Iron Chic

The suit looked good, the cast looked great, the director looked solid... and yet I still kept expectations fairly low for Iron Man. In addition to this hero being a bit B-list, comic book movies in general are tougher to pull off than they seem. You've got to manage fanboy desires while making mainstream entertainment, tell a complete tale while setting up a sequel and deliver spectacular special effects without creating a CGI cartoon. So how does Iron Man hold up?

Why, with his proprietary repulsor ray technology, of course! Oh, and the movie? Fan. Effing. Tastic.

Iron Man starts this superhero season with a supersonic bang. It's directed and performed with unabashed joy and a witty sense of style. Robert Downey, Jr. is a perfect Tony Stark – brash and cocky, but absolutely believable. His repartee with Gwyneth Paltrow as is (sorta) better half Pepper Potts is fresh and fun. Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges elevate what could be fairly stock characters into actually interesting roles. And Jon Favreau holds it all together, directing would could have been an 800-pound iron gorilla with a deft hand and comic touch.

Special credit also goes to the writers (a committee of Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway) for creating an adventure that's truly fun and funny without sacrificing story for slapstick comedy. The laughs in the film (and there are many) are genuine – derived from character moments instead of pop culture references. And the plot, while not exactly breaking new ground, is tight and free from overcomplications that often burden comic book flicks.

Is it perfect? No – it errs a bit on the origin story side (I longed for one more act where the stakes get raised even higher), but that's unfortunately expected for a franchise-starter. And it could prolly use one more go-for-broke action sequence, tho what's in there is spectacular. But those are about the only nits I found to pick – overall it's a much-needed shot in the arm for the genre and a great start to the summer. It's not only well worth a watch, I'm anxious for a rewatch. Go. Enjoy.