Iron Man IS the movie to kick off the summer movies!

Rating: 9/10 (5 May 2008)

TO begin with, I am not entirely a fan of comic book movies and I have only seen a handful in my life (X-Men, 300, Sin City and Superman Returns). So when I first saw the trailer I wasn't particularly hyped. However, that was stupid of me because Iron Man is great film that even people who don't regularly read comic books can throughly enjoy.
The story is about a millionaire named Tony Stark. His company, Tony Industries create weapons and he is extremely well off. One day, when he is in the middle east showing off one of his newer weapons, he is attacked and kidnapped by terrorist. After being demanded to create a missile for them, Stark create a crude powersuit and escapes their clutch. When he returns, he began to work on a much more fine tuned suit.
To begin with, all of the acting is superb! Especially Robert Downey Jr. He really brings out the character. None of the character is shallow or overacted. The humor has a good mix of seriousness, humor and action.
Many superhero movies tend to have too long of an introduction. Iron Man's intro is absolute perfect. It gives you enough information to make you excited for the rest of the movie without being too long.
The special effects look stunning. This is one movie you will want to see in theaters for the experience. Everything looks very believable. I even go to a point where I think the special effects look superior to Transformers.
So are there problems? The biggest problem I had with Iron Man is how the final "giant skirmish" was rather underwhelming. It doesn't last very long and the way it ends is kind of lame. The general plot structure also doesn't stray too far away from the superhero movie mold. But that is not really a bad thing.
The ending, although abrupt and unexpected, is very original and satisfying. Overall, Iron Man lives up to the hype that was projected by its fans. A great, fun popcorn movie that sure make you hope that future superhero movies will as good as this one (Lets see what happens with The Incredible Hulk). Don't miss out!