Iron Man parents guide

Iron Man Parent Guide

Overall C

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a brilliant inventor who has used his talents for personal fame and fortune. But a brush with some self-interested terrorists has the man rethinking his priorities. Now, he is using his skills to build a high-tech armored suit so he can be a superhero and save mankind.

Release date May 1, 2008

Violence D+
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C
Substance Use C+

Why is Iron Man rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Iron Man PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.

Run Time: 126 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Profiting from warfare isn’t the sole domain of weapons manufacturers. Even movie studios appear to be cashing in on the current worldwide conflicts. Set in a desert location in the Middle East, Iron Man belabors the hostilities and violence happening in that region before getting on with the story of the Marvel Comic hero. Sadly, the bloodshed is a sobering means of generating entertainment, even for a superhero film.

However, it is all used as background detail to introduce playboy billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). The young industrialist lives a charmed life as the heir of his father’s arms industry. At 21, he steps in as head of the company following his parents’ death. To his detriment, the new position gives him more access to fast women, easy money and a lavish lifestyle that doesn’t do anything to improve his personality. For the most part, he is arrogant, self-centered and usually drinking.

But his perspective on life changes when he is captured by an Afghanistan rebel group while touting his latest invention to a group of commandos in the war zone. Hiding in the belly of a jeep, the missile manufacturer watches as a motorcade of soldiers is gunned down around him. Awakening from the attack, he finds himself imprisoned, bloody and facing the open barrel end of one of his own guns. Tortured by repeated water dunking, he is forced by his captors (Faran Tahir, Sayed Badreya) to develop land-launched rockets for their employ. Stalling for time, Tony and another hostage (Shaun Toub) dawdle at the project while building a metal suit outfitted with armaments that enables Tony to escape.

Finally back on home soil, Tony shocks stockholders and his partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) by declaring an end to his past business practices. Instead, with the help of his executive assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow) and a lab full of almost sentient software, he plans to perfect his protective body armor and fight the rebels who are killing their own people as well as American soldiers. Unfortunately it’s not only investors who disagree with the corporation’s new direction.

Luckily Tony’s change of heart toward warfare and the emergence of his social conscious makes him a better man. But the film continues to overplay the violence level, pushing the limits of a PG-13 rating, although sex and language concerns are limited. And despite being dressed in the coolest, futuristic suit in town, Tony’s reckless use of alcohol, his propensity to speed in his high-powered cars and his calloused treatment of women still makes Iron Man a dangerous role model for young comic book connoisseurs.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow. Running time: 126 minutes. Theatrical release May 1, 2008. Updated

Iron Man
Rating & Content Info

Why is Iron Man rated PG-13? Iron Man is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.

Tony Stark’s playboy approach to life includes gambling, frequent drinking to the point of intoxication and sexual activity with a variety of women. One brief sexual encounter is shown along with a naked woman wrapped in a bed sheet. However, Tony sees the other side of his business after he is captured and subjected to beatings, water torture, and physical abuse. One man is threatened with a hot coal. Numerous characters are gunned down and killed in exploding vehicles. Villages are torched and the citizens are killed. Scenes of terrorist activity, weapons and military violence are depicted. One man is killed by a ricocheting bullet, another catches fire and a third is repeatedly shot in the chest. High-tech gadgets are used to both keep a man alive and cause temporary paralysis. Vehicles are thrown, bombed and crushed. The script includes infrequent use of profanities and vulgarities. Cigarette and cigar use are shown.

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Iron Man Parents' Guide

Although Tony Stark may have had good intentions when he made the weapons of war, why is he unable to control where they end up? Is it a reality that armies may have to fight their own weapons? What are the moral complications involved in arms dealing?

Why does Tony’s time in captivity change the way he views his company’s work? What responsibility comes with his power?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Iron Man movie is September 30, 2008. Here are some details…

Iron Man leaves his mark on DVD in a single or double disc version. The Single Disc Edition provides the film and over twenty minutes of deleted and extended scenes.

The Ultimate 2-Disc Edition offers the aforementioned extras, plus I Am Iron Man (a documentary about bringing Iron Man to the big screen), The Invincible Iron Man (a six-part feature examining the history of the character), Wired (learn the secrets of the visual effects), The Actor’s Process (drop in on a rehearsal session with the cast and director), the screen test of actor Robert Downey Jr. and still galleries.

Iron Man: Ultimate 2-Disc Edition is also releasing on Blu-ray. In addition to all the bonus materials found on the DVD version, the Blu-ray version includes Hall of Armor (an opportunity to virtually explorer the various armors in the film) and a BD-Live feature where fans can test their Iron Man I.Q.

Related home video titles:

Whoever said the suit makes the man must have been talking about superheroes. Using his wealth to help curb crime in Gotham City, Bruce Wayne has a special suit designed to aid his efforts in Batman Begins. After being bitten by a spider and developing unusual powers, Peter Parker creates a form-fitting suit to conceal his identity in Spider-Man.

This movie is part of a franchise including Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3.

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