Almost perfect genesis superhero movie.

Rating: Null/10 (28 May 2008)

Now this is how superhero blockbuster movies should be. Brilliant from start to finish.
First off the casting is superb. Palthrow as Pepper Potts is perfect, Terrence Howard has great screen presence. But its the leads that are so perfectly cast, Jeff "El Duderino" Bridges sports a bald pate and oozes power here. But the revelation is Robert Downey Jr, the guy is just so magnetic on screen, he has the ability to play any character and this is ideal for the character of Stark, a preening morally ambiguous playboy at the beginning who eyes are opened to the real world he inhabits.
The script is well paced and the dialogue is both relevant, realistic and humorous when needed. The direction (by Jon Favreau) is crisp and balanced.
Every other director and writer who plans to make a comic book to movie crossover needs to sit down and watch this movie. Its by far the best in its genre. The genesis movie in the superhero franchise is probably the hardest one to make. You gotta both think about your fan based audience and move at a pace that he wants with all the little details he wants, but you also gotta think of the mass movie goer who wants to eat his popcorn and not be too bogged down with the early life of the superhero they have come to see break things up and bash bad guys.
A perfectly balanced action/drama that will be loved by the hardcore fan and Johnny Cinemagoer who's never heard of Ironman before today.
Almost perfect.