Well Done, If Not a Little Overrated...

Rating: 8/10 (21 September 2008)

First off, I didn't have high expectations for Iron Man, but for what I did have, all of them were surprisingly met. As a whole, it is a well done film, if not a little overrated. The acting is sometimes hammy, the special effects aren't all that impressive, and the pacing isn't exactly going to bode well with younger audience members.
The acting is moderately good. Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges steal the show with their roles, while Robert Downey, Jr. seemed less than impressive -- and, at times, bored as Tony Stark. Terrance Howard, once again, is dull both in performance and as in character.
As far as visual effects go, Iron Man himself is pretty realistic, but as for the explosions and final battle it's not very detailed, nor impressive.
Favreau's direction is pretty good, if not a little mediocre. I thought his inclusion as director seemed too big for him, as his only "great" film I can recall is Elf. A few of the flaws can be put on the screenwriter, primarily. The pacing of the film is pretty bad, even for an origin-story, it takes a long time for Stark to gain a conscience and become Iron Man. The villain is predictable, and the showdown at the ending is neither heroic, or enthralling.
The music by Ramon Djawadi isn't very good, however, there's moments of real soar and sweep that make it worthy of a buy -- an example would be when Stark is making the prototype iron mask while prisoner.
Overall, Iron Man isn't as good as the first two Spider-Man movies, and no where near classic status of the new Batman films, yet it is vastly superior to the majority of other superhero films, and I recommend it to families who have children that can comprehend why it takes so long for Tony Stark to become Iron Man.