Remarkable Film. Oscar Level Performances and FX.

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2008)

First off, I have to mention that Robert Downey Jr. was born to play the part of Tony Stark. He portrays the perfect combination of suave and selfishness, energy and ungoverned gluttony, troubled spirit and a soul seeking redemption. It's clear that Downey has brought everything to the part.
Sure, this is science fiction but the believability and realism are off the charts. Tony Stark isn't a mutant or a ninja or nothing silly has happened to him. Stark isn't a cheesy, tights wearing superhero. It's great that he can't jump into a phone booth and be on his cheesy way. He's a flawed man but he's anything but ordinary. From origin through design to testing and then gaining expert usage, every step of the way is believable and incredibly interesting. All of the amazing effects are grounded in realism. I know they built the armor in real life and that worked remarkably well. It wasn't all a CG mishmash. You could tell that they sent up real fighter planes and filmed them. They looked like the aerial cinematography for Top Gun or a well choreographed air show and all of it plays out in a stunning fashion. There was a realism to the bumpiness of the camera and the results of actually shooting at those tremendous heights shined through. Using practical effects and a practical suit of armor paid off big-time. Even if, for some strange reason, you watch the film trying to nitpick, I seriously doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference between a CG shot and a practical shot. The suit of armor develops a personality of its own. It grows from a crude infant in to something awesome. It adjusts flaps during flight (again making it appear to be more then a feasible concept); it communicates and allows us to see Tony's POV. There are so many great details that I truly believe this movie is made for repeat viewing.