A very good superhero movie.

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2008)

When billionaire weapons maker Tony Stark is captured by terrorists in Afghanistan, he builds a suit of iron to allow him to escape. When he discovers that the weapons his company make are being used against innocent civilians and American troops, he re-designs his suit to fight back.....
I don't know that much about Iron Man and Tony Stark. I never read the comics on which the character is based. So going into this I had no expectations what I was about to see. And I'm glad as this is one of the best superhero movies so far.
Robert Downey Jr, as Stark is clearly having a blast in the role. Stark comes over as a fun guy, more interested in designing the weapons than ever really thinking about them being used, but when his eyes are opened up after his capture, you do see the change in the character.
The rest of the cast are also pretty good, with special mention to Jeff Bridges, Terence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow. In a way the casting here is similar to the approach taken by Batman Begins, in that they have gone for good actors as opposed to big name stars.
In fact, the plot of this movie is structured in a similar way to Batman Begins. Both movies don't show the hero in his 'proper' costume until nearly an hour into the movies, and both start with a smaller threat before engaging the main villain in the movie.
The visuals and CGI by Industrial Light and Magic are superb. The only criticism I have about them, and it's a minor flaw only, is that the final confrontation between Iron Man and his opponent is very similar to Transformers. This is understandable giving it is two men fighting in metal suits, and as I said, only a minor flaw.
Jon Favreau is a curious choice of director. Not known for making big budget action movies, he acquits himself well. As I said, it the casting helps, and he draws excellent performances from them, and the action is also impressive.
While this movie is not quite up to the brilliance of Batman Begins (in my opinion the superhero movie against all others are judged), it is an impressive origin story of a hero, and you do hope that any sequels are just as good.
Oh, and if you do go see this, stay until after the credits.... there's a nice little scene for fans!