Iron Man has been a longtime favorite comic book of mine, I even have the dreaded first hardcover issue of "Ultimate Iron Man"(cringe, cringe in terror!), so i've been waiting excitedly for this film since they announced it's production. I had very high hopes(and yet a good amount of doubt) for this film, and it hits on all notes.
I won't go through plot details because if you're going to see this movie you should already know the basic plot behind Iron Man, if you don't know then you're just a fake who wants to seem cool by watching comic book movies.
First thing is first, the acting. Some of the finest acting i've seen in a long time. I lost a bit of hope in acting as far as comic book movies go after seeing Spiderman 3, he did do an emo dance after all. But this movie has top notch acting. Robert Downey Jr. makes an incredible Tony Stark with his ability to project sarcastic comments, deep feelings, bitter hatred, and even wonderous bits of comedic gold(flight testing being the best example). Terrence Howard makes a great Rhodey, and plays the semi-sidekick(later to be actual sidekick) role wonderfully. He comes across as being Tony's friend, but also a failed attempt to be the voice of reason. In steps Pepper Potts as the voice of reason. Gwyneth Paltrow steps up to the role of Tony's hard edged red-headed assistant, and does an amazing job playing opposite Downey Jr. And, i'll be frank, she looks smoking as a red-head, I didn't even think she had it in her anymore. Guess I was wrong.
The special effects are amazing, and work in a not too over-the-top comic book sort of style without seeming too fake. The sequence of Tony getting the Mark III armor put on is a true feat of CGI genius. Someone in some magazine said it seemed too much like Transformers at the end, but I fail to see how that's a bad thing since that movie is amazing as well. The scene with Tony flying with the F-22 Raptors is great to look at, and funny to boot.
The music is also great, and the soundtrack is a must have for fans of rock music. Utilizing very few acoustic strings(Violin, Cello ect.) and relying more on electric guitars and bass with a really hard rock drumming gives this film it's mood. Seriosuly, Iron Man is a metal movie and it needed a metal soundtrack. Best of all, there's no trendy crap-rock like found on the soundtracks of Transformers and Spider Man. The last two tracks on the CD are passes, but hey that's oly 2 out of like 18 or something.
In the end this is a spectacular summer movie, and I can't wait for it to hit blu-ray(i'm already drooling just thinking about that). If this was any indication of what this summer has to offer then it's a safe bet that we're going to have on hell of a summer. A must see.