I actually liked this!

Rating: 9/10 (5 August 2009)

I'm often a very cynical, skeptical, pessimistic SOB when it comes to movies, having been horribly disappointed by virtually every comic book movie adaptation to date, so when Iron Man came out, I was prepared for another long camp-fest full of impressive special effects and the sound of Stan Lee stroking himself in the background.
Boy was I wrong! Iron man is at times gritty, and at times beautiful, and it blends together so seamlessly you wouldn't think this was a superhero movie. In fact, it's not a super hero movie, it's a movie about a flawed character who realizes he's been a total dupe, and a complete ass, and is so horrified by the consequences of his own ignorance and arrogance that he sets out to try and change things. This is the sort of story that's at the heart of every Marvel Superhero, really, but it's often told so badly that you never really get the point.
Spider Man and Spider Man 2 got very close to this, and even went so far as to show that most people are complete ingrates when you go around saving their lives, especially in New York, which might be why Tony Stark lives in Malibu.
Robert Downey Junior, a functional alcoholic, falls into the role brilliantly, what with the role being that of a functional alcoholic, and his performance is both charismatic and gripping, making you care about a man you also want to punch out.
Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane, read: The Bad Guy, and he's got smarmy, greedy bastard practically tattooed on his forehead from shot one. But that doesn't detract from the movie, actually, it feels perfectly natural. Plus he gets points for zooming around on a segue at one point, in a segue scene, oh Jon Favreau, you cheeky son of a...
All in all, this is a great movie. It's not Oscar winner material or anything, but I'll watch it any day, over and over, than six minutes of the Phantom Menace.