Surprise, surprise.

Rating: 7/10 (16 June 2008)

I scoffed at the idea of this film being made initially. Having not-so-fond memories of 1990's Captain America and 2004 and 1989's The Punisher will make you wary of any Marvel movie but surprise, surprise. Iron Man is actually a decent film, and Marvel's lofty goals of a possible Avengers film look plausible if this good effort is a sign of things to come.
Robert Downey Jr. was a natural pick for the role, and surprisingly Jeff Bridges had a pull-out-the-stops performance for his role as Obadiah Stane. The movie is full-of-wit, humor and character. Comic book characters such as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts seem to be more real on the silver screen than real life persons being portrayed and I think that's where the real cinch is here. Somehow, past the science fiction and action, we can still identify with these characters, albeit in a humorous way if any, that we can enjoy the film. Because once we return to the action the film doesn't hold up well anymore on its own, particularly during the final fight between Stane and Stark. Nevertheless the film ended on the best note yet, for all movies that lead into sequels, and a valuable lesson is learned for myself that you shouldn't judge a movie by its poster or genre all the time.