"I am Iron Man"

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2014)

The world needs more comic book movies like these; but if we must have one more, "Iron Man" is a blueprint for said films. Not only is it a good comic book movie (smart and stupid, stirring and silly, intimate and spectacular), it's winning enough to engage even those who've never cared much for comic books or the movies they spawn.
Tony Stark (played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr.) not only makes the character memorable, but also makes it special. Downey's performance is intriguing, and unexpected. He doesn't behave like most superheroes: he lacks the psychic weight and gravitas. Tony Stark is created from the persona Downey has fashioned through many movies: irreverent, quirky, self-deprecating, wise- cracking. So comfortable is Downey with Tony Stark's dialogue, so familiar does it sound coming from him, that the screenplay seems almost to have been dictated by Downey's persona.
But a great hero can only be good as it's villain, and Jeff Bridges gives us a great and memorable performance. It would be so easy to make him a stereotypical villain; but instead, the character of Obadiah Stane plays both the voice of reason for Tony and also the cunning villain that does deals under the table. Instead of being the villain that is so obvious to the audience, he adds charm and personality to the character to make him unique and charismatic.
But what also makes the movie work is Stark's relationship with everyone in the cast: not just Obadiah Stane, but also Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). She plays his caretaker/butler, but there is this connection to these two. It would've been easier to make them love interests from the beginning, but they play with that cliché. Also, I like his relationship with Rhodes (Terrence Howard). They bicker a lot, but they also help each other out in a playful way. It's very genuine these relationships that Stark has with these characters, and they don't feel forced. They feel like it adds character to who he is outside of being a snarky tech-wise genius.
Everything that Jon Favreu has made a fantastic comic book movie that is not only pleasing to comic book readers, but also people who are not fans of comic books. At the end of the day, it's Robert Downey Jr. lifts up, and brings this character to life through character interaction and through legit drama that makes him go through a legitimate story arc. By building on that, Favreau found his movie, and it's a good one.