Downey flies high!

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2008)

When I first heard that there was going to be an Iron Man movie, I was skeptical. Some of the recent origin story comic book movies have been mediocre at best. The Fantastic Four and Hulk are the first two that come to mind. Batman Begins, Spider-Man and Superman were a few of those rare treats where it was done well. Iron Man is one that is difficult to do because of all of the technology involved, not only in the Iron Man suit himself, but because of the fact that the story deals with state of the art technology developed by billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.).
Director Jon Favreau hit this one out of the ballpark, making Iron Man an overnight sensation to those who were not familiar with him in the first place. This film is also the first movie to be released under the new Marvel Studios banner. Before, Marvel worked in concert with studios like Warner Bros. and Paramount to produce their properties, but this is the first to be solely made by Marvel, and then distributed by a major film studio, in Iron Man's case, Paramount Pictures.
This is one of the first superhero comic book movies that I can think of where a well-known actor who is playing the title role, actually does a good job. Does anyone remember Daredevil, or dare I mention again, Hulk.
Besides Downey playing the title character, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, and Gwyneth Paltrow round out the cast. Paltrow actually gives a decent performance as Stark's secretary Pepper Potts, and isn't too annoying like both Katie Holmes was in Batman Begins, and Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns. Howard plays Stark's best friend Jim Rhodes, a military officer who eventually finds out about Stark's 'new toy' and covers for him when his own fighters accidentally engage him, thinking he's an enemy bogey. Just from some of the events in the film, it appears evident that Howard might be back for the sequel, possibly dawning the second suit to become War Machine.
Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane, Stark's mentor and partner in Stark Industries. Not only was he a friend of his father, but he helped Stark build his empire by selling weapons to the U.S. military. Of course Stark doesn't know that someone has been selling his weapons to third world nations as well, to use against the U.S. military. It is partially because of this that Stark starts to build the Iron Man suit and help get his company's weapons back in the hands of the U.S.
The battle between the large Mark I and the Mark III (red and yellow suit) is pretty good. It doesn't get dragged out too long and it keeps you entertained. The film has lots of elements of humor, all used in appropriate places. Most of them revolve around Stark's sarcastic attitude to his friends and his inventions (he talks to his machines in his lab).
There are plenty of shock and awe fanboy moments as we see the armor for the first time on Mark I, and then the machine that puts the Mark III suit on Stark in his lab. It is probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Plus, be on the lookout for several agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. The ending is fantastic, with Stark saying probably the most anticipated line in the whole film, easily setting the stage for the eventual sequel.