A solid start

Rating: 7/10 (9 March 2015)

These days the so-called "Marvel Cinematic Universe" (or MCU for short) is an intricately planned and tightly controlled juggernaut, but back in 2008 it was just an idea. Kicking things off with Iron Man, a heretofore B-list comic book character who had arguably the least name recognition of the main Avengers, was a risky but ultimately shrewd move. But perhaps not as risky, nor as shrewd, as casting Robert Downey Jr. and hiring Jon Favreau to direct.
Downey *is* Tony Stark, lifting the movie to another level with his considerable charm. The rest of the cast round out nicely, with the normally shrewish Paltrow at her most likable, Terrance Howard working well against type as the straight-laced Rhodey, and Jeff Bridges looming large over things as the unsurprisingly sinister Obadiah Stane.
If it takes a bit too long for Stark to get inside the suit, and if the finale isn't quite as epic as it could've been, I think we can forgive it. There wasn't a template for 'Iron Man'. 'Iron Man' *was* the template.