Iron Man as Political Rorschach

Iron Man hits wide release today, and my extended thoughts are over at the Standard‘s website. But I would like to expand on one of the points I raise in that piece here, about Iron Man‘s politics. As I note, “This is not a ‘conservative’ movie, per se, but it is the film equivalent of a Rorschach test. If you go into Iron Man seeking right-wing imagery, you’ll find it: Tony Stark is a patriot, pro-military, and likes unilateral intervention. If you go into Iron Man looking for left-wing imagery, you’ll find that, too: The true villain here is [Obadiah] Stane, representing an out-of-control military-industrial complex.”

Thus, you get David Denby decrying the fact that American soldiers aren’t portrayed as monsters, as they usually are at the multiplex. Or you get Dana Stevens feeling distaste for Iron Man’s precision killing, asking “How much collateral damage have we inflicted by trusting just such ‘smart’ weapons to make moral decisions for their users?” Or (as Mr. Poulos points out this morning) you get Ann Hornady saying that Iron Man would be great if it wasn’t for, well, Iron Man.

Of course, I’m no exception to the rule. I enjoyed the movie and had this to say about the title character’s psychology:

Iron Man is the American id unleashed. Before his encounter with terrorists, Stark lived a life of hedonism as only a billionaire can, taking his private jet (complete with stripper pole and compliant flight attendants) to Las Vegas, zipping around Malibu in his $120,000 Audi R8, and drinking the finest scotch. After his own personal 9/11 he reacts as most Americans wish they could have reacted on 9/12: By flying to the Middle East and personally stomping out a vicious terrorist cell that had been wreaking havoc on a civilian population.

I suggest you see the movie and judge for yourself. Don’t let critics unduly influence your thinking…we’re not to be trusted most of the time anyway. That goes double for anything that touches even remotely on the war.