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Iron Man For wholesome fun and action Marvel has beaten themselves this time. Created in 1963 by Marvel magician Stan Lee, Iron Man became the first superhero whose super powers were of his self creation. Taking all this time to lastly get to the big screen, the movie version focuses on billionaire industrialist and imaginative genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) As a major U.S. weapons contractor, his creation protects America around the world. All his fame and luck come crashing down, though, when his convoy is targeted, and he is taken hostage with life threatening injuries. When he is ordered by his main captor (Faran Tahir) to construct the crucial weapon, he turns the tables and erects an unbelievable armored suit that not just saves his life but helps him to escape the terrorists. Once he is back on U.S. ground, he alters his business plan and continues to purify his invention that offers him with fantastic powers no one has ever thought of. Against the wishes of his ambitious No. 2 with the fun name, Obadiah Stane (a bald Jeff Bridges), Stark sets a new agenda, aided by his trusted assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and military confidante Rhodey (Terrence Howard). This leads him to expose a diabolical plot next to the world and make complete use of his new chrome plated alter-ego.

Acting
Unlike almost all other superhero epic of recent years from Spiderman to Superman to Batman etc. Iron Man has been cast with award-caliber actors well out of their 20s and even, 30s and not essentially known for their box office prowess. It has paid off with acting of a quality hardly ever seen in these types of popcorn pictures. No matter what it took to bring Downey Jr. aboard–just a few years following the one-time problematic actor was uninsurable–is clearly worth it. His acerbic style, control of character and complexity bring more to Tony Stark than could perhaps be predictable. He manages to make guys like Tobey Maguire and Brandon Routh just pale by judgment. And that costume is so cool. This powerful and Ironic role suits Downey Jr’s multitude of talents absolutely. It’s particularly fun catching the subtext as the one-time bad boy delivers loaded lines such as, “Let’s face it, this is not the most horrible thing you’ve caught me doing”. Bridges, another fine veteran actor, is perfectly cast as an oily combatant who oozes corporate greed–a great villain for the post-Enron era in which this cinematic vision of Iron Man exists. Paltrow is plenty of fun and given snappy one liner as the salty Pepper, and the often understated Howard, however another off-beat casting option, brings stature and gravitas to his military man.

Direction
Like his actors, Jon Favreau doesn’t accurately appear like the obvious selection to direct a mega-millions summertime Marvel blockbuster. Still, the man behind the camera on the comedy Elf and kids’ actioner Zathura blends skills he honed on both those family hits to productively merge a savvy group of actors and some genuine comic humor with the entire predictable special effects razzle dazzle you could ever ask for. Smartly emphasizing character over cartoon set-ups, Favreau uses all the movie toys at his disposal wisely, never letting them overcome the business at hand. And you have to “marvel” at the extraordinary victory of the Iron Man suit itself, a perfect creation that works and it does since Downey Jr does not ever seem lost in it. Favreau’s chief battle and flying sequences are luminously executed and thrilling to gaze at, with an army of visual effects and digital artists to thank. Although it’s just early May, Iron Man signals the begin of the warm weather movie going season. They just may have saved the finest for first.

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