Iron Man Armored Adventures is an animated, computer generated animation, telling of a young Tony Starks adventures as he creates the Iron Man armor and deals with both childhood and business issues that come with being a boy genius. It’s no secret that these younger Stark adventures are inspired by the recent movies and look to take advantage of the steam from said movies but is it a cheap knockoff or a truly worthy stand alone, let’s take a look …
The Story – Tony Stark may be a teenager but he’s a genius on par with his father who created Stark Industries. A tragic accident sees Tony’s father killed while he survives. In the blink of an explosion Tony’s life is turned upside down as his father’s company is taken over and he’s relegated to living with best friend Rhodey while assimilating into school. As Tony continues his father’s work he encounters new enemies from the Living Laser to Crimson Dynamo to the Mandarin just to name a few. Tony must develop new armor and trust in his friends in order to recover his father’s company and figure out just who was involved in his demise. It’s not easy being a boy genius.
The Design & Animation – The design mirrors those seen in Marvel comics but puts a younger, more polished spin on things with a computer generated (CG) animation style that is more comic than anime. The characters seem a bit puppetish at times but the action is top notch and fast. The look and feel of characters such as Iron Man, War Machine, S.H.I.E.L.D. and even Nick Fury is enjoyable and seems to draw from the recent Iron Man movies. The use of CG makes for a quicker product that may not seem as polished as some animations but it works very well and gives Iron Man a more technologically advanced feel which it deserves.
Overall, Iron Man Armored Adventures is worthy of standing on its own two legs. Iron Man is a long, good and storied comic with two good movies behind it and a few older animated series. Armored Adventures adds a new spin to the classic story and formula introducing familiar characters with revamped looks and mechanical designs. The changes to the story, pacing and action really adds up to a DVD set that young fans will dig but older comic geeks will also enjoy. This is not your father’s Tony Stark and these new adventures will only enhance fans enjoyment of the movies and comics.
