Iron Man, Iron Man, Does Whatever Iron Man Does

I went to see Iron Man (imdb) last night with some friends from LCVG. I had been impressed by the trailer and excited by the positive buzz generated by the film. Superhero films that last few years have ranged from the excellent (Batman Begins) to the awful (The Punisher). Thankfully, Iron Man falls in the "excellent" end of the spectrum.

I won't spoil the plot but, let's face it, superhero origin films, like their origin stories, are basically all the same: tragedy befalls the hero, he blames himself, he discovers or creates his powers, he decides to fight the powers that wronged him, he fights them and, in so doing, he finds purpose in his life. That, in a nutshell, generally describes every superhero film. The difference between a good film and a bad one is going to come in the details and in the execution. Iron Man handles both very well.

Robert Downey, Jr., is brilliant in the lead as Tony Stark. He has the charisma to pull off Stark's powerful playboy persona and the quick tongue to put a voice to Stark's dry wit. As with most superhero movies, the hero must be compelling for the film to work. Downey, Jr. provides that focus and centers the film. The rest of the cast, including Gwenyth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges, are good as well, but Downey, Jr. is the movie.

It is a testament to the acting and direction (courtesy of Jon Favreau) that the film works so well despite a villain that is less than compelling (the reveal being brutally obvious) and a final showdown that fails to be very exciting or memorable.

Luckily, it isn't those shortcomings that I remembered coming out of the theater, it was Downey, Jr., his quips, as powerful as his suit's repulsor beams, embodying perfectly the being of Tony Stark. You can't have an Iron Man without the man in it. And the man delivered.