The first Marvel masterpiece?

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 2008)

Now don't get me wrong, I am a fan of many of the other Marvel comic-to-movie series thus far. I really like the X-Men movies and the Spiderman series comes in at a close second. That is not to say that Marvel's movie career has been spotless (Hulk anyone). But, for the most part, the comics have translated into solid movies that do a decent job at living up to their comic book legacy.
However, I feel that Iron Man is far beyond any other comic book movies to have been released thus far. It combines a compelling story with great action and stunning CG visuals. Also, I felt that the casting (Downey Jr. especially) was very well done. Everyone seemed to fit their role quite well. One thing that did surprise me (plesently) was the amount of humor that was incorporated in this film without making it too cheesy. I have often felt that the constant one liners have brought the level of the Spiderman movies, and ESPECIALLY the Fantastic Four movies down below their potential. However, the comedy here fits, quite well I might add. There are certainly a fair number of one-liners, most of which are delivered by Tony Stark (obviously), but, for the most part, they don't seem to bring the film down at all. There's no denying that the Fantastic Four movies felt hammy, even childish at times, simply because it was like one big joke.
That being said, this is a superb film, and I really cant praise it enough. As always with the Marvel movies stay after the credits, I'm not giving away any spoilers, but I will say that fans of the series will be pleasantly surprised.
Wonderful film 10/10.