The light to show us the way.

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2009)

Yes, I know, the title to this review is a quote from Richard Donner's Superman The Movie, but there's a reason for that, and I am going to get to it, so bare with me.
In a summer dominated by the darkness of, well, The Dark Knight, it may be hard to remember than a month of or two before it we were all basking in the universe of another comic book character, a multi millionaire, too, and, what a coincidence, a character who uses his quite considerable wealth to turn himself into a superhero. All similarities end there (don't worry comic book fans, this is not a review of compare and contrast proportions). For as The Dark Knight falls into a darker and darker pit of despair, terrorism metaphors and increasingly dark plot twists and even darker cliffhanger ending, Jon Favreau instead creates a world of blue skies, brightly coloured costumes (well, for the hero anyway), witty dialogue and, above all else, a lovely atmosphere of fun. Iron Man is, pure and simple, unadulterated fun, amazing when you consider that a good half hour of the film takes place in war torn Afghanistan, with the lead character in the hands of characters who are essentially terrorists. Of course, if the film was in other hands, this would lead to many a darker moment, probably using the comic book genre and lead character as a means to explore modern day warfare in the war on terror. Not Favreau. God bless Jon Favreau because what he chooses instead to do is have fun, lots of it.
I have a confession to make. I didn't get to see this film until recently. At the time of writing I only watched the movie on DVD for the first time the night before. Another thing, I loved The Dark Knight. I levelled some mild criticism at its darkness, but loved the movie nevertheless, but here, we get something that is positively giddy, funny and very, very enjoyable. I can't believe I missed it on the big screen, because this is great, and as a sci-fi adventure/comic book adaptation, it's got everything that I love to see in a Hollywood blockbuster of this nature. Imaginative action, funny dialogue, humour whilst retaining an ability to keep the film serious so it can remain engaging and great acting. The latter is particularly impressive. I know it has been said by many elsewhere, but let it be said again, primarily because I want to say it, Robert Downey Jr is fantastic. If played right this should be a comeback of John Travolta/Pulp Fiction proportions. He was always an actor that I liked (please check out Hearts and Souls if you have a chance) and here he brings that cheeky, comedic quality he always has, but filters it through a wonderfully engaging heroic complex. Quite simply he plays Tony Stark in such a way that you want him to be a hero, you want him to make the right choices and by God you want him to save the day. There are no Christian Bale style brooding moments here. Tony Stark is a lot like the movie itself, it's a hell of a lot of fun.
I still haven't mentioned Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges or Terrence Howard, but they all put in good work too, particularly Gwyneth, the will they/won't they chemistry between her and Robert is lovely and played almost in a 1940's screwball comedy way. Did I mention she is gorgeous throughout, not that it's important. She is though.
And the final scene is brilliant. I want another one and I want it now.