Adequate Cure for Cinematic Anemia

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2008)

The crown prince of America's premier weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (a sober Robert Downey Jr.) grows a conscience after being captured by terrorists in Afghanistan and decides to fight for what's right in an innovative piece of body armor technology that will henceforth be known as "Iron Man" in Jon Favreau's predictable but fun Marvel comic film adaptation.
Wisely abandoning the corny mawkishness of the "Spiderman" films and the recent attempt to revive the "Superman" franchise, "Iron Man" instead offers up some light satire, bright-eyed cynicism, and an attempt at witty banter. The always lovely Gwyneth Paltrow is a delight as Stark's sassy assistant Pepper Potts, and it's nice to see her doing something light and fun for a change. Also part of the off-kilter cast are Terrence Howard as Stark's inexplicable military friend and Jeff Bridges bald and bearded as Stark's mentor (and dun dun dun...enemy?) Downey Jr. apparently ad-libbed much of the dialog, which sometimes falls flat, but for the most part works. It's certainly far more enjoyable than the typical fan-boy in-jokes that plague most comic book movies.
Certainly this is no "Batman Begins" in terms of depth and scope of drama, but with slam-bang special effects and an effortless feel (despite a slow build up to the action), "Iron Man" certainly fits the bill as a better than average comic book/action film. Is it any wonder critics and audiences have embraced it so warmly after suffering through loud obnoxious dreck like "Transformers?" While it has been a bit oversold, "Iron Man" proves that great special effects can be built around a smart story that doesn't have to pander to the lowest common denominator. Until "The Dark Knight" it will have to cure our cinematic anemia.