Marvel goes nuclear!

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2012)

The first Marvel Studio film entirely produced in-house had a lot riding on its shoulders. The possibility of creating a new franchise beyond the co-production of the X-Men films, the Blade films as well as introducing another 'layer' of superheroes beyond the big three (Batman, Spiderman, Superman).
Initially, when news reached me of the original story being updated and set in contemporary times instead of the Vietnam setting of the comics, I assumed this was the first of many rusty nails that would make Iron Man a failure.
Luckily I was proved extremely wrong. The film instantly grips your short and curlies (as they are fondly known) and doesn't let go until end credits. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man was a masterstroke of casting, he brings the perfect amount of arrogance and unpleasantness balanced with the change in attitude and character that being Iron Man brings. Opposite Downey Jr. is the frankly stunning Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, a fantastic character with enough depth and drive to make him more than Downey Jr's equal. Much like Loki in Thor and Avengers Assemble, Marvel knows that the secret success to any good superhero film is the villain and they have the material to select the very best and bring them into a real world setting successfully.
I say real world rather than comic because director Jon Favreau goes to extraordinary lengths to give the film a realistic setting, even the idea of creating an Iron Man comes naturally to Tony Stark given the situation he finds himself in and the actual building and refinement of the Iron Man suit is built on a bed of science and extremely realistic. It is a joy to watch Tony Stark build his suit and even peripheral machines and AI are given playful and entertaining personality with very little effort.
This film had a lot resting on its shoulders and it more than succeeded, spawning a direct sequel in 2010 and a third being filmed soon for release next year as well as the runaway success of Avengers Assemble.
Marvel hit the jackpot.