Warning: This is a long review..

Based on the Marvel comics superhero, this exciting feature film tells the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and inventor who is kidnapped overseas and forced to build a devastating weapon.. When Tony Stark is forced to create a life support suit to keep him alive after an accident he decides to use the technology in his suit to fight crime..

Rated: [ M ] Moderate action violence

Cinema release: 1st May 2008

Running time: 126 minutes

Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow

Billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark ( Robert Downey Jr.) is on a sales trip to Afghanistan when his convoy is ambushed. In a cruel twist of fate, terrorists use Stark Industries’ weapons against the company’s own founder in order to blackmail Stark into rebuilding the same missile he just tested.. On top of that, Stark is barely alive: an electromagnet keeps shrapnel from piercing his heart.. He can escape only thanks to his own engineering prowess.. Stark builds a metal suit of armor fitted with machine guns, missiles, flame throwers, and rockets.. His narrow escape gives him new meaning - fight against the people who have been abusing his weapons to harm others and rebuild that same powerful weapons suit, this time with more features and much more power.. Unfortunately, his company has other ideas..

Well where to start? While they are a fanboy’s dream come true, comic book adaptations can be a fairly hit - and - miss affair for the ordinary viewer.. Fortunately, Iron Man is pure escapism that is a real treat for cinema goers.. I think this film has this sort of wildly fun flavor that people are really going to enjoy.. It’s joyous in celebrating the character of Iron Man and the world he lives in without bogging itself down too deep in the normal trappings of a comic book origin story..

Lets face it comic book fans have had to endure some pretty tough trips to the theater over the years since comic book films came back into style.. While some have stayed true to the characters others have gone so far off the map you wouldn’t recognize your favorite characters had the title card not said the name.. Even the ones that get it “ close enough ” still have the flaws of a Hollywood film all over them … or worse yet … Nic Cage..

Over the years I’d come to accept that it’s never going to be as true as I’d like it to be, things have to be changed and some things will just get altered because someone got a wild hair up their ass to try and make it their own.. That said I enter any movie based on a book with as open a mind as possible and just try to view it as a stand alone project.. Some days of course it’s easy to do this than others, sometimes you get served up a great piece of work like Batman Begins or Spider - Man … other times you get Elektra and Ghost Rider..

But what about Iron Man? Let’s start with, Iron Man has everything going for it and makes the most of it.. The script is sharp, fitting Robert Downey Jr. like a glove, with a plot that updates the comic book backstory for modern times by setting it in Afghanistan rather than Vietnam.. Jon Favreau’s direction shows that he is clearly a fan of the character, and even manages a cameo as Stark’s driver..

While the comic book origin story has gotten a bit tiresome at the Cineplex it’s a given that we will see many of them still in the years to come.. Especially as the studios dip into characters the general public may not know so well, or never heard of at all.. Jon Favreau has taken the origin picture and really turned it into an art form in this one.. He effortlessly paints a picture of Tony Starks world where you can understand this guy so quickly that you’d just as easily believe he’d build a metal suit and fly around saving the world as you could believe him in a threesome with the Olsen Twins.. He’s not just an anti hero he’s a self absorbed arrogant prick with major flaws and a heart of gold as well … or in Tony’s case a heart of shrapnel..

And who better to play the anti hero / self absorbed arrogant prick with flaws than Robert Downey Jr.? Nobody! You’d have to mix the DNA of several other actors to get what Robert already has in spades.. Back when they started casting this thing I couldn’t think of who could play Tony, mostly I was just praying it wouldn’t be Tom Cruise as rumored in the years prior, oh that and sacrificing goats to appease whatever gods I had to in order to make sure it wouldn’t be Nic Cage.. The only person I had on my fantasy casting list was Sam Rockwell ( Which I still think would have been good, but still Downey was perfect ).. Downey just didn’t occur to me, but once cast it was an obvious choice..

It’s amazing that his name was never even mentioned in most online discussion about “ who should play Iron Man?” And yet when he was announced, everybody agreed that it was perfect casting.. After seeing the movie, I have to concur.. Robert Downey Jr. was beyond the perfect Tony Stark / Iron Man.. He brought so much of that playboy crossed with undying genius to the role that you instantly bought him as Tony Stark if you’re familiar with the comic, and he brought so much raw boyish charm and charisma to the role that you bought into him as a character even if you knew nothing about the comic book or what Tony Stark is supposed to be like.. If this wasn’t a comic book movie, I’d dare say some people would be talking Oscar nomination for him … no, I’m not kidding and I’d happily debate anyone about that point..

The visual effects were masterful! You’ll lose yourself in the effects; there’s no discernible difference between what is real and what is CGI.. Beyond that, Favreau and his visual effects teams have crafted a distinctive, mesmerizing style that really comes out both in fight scenes and in flying scenes.. I really couldn’t get enough of this great, new style! My initial impression: this looked way better than even Transformers.. Where the action leaves off, the story picks up and fills in..

We shouldn’t be surprised by that … after all it’s the same visual effects company who did the stuff on Transformers last summer and is going The Incredible Hulk in a few weeks as well.. The wizards at ILM did such a good job you can never quite tell when you’re looking at a costume and when you’re looking at CGI.. Never once in the movie did a poor effects shot pull me out of the movie ( That’s the ultimate compliment you can give a VFX supervisor )

Go figure … it was a good Story! Some people are going to hate that I say this … but it’s the truth.. There is less “ action ” in Iron man than there was in the first Hulk film.. No really … it’s true.. But here’s the thing … because the story had such a good pace to it and was characters and backstory so well set up … and it was just a good story, the lack of action never becomes an issue.. Don’t get me wrong … there is some great action in this flick … just not as much as you might expect … but the quality of the story and the pace at which it’s told more than compensate for that to the point that it never really becomes an issue..

The film does a wonderful job at never alienating audience members who many not know anything about the Iron Man comic book, and yet at the same time throw in lots of little nods to those who do know it.. That’s a fine line to walk, but they did it well which really added to the charm of the movie and allowed comic fans to feel more engaged with it..

This is not The Dark Knight.. There has been a ( Good ) trend in some comic book movies like Batman Begins to make things “ DARKER..” There’s nothing wrong with that at all, and depending on the characters, that is often a very good thing.. But Iron Man chooses not to go down that path and that was a very wise decision.. It’s a light, fun and exciting film which is exactly how it should have been ( Then again, I’d still be interested in a darker Iron Man film where Tony Stark’s alcoholism is explored )

Jeff Bridge’s interpretation of the two - faced Obadiah Stane is pretty straight, but the real surprise here is Gwyneth Paltrow.. Love her or hate her, she is fantastic as Stark’s faithful assistant Pepper Potts..

Don’t you just hate a love interest who can’t stop being the damsel in distress? ( Yeah I’m looking at you Mary Jane Watson ) Sure they are fun to rescue once in awhile but that stuff gets old quick.. Well Pepper Potts ain’t your average love interest, this girl can handle herself.. She’s smart, witty, loyal, and damn resourceful.. The kind of girl Tony needs in his life as a stark ( Pun intended ) contrast to the skanks that surround him and Paltrow wears the role quite well..

Every super hero on the go needs a best friend right? Even the anti hero / self absorbed arrogant prick with flaws ones too.. Outside of Pepper the only other real person in Tony’s life is Jim Rhodes ( Howard ).. Jim is Tony’s moral compass for the most part, the guy who keeps him grounded … or at least a toe in reality.. There’s not much to him in the movie really but what you get is touching and you can see where they are headed for a much closer knit relationship going into the sequel.. ( Woo hoo bring on War Machine!!)

Naturally every anti hero / self absorbed arrogant prick with flaws needs a villain to with the package deal.. For this we have two elements; the ten rings terrorist group ( Nice ref to the originally planned villain of the Mandarin ) and Obadiah Stane ( Bridges ).. Both sets work as natural enemies to Tony’s new found humanitarian mind set.. Bridges is a scary mofo when he puts his mind to it and when he gets going as Iron Monger you actually have doubts Tony can take him down..

The film could have stood to have a couple of more set pieces with more action.. Yes the story made up for that, and it’s not like the movie was suffering for a SERIOUS lack of action … but I still feel like one or two more sequences could have made it even better without making it feel over stuffed..

The downside of every movie; it has a normal bit of drag in the middle.. That bit of movie where the hero transitions from a self absorbed arrogant prick with flaws to a anti hero / self absorbed arrogant prick with flaws.. The drag here is minimal but totally necessary and honestly more like a small lull than a drag.. It’s all still fun and entertaining while you catch your breath between the action.. There is also about a 15 minute segment of the film about a half hour before the end of the movie that did start to feel like it was dragging a little bit.. It wasn’t serious and never felt boring … but for that brief time it did feel like the film had lost its sense of pace … thankfully it found it again and ended with a BANG! The only other bad thing I can say about Iron Man is that it may have set the bar so high for comic book movies this summer that it may ruin the rest of them..

The problems are all in the second half of the movie, where Iron Man stops being different and settles for being ordinary and at times even silly.. It becomes a well put together, well polished, but very standard, paint by numbers superhero origin story.. There are no surprises, and even while it remains immensely entertaining that’s somewhat disappointing after the first half of the film where we sit down and get to know a man who describes himself as a merchant of death.. I wanted to see how such an obvious villain becomes a hero, and the answer is apparently that someone simply flips a switch in the script..

Yet I don’t want to sound like I’m down on this movie.. I’m just being picky now.. Iron Man is a lot of fun, especially for a superhero origin story, since they so often end up going awry.. While I wasn’t blown away by the final battle between Iron Man and the film’s baddie, there are other great action sequences.. Unlike most superheroes, Iron Man isn’t about stopping petty criminals or stalking city streets.. His mission is global, and his big coming out party happens in a dusty Afghanistan village, saving villagers and farmers … where absolutely no one is looking.. It’s the best action sequence in the entire film, and the place where you’ll want to cheer, even though there’s no over muscled robot for Iron Man to face off against..

Iron Man currently has a 96% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 117 reviews.. The only two 2008 releases which have garnered more critical acclaim have been smaller independent releases ( Taxi to the Dark Side and Blindsight ).. The closest wide Hollywood release is the Judd Apatow - produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall with 85% ( 138 reviews counted ).. And who says that movie critics are stuck up folk who don’t appreciate popcorn flicks?

Not only that, but Iron Man is also currently the best reviewed Superhero movie of all time.. Let’s take a look at the eight best - reviewed superhero movies of all time ( According to Rotten Tomatoes )..

• Iron Man - 96% ( 117 reviews )
• Spider-Man 2 - 93% ( 228 reviews )
• Superman: The Movie - 93% ( 46 reviews )
• Spider-Man - 90% ( 206 reviews )
• X2: X-Men United - 87% ( 214 reviews )
• Batman Begins - 84% ( 246 reviews )
• X-Men - 80% ( 141 reviews )
• Hellboy - 79% ( 182 reviews )

One of the major achievements of this film is the comedy.. Most action / hero movies have jokes worked into the story to lighten the mood a bit in between the action sequences.. You can usually set your watch to exactly how often and when they’ll appear in the script.. Iron Man doesn’t do that at all.. You will be laughing pretty much non-stop through out the entire movie and you’ll hardly realize it.. The laugh lines come quickly and organically, feeling just like they were a part of the conversations you’ve been privy to.. Never does a laugh feel forced or misplaced, it just so happens that Tony Stark is a pretty funny guy..

Now, of course if you’re talking about a big budget, summer blockbuster action movie there’s going to be a ton of special effects, and Iron Man is no exception.. What will really blow your mind is how good they look.. Director John Favereau paid very close attention to the visual effects of the film, combining practical and digital technologies.. His single goal was to use both to create a seamless transition from real people on real sets to full on CGI sequences.. Combined with the fact that the practical effects were done by the great Stan Winston, Industrial Light and Magic did the digital effects, and the film was lensed by Matthew Libatique, the Director of Photography from Everything is Illuminated, Inside Man, and The Fountain, you have one of the best looking movies to date.. There is never a moment in the film where you’ll look up and think “ That looks fake..”

Another place where Iron Man shines is in the depth of the characters.. Tony Stark is played perfectly by Robert Downey Jr.. In fact, one could argue that he has actually improved the character of Tony Stark from the original comics.. From all the Marvel books I did / do read, he shows up fairly regularly.. I always read Tony as a snooty, elitist, New York socialite who’s fairly high on himself.. Now, Stark is still that way in the film, but instead of giving him the air of New York old money, they moved him to Los Angeles and gave him a slicker, snarky, more likable personality..

The supporting cast is just as note perfect.. Not being a fan of Gwyneth Palthrow, I was shocked at how much I truly loved her performance as Pepper Potts.. She’s strong, intelligent, competent, lovable, and the perfect companion character to Stark in the film.. Jeff Bridges shows off his seasoned acting skills as Obadiah Stane, Tony’s surrogate second father and business partner in Stark Industries.. Terrance Howard as Stark’s best friend in the military, Jim “ Rhodie ” Rhodes, seems a bit out of his league in terms of acting prowess, but is something of a palette cleanser through his fun, jokey relationship with the great Mr. Stark..

Of course, no super hero movie would be complete without villains.. Iron Man has no shortage of the bad guys, and the best thing about them is that they’re totally believable.. No longer do we get some random character who gets super powers and decides to take over the world.. We get serious, truthful characters that naturally move in a direction that is the polar opposite to our hero.. You understand their mentality; you see the reasoning they follow to their evil demise..

And what would a comic book movie be without Easter Eggs and hints towards sequels? If you pay close attention, and know your Iron Man mythology, you might catch a small clue as to who the next villain will be.. There’s also a great moment in reference to the possible future appearance of War Machine, Tony Stark owns a Wii, AND there’s an additional scene after the credits roll.. I didn’t get to see it, as it was only added to the film as of the theatrical release date, but I know it’s there and I know what it is, and it’s worth sticking around for..

In terms of quality, Iron Man is difficult to rank against its fellow comic book films.. To be sure, it stands head and shoulders above the bad - The Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider - and the mediocre - Superman Returns - but as much as it doesn’t outright fail on any level, it lacks the endearing characterizations of the first two Spider - man movies, the epic, team - based feel of X - Men and its immediate sequel, or the sheer intensity of Batman Begins.. It follows the same tepid conventions as its peers, right from the training montage up to the return of the former mentor, now evil, and if it makes up for them with a solid cast and seamless special effects - robot duels didn’t look half as good in Transformers, despite all the fuss - it is only because of the incredible talent and effort put into a film project that is at its foundation of narrative and plot quite unremarkable.. But no movie with production values this high, special effects this costly, and actors this capable - it is especially nice to see Jeff Bridges playing a role diametrically opposed to Jeffrey Lebowski - could possibly be tedious or difficult to watch..

While there is an inevitable sequel coming ( Or two ), this film is a cut above the norm.. Forget Superman, Batman and Spider - Man - Iron Man finally delivers a comic book adaptation that stands alone as a great movie, even outside the superhero genre..

Bottom line, this movie is amazing.. It’s great in every aspect.. You will love it, your mom will love it, your girlfriend will love it, your little brother will love it, and you’ll want to see it again pretty much as soon as it’s over.. It’s worth the price of admission twice over, and I can’t wait until it’s out on Bluray.. Make sure Iron Man has a great opening weekend, not only so that we can guarantee a sequel, but so that we can show the film industry that a comic book movie can and SHOULD be well written, deep, challenging, and artistic as well as awesome, action packed, fast paced, and non - stop fun.. Go buy your ticket.. Go.. Now..

At the very least, by questioning ( Even in that hyperbolic yet superficial comic - book way ) the practices of arms manufacturers and the corporate stake in the balance between peace and war, Iron Man achieves a contemporary resonance which demonstrates exactly why Superman no longer feels relevant..

Now as much as I want to be right about this being the number one movie of the summer, it doesn’t seem likely based on what its up against.. I give Iron Man 4.5 out of 5..

Note: Keep your eye out for the best Stan Lee cameo ever!!

Comic book aficionados would be well advised to stick around for an extra scene after the closing credits.. If you left the theater early, you missed it.. When I watched Iron Man, and having read some information about the movie before, I knew there was something extra at the end but you had to wait until the entire Iron Man movie after credits had finished, whereupon you’ll see Tony Stark come home to find someone looking out his living room window.. That man is Samuel L. Jackson, and he’s playing Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Anyway, yes I got to see the scene at the end and it lined us up for an Iron Man 2.0 and I cannot wait to watch the sequel now and all the other Marvel movies, next up the new Incredible Hulk movie, which looks amazing.. Also with this extra scene it opens up the possibility for a new Avengers and Captain America movie..

Discuss: Did you stay for the Iron Man After Credits? And what is your opinion of the movie..