The film that launched a universe.

Rating: 10/10 (15 April 2016)

The good: Strong supporting cast. Paltrow makes a great Pepper Pots. Jeff Bridges is a bit of a scenery chewer, but he did utter the immortal line "He built it in a cave...with a box of scraps!". The smaller roles (Shaun Taub as Yinsen was particularly noteworthy) were also well cast and well acted.
The great: So much of what makes the MCU special was laid out in this film. Phil Coulson, falling in love with a robot named Dummy, the Stan Lee cameo (I know he has been in others before, but it still made this movie), the humor and yet the humanity...everything that makes a Marvel Studios production great is here. The first two acts of this movie are as good as comic book movies get.
The simply outstanding: Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark is Iron Man. The only comparison I can make is Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, but Depp has many other roles that he is identified with. Robert Downey Jr found the role of his life. The nitpicks: The third act loses a bit of focus, the plot twist doesn't make much sense and some mighty powerful tech is introduced and then never seen nor spoken of again.
The final analysis: This is the best comic book ever made. From it, a true Universe was born and a super-star was made. Without it, there would be no Avengers and no Guardians of the Galaxy. It ranks up there with Star Wars and The Godfather (and I pick those two movies in particular) as one of the best movies of all time. It is, without question, my favorite movie in the MCU.