One of the Best Superhero Origin Stories Ever Put To Film

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2016)

Iron Man is directed by Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a wealthy business man that's somewhat cocky and arrogant. On a business trip to Afghanistan, he is captured by terrorists and forced to build a giant metal suit in order to escape. However, once he's back to safety, he is inspired to do a little more with his smarts than to just build weapons that kill and destroy, so he builds another suit; this one more technologically advanced that the other, subsequently becoming Iron Man.
To start, this film was the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it really started it off with a bang. Iron Man is one of the greatest origin stories of all time, and one of the best superhero movies ever created. The way that Jon Favreau put all of these characters to life is very impressive, and will never be forgotten.
There are very few casting choices through cinematic history that are absolutely perfect, and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is one of them. Tom Cruise was considered for the role of Stark, and if he would've gotten it, Iron Man wouldn't be the same. Robert Downey Jr. brings Tony Stark to life in a way that didn't seem possible prior to this film. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts was also a really good casting choice. Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane was also a pretty good choice. The only casting problem I found with the movie is Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Although Terrence Howard is a pretty good actor, he just doesn't fit this role. Luckily, Marvel also realized this and cast Don Cheadle as Rhodey once the second film rolled around.
The directing is also very good, showing very odd yet clean looking camera angles, especially during action. All of the action scenes are directed very well, without too many cuts and many clean, long takes. The cinematography also shows itself off very well. Each wide shot, especially of Afghanistan, captures the scene very well, and advances the film.
The special effects are also very good, showing off almost no obvious CG. All of the fights between Iron Man and tanks, or Iron Man and Iron Monger are great. Some of the shots, however, during a fight between Iron Man and a couple of jets, look a bit obvious in the CGI area. This doesn't hold the film back too much, but it keeps it from being perfect.
Overall, Iron Man is most likely one of the best superhero stories put to film, thanks to its great cast, directing, and special effects. I'm going to give Iron Man an A-, or a 9 out of 10.