"Iron Man" raises the bar for superhero movies

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2008)

"Iron Man" is every bit as good as "Spider-Man (1)". The character is lesser known to the public, but he is a central figure in the Marvel universe. No prior knowledge is necessary to thoroughly enjoy this movie, but it is packed full of references to the source material, a real joy for a lifelong Marvel Comics reader and fan like me. One can just feel Marvel Studios flooring the accelerator on future adaptations ("Thor", Captain America", and "The Avengers" are all listed in IMDb as being in pre-production). Do NOT miss this movie: it is loads of fun, crisply paced, and well-acted. It is not just a great superhero movie, but a great movie, period.