've heard a lot of talk about comic book billionaire playboys who supposedly romance the town when they're not saving the world. The mind reels at the possibilities of what Stark is referring to. This leaves it up to the audience to anticipate the overall outcome enticing them to go see the movie. Iron Man and Iron Monger do battle. In the early going, it's Iron Monger who throws Stark against a car, which also lives up to audience expectations as we see the super-hero struggle, at first, with their new found powers. -"There's been speculation that I've been parading around as a superhero," Stark says at a press conference, as shots of him causing havoc are intercut. "I'm just not the hero type ... clearly." Here we see a case of dramatic irony. The trailer's first dubious shot, and it comes at the end. A missile is fired at Stark from a tank. Stark calmly moves out of the way and fires a rocket back. The scene looks heavily CGI-ed, although it's possible that's done intentionally. Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." is playing which further evokes a sense of anticipation and the joy of recognition as it seems so relevant to the film.
