I Am Iron Man

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2009)

To be quite honest, while I've long been a comic book fan (particularly of Marvel comics) I wasn't really drawn to the character of Iron Man. Sure, he's a decent enough superhero but, to my mind, he's missing something in comparison to the likes of Spider-Man, Batman & the Hulk. Nevertheless, I think that Jon Favreau & company managed to make a pretty entertaining film, mainly through their astute casting.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist who engineers a powerful iron suit and takes on the persona of Iron Man. Jeff Bridges plays his business partner, a man who wants to secure Stark's technology for use in high-tech weaponry. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Stark's personal assistant while Terrence Howard plays Stark's friend and military liaison.
The story unfolds smoothly and Jon Favreau's direction is capable. The Oscar-nominated special effects are solid, though not particularly awe-inspiring. The film's soundtrack & score are pretty standard. Overall, I feel that the technical aspect is ably handled but unexceptional.
Ultimately, the film is an enjoyable piece of entertainment though it doesn't contain anything particularly remarkable. The acting is fine, the story is compelling but not particularly ambitious & the production values are adequate. I wouldn't count it among my favourite superhero flicks but it's a worthy addition to the genre.
Addendum (June 16, 2012) - Having seen Don Cheadle in Terrence Howard's place in the sequel I'd have to say that he makes a much more suitable Rhodey. In fact, in general, I think that the sequel makes more satisfying use of all of the returning characters. Also, having recently rewatched the first film, I was reminded that I wasn't entirely comfortable with the use of a real-world conflict to drive a significant portion of the plot. It's obviously meant to contemporize the character but to me it seems to trivialize a situation that should be dealt with seriously or not at all.