Solid Iron with a Bit of Rust

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 2016)

In 2008 the Marvel Cinematic Universe exploded on the scene and, along with Batman Begins, resurrected the genre, as well as Robert Downey, Jr.'s career. In fact, RDJ is the absolute perfect person to play a wealthy, drunken, playboy, cavalier, and talented celebrity who sobers up both literally and takes responsibility for his actions in a complex world because, well, that's kind of what his real life was like.
Jeff Bridges, per the usual, does an excellent job at not phoning in his performance and once again shows his range as an actor as he did in movies like Seabiscuit, The Big Lebowski, and (especially) True Grit. It's hard to compare any of these previous roles to this current role as Tony Stark's (Downey) business partner Obadiah Stane. Public gaffes and reputation aside, Gwyneth Paltrow demonstrates quite a bit of chemistry as Pepper Potts, Stark's do-it-all assistant.
Iron Man does an excellent job of developing Tony Stark's conscience as the facade of his desire to protect the nation collapses around him and transforms him into the Iron Man who can't seem to trust anyone but Pepper and military liaison "Rhodey" (Terrence Howard).
The film does come off as a bit rusty, in that the villain wants no more than money and power, which sounds generic, but based on what I know fits in with the source material. Anyway, without giving much away, the villain does a great job acting and adapting with the plot developments, and in the end this bit of rust gives the movie character, just as rust does to any well-aged structure. And nearly a decade after release, Iron Man sure has aged well, possibly better than any film in the MCU, and therefore is a classic superhero movie that does just enough to earn 4 out of 4 stars.