Acting, writing and armour makes Iron Man fly at the top of the genre

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2009)

This is the first actual movie made by Marvel comics's own studio instead of having their characters "leased" to another movie studio. They hit this one out of the park. The script is smart but what made Iron Man such a critical and financial success beyond the special effects is Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. I just cannot imagine someone who could be more suave, funny and perfect as a genius playboy millionaire tech geek (yes, he beats whatsisname as Bruce Wayne handily). It's like having an Oscar-calibre actor in a popcorn superhero movie. We actually have three with Gwynneth Paltrow and the underrated Jeff Bridges. Tony Stark seems excited about creating and trying his Iron Man armour and it transmits to the audience. I remember thinking when I first saw Iron Man that despite Stark's genius, he could also be a jerk and irresponsible hothead but it's to Robert Downey's Jr and the writer's credits that you like Stark anyway.
There's a genuine sense of fun permeating the whole film yet it's not without its serious dramatic moments. Everything would crumble if the superhero armour wasn't up to snuff but the different versions look amazing and believable, with lots of little incidental animation making it more dynamic. Sometimes you might think it's computer generated (and honestly it probably is most of the time) but it's easy to suspend your disbelief especially with the constant but cool close-up shots of Tony Stark inside the helmet with those constantly updating computer readings. That clever trick permits us to see the emotions that are not outwardly visible from the outside. Iron Man doesn't reinvent the superhero movie genre like Watchmen does but it does everything right while adding a few bits of originality such as the initially egotistical selfish almost villainous protagonist who changes as well as the guy becoming super-powered not through accident or mutation but by designing the coolest armours ever seen on screen. Let's not forget that clever never seen before ending who put a big smile on my face and probably most people who watched it in theatres the first time.
Rating: 8 out of 10