Surprisingly Entertaining Superhero Flick

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2008)

I came into the theater looking for Harold and Kumar tickets, expecting a light and silly comedy, but unfortunately, it was sold out. However, I was in for a surprise as I half-heartedly bought "Iron Man" tickets...
The plot and pacing is quite different from other Superhero flicks. Granted, all Superhero movies have some similarities, but this was often a far-cry from many of the unrealistic, somewhat laughable superhero movies we see today. The villains are not as defined as some of the others, but that may actually a positive in this film. Instead of seeing Spiderman fight the Green Goblin for 150 minutes, you get to enjoy a great plot and very solid character development for the protagonist. But don't worry, you get some great action sequences as well.
The acting overall was solid. Robert Downey Jr. owned his role as Tony Stark, the weapons genius/mogul. He played his part close to flawlessly, and often carried this film. Jeff Bridges also had a noteworthy performance as Obadiah Stone. I must say Gwyneth Paltrow has some rough moments, and this definitely wasn't her best performance, but she didn't bring down the film by any means.
The special effects were very slick, and the visuals were stunning as expected. I must admit, the film does drag on a little at times, and as I mentioned before, the movie does not progress at a break-neck pace like some Superhero flicks. Still, it was very entertaining and I highly recommend seeing it.