May 10, 2008
Iron Man
An interpretation of the body suit as an exploded technical diagram on acid. Like Ozzy wails, "Is he alive or dead? Has he thoughts within his head?" Smartly done.
DETAILS
CREDITS
Creative Director: Danny Yount
Executive Producer: Kyle Cooper
Production Company: Prologue Films


These titles are so much fun. The colors against black are very…stark. I particularly like the textual greebles. I also love how the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo shows up with Favreau’s name as a punctuation.
I can watch that sequence a hundred times. I love the distressed look of the film and the shakiness, as if watching an old Department of the Army film from the 1950s.
The end title sequence to this movie was well done. I liked the movie a lot, even though it needed a little more action in it. Some may disagree with my opinion on the lack of action, but I do have a good reason for it. We’ll save that for another discussion. One of my favored actors, “Robert Downey Jr.,” is the protagonist, and does a great job portraying Tony Stark.
The end titles fit the theme of, not only the movie; also the comic book genre. As it plays out it gives the audience a filling that is conducive to the animated theme, even though the movie is live action.
I know the choice for the soundtrack has been used over and over, but in this opening sequence, it is a perfect fit. If I’m not mistaken, this particular track is from Ozzy Osbourne, and it’s a good pick to get the audience in the right mood for what’s to come in the film.
This track, by Ozzy, has been used in so many movies, but just because something sounds good does not mean it should be used in every film.
You are mistaken, Willie. The song Iron Man was recorded in 1970 by Black Sabbath.
I find it a sign of the film’s inability to go to true extremes, and the descent of humanity, that people proclaim the use of the song to be well-chosen or fitting with the imagery. Anyone who has really listened to the song or talked with Geezer Butler about it knows that the Iron Man in the song of the same name and the Iron Man in this film are two very different things. You can, in fact, see this difficulty in the fact that the song itself is cut to pieces and thrown so out of context within itself that it loses everything that has made it an inspiration to musicians everywhere for forty years.
Yes, I was incorrect, I also found out from a friend of mind that Black Sabbath did that song in the 70’s. I agree with your commit. I’m a strong believer that music should fit the theme of the movie. You wouldn’t wear a wife beater to a classy restaurant, so the same ideal should coincide in this regard.
You make an interesting point about the music, Willie. This is a case of (now) mainstream music in a popcorn movie that makes for a perfect pairing. The sequel doesn’t necessarily need to follow suit, so here is where it gets fun; I’d vote for something with muscle but a little more tucked away, more subversive, Suicide’s “Ghost Rider” track without the chorus gets my vote.
Alex
–
Art of the Title