The eagerly anticipated Iron Man movie has hit the local movie circuit, and billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, played by Robert Downy Jr, can be seen speeding across the screen in both his Iron Man suit and the World Performance Car of the Year – Audi’s R8.
By Kelly Lodewyks
Audi’s involvement in this movie stems from the manufacturer’s belief that Tony Stark’s character and lifestyle “tie in very well with the attributes of the Audi R8”. Also, based on the success stories of other Marvel Comics-based movies (Spiderman, the Hulk, X-Men), this was “an opportunity (they) were determined not to miss”.
The moviemakers also seem more than happy to have Audi on board for this project. “The Audi R8 is the perfect car for Tony Stark,” says Iron Man’s director Jon Favreau. “It’s a technical masterpiece, it’s fast and safe – and it’s the ultimate eye-catcher.”
Other Audi’s that make an appearance in the movie include the S5 (read a full road test of this vehicle in the June 2008 issue of CAR, on sale19 May), driven by Stark’s assistant, Virginia “Pepper” Pots. During one of the action scenes in the movie, Audi’s Q7 also makes its film début.
The Iron Man movie is based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Iron Man. On an ordinary day Tony Stark is a billionaire technophile who heads up Stark Industries – an influential technology and armaments group. In the movie, Stark is captured in Afghanistan after the launch of his latest invention. The terrorists try to force Stark to build this invention (a weapon of mass destruction) for them, but he instead builds a suit of armour that he uses to escape. And so begins the story of Iron Man…
I have to admit that one of the main reasons I wanted to watch this movie is because I saw the R8 fly across my TV screen during a short trailer for the film. But even if you are not an Audi fan, go watch this movie! It is an awesome display of how to (intelligently) blow 50 million dollars, do clever product placement, and show how an actor of 40-plus can teach us that it’s not only the younger-generation of actors that can pull off being an admired superhero to both the young and young at heart.
