Realistic portrayal of the comic book version of Iron Man

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 2008)

I've seen basically all of the "modern" superhero genre movies (I'm counting Superman with Christopher Reeve the first in that line) - and obviously Marvel and Stan Lee have raised the bar on matching scripts to original comic series. Since Marvel made Tony Stark comparable with his human foibles to the series, I felt it fit (and enhanced) the movie experience.
Robert Downey Jr., one of my favorite actors, was brilliant in this film - as were Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard. Gwyneth Paltrow was very good but not great as Pepper; she was a little flat, not quite as feisty as the comics portrayed her. Jon Favreau was shockingly great as Happy, and fit the part perfectly - and he's now on my top 10 director list. I also thought that Shaun Toub as Yinsen was dead-on - the fact they altered his nationality to fit the story for present day was a non-issue.
The technical upgrades (robotics, holography, new alloys) compared to the original series were realistic and added to the whole experience.
I cannot wait for S.H.I.E.L.D to be a reality, which it appears Marvel is going for! Most of all - finally, Stan Lee gets the kudos he has always deserved and was blocked from (particularly the money) in the earlier superhero genres movies. Stan Lee is an American icon and deserves everything, including the wealth and respect, he is starting to finally get for building such a rich tapestry for comic aficionados.