Iron Man: The barrage of superhero movies continues, this time with Robert Downey Jr. playing the man underneath the iron. In most circles (minus the hard core) Iron Man is a second or even a third tier superhero (lets just say he would probably be parking cars at Superman’s birthday party). In fact, I really did not know anything more about him other than: Iron suit painted red & gold. The movie is formulated much like all of the other opening acts in superhero franchises. The first half of the movie unveils how the superhero came to be -- then a bad guy emerges with like powers and is defeated just before the credits roll. It comes down to likable characters and an interesting plot. In this case, Iron Man is blessed with both. Downey is absolutely perfect as Tony Stark, an arms dealer who is taken hostage in Afghanistan while on a business trip. He is on top of the world up until this point - being best described as a rich, cocky, womanizer, alcoholic. The story behind the origin of the iron suit and thus the birth of Iron Man is extremely well done and interesting. It is also not very hard to see the correlation between the movie’s message and the current world perception of the United States. After his experience in Afghanistan, Tony Stark realizes what kind of responsibility comes with being a superpower in the world – that weapons should only be used as a last resort. Terrence Howard and a bald Jeff Bridges also turn in a couple of top rate performances. After his film debut, it is safe to say Iron Man will not be parking cars at Superman’s next bash…….he may actually have a seat at the bar!Ry's Rating: B+
If this movie had parents they would be: Lord of War & Batman
With a runtime of 126 minutes
This film is rated PG-13
