Iron Man

Wow.  You know, usually, a comic book movie is, well, a comic book movie.  I purposely waited a whole day after seeing this movie to write the review.  Otherwise, instead of one page of gushing over Iron Man, I would have written four.

I loved it.  I love it.  I can’t wait to see it again.  I loved everything about it.  I especially loved the yummy Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark.  To start the list of everything Marvel got right making this movie, let’s talk about casting.  RDJ was absolutely perfect for this role.  He’s snarky and handsome and charismatic, and the man has acting chops.  His whole life he’s never been accused of a lack of talent, only a lack of self control.  So when Stark goes through a transformation of character, you can see the change in his eyes.  He was amazing.  See?  Gushing.The rest of the cast was fantastic too.  I had my doubts of Gwyneth Paltrow as the simpering Pepper Potts, but she makes you believe that she’s only around doing his bidding because she wants to.  Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane (don’t you love the last name?  Oily stain indeed) was the perfect mix of fatherly attention and corporate greed.  And finally, Terrence Howard, previously hailed by me as fantastic in anything, plays the best bud in a very restrained manner.  He’s the perfect foil to RDJ’s boyishness.

The movie is long, but it never felt like it.  The action sequences were fun to watch, and my normal tendency to zone out until the dialogue starts back up was overthrown by how interesting it all was.  In one scene, Tony takes a phone call on his cell, while trying to outfly two Army planes (I’m a girl, don’t ask me what kind of planes they were).  The script was great, and if this movie is any indication, The Incredible Hulk could be great too.  Definitely go see this in the theater if you can – it will be totally worth every penny you spend, even on the snacks.

Rating:  

Note: If you’re just now discovering the greatness of Robert Downey Jr., take the time to go back and watch the movie that hooked me – 2005′s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Previews I liked:
Sex and the City (duh)
Don’t Mess with the Zohan (I’m so ashamed, but the preview was funny)
The Happening (maybe Shyamalan can pull it off this time?  and Mark Wahlberg?  Yay)
The Incredible Hulk (Ed Norton! I’m there)