The Invincible Iron Man comes on the big screen in a spectacular manner in this well paced action packed technothriller, giving us one of the most fun comic book movies to smash across the silver screen in a while. Iron Man is the alter ego of genius billionaire inventor Tony Stark, played note perfect by Robert Downey Jr. Stark is a young Howard Hughes for the Maxim Magazine readers. When not creating new high tech weapons, or playing with amazing automobiles, he is enjoying a dissolute lifestyle of hard drinking and hard partying with fast cars and fast women.
The problem begins in Afghanistan, where Stark is demonstrating a new weapon system. After the demo, he gets captured during an ambush on his Humvee convoy by enemy guerillas. With shrapnel dangerously near his heart and an ultimatum to build a missile for his enemies, Tony and his assistant fellow captive engineer Yinsen (Shaun Toub), he makes first a tiny power source and then the suit of armor that will be the prototype for our old friend Shellhead.
Butt kicking commences and continues when he returns to the States. Having seen his weapons in the wrong hands, Stark resolves to undo the damage. And after a cheeseburger and a disastrous press conference, he builds a new power suit and not the sort by Armani.
This smile inducing tale has in jokes aplenty for all you Marvel Zombies, including a post credits scene with Samuel L. Jackson and the inevitable Stan Lee cameo. The action sequences and special effects are very well executed. The jokes and quips are delivered crisply and, especially amazing for a summertime action movie, a few surprises are thrown into the formula.
While slightly miscast, Terrence Howard, Gweneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges turn in solid performances, as does an uncredited Paul Bethany as the voice of an AI. Still the show belongs to Downey and he makes the most of it. As should you. This movie is definitely recommended.
