The tastiest superhero du jour so far...

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2008)

...thanks to a remarkably coherent script from four guys (usually a sign of last-minute rewrites and trouble in River City), some seriously immaculate production and visual design (from outfits like The Orphanage, ILM, and Stan Winston Studio), and most of all a sterling performance from Robert "Weird Science" Downey, Jr. as genius mega-tycoon Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Downey has had quite the roller-coaster career, and "Iron Man" is going to be one of its peaks, no question. He's pitch perfect, occupying the role like nobody's business, and although his transition from smug, self-involved war profiteer to conscience-stricken humanitarian seems little more than a pragmatic result of nearly being done in by his own weaponry, and leaves the audience wondering just how naive this wunderkind is in the first place, Downey plays the absurdity of it all with both good-natured relish and a certain restraint.
Director Jon "Elf" Favreau elicits more than competent performances from the rest of his cast as well. Gwyneth "Proof" Paltrow fills Stark's gal Friday "Pepper" Potts' shoes with grace and a smoldering promise of things yet to come in the inevitable sequel (get your free hint at the end of the credits reel), while Jeff "Starman" Bridges genially gobbles scenery as the bad guy. Terrence "Hustle & Flow" Howard is somewhat wasted as Stark's military insider, and Leslie "Popular" Bibbs has little to do beyond look good as a bimbo journalist with a brain (Brown? Color me bemused!), but Shaun "Crash" Toub is excellent as Stark's savior in Afghanistan, and Clark "We Were Soldiers" Gregg will no doubt enjoy more to do as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under the command of Samuel L. Jackson.
Anyway, as the first genuine blockbuster of the summer, "Iron Man" serves perfectly. Plenty of action, but not tiringly so, a script that mostly treats its characters intelligently and with a sense of humor that never condescends, outstanding production values, and even a score that never overwhelms nor tries to elicit emotional response that isn't otherwise deserved; what more can one ask? I haven't had this much fun since "Spider-Man" or "Batman Begins," and I'll be back in the theater to see this one again, soon, if only to prep for "The Incredible Hulk" (in which Stark/Iron Man will apparently make at least a cameo appearance).
Cynics may object to the de rigueur "sci-fience" that "Iron Man" relies upon to exist, but that doesn't make the film any less entertaining or worthy of seeing on the big screen. Don't miss it!