Now I’m sure most of you know the basic story of Iron Man but for those that don’t, here’s a small recap. You have Tony Stark, the billionaire genius who owns Stark Industries, one of the biggest weapons manufacturers. During a trip to the Middle East for a demonstration of his latest weapon, Stark’s convoy is attacked and he is captured, being forced to build a missile for this terrorist organization. In order to escape, Stark must build this suit of armor and thus becomes Iron Man. With the help of his assistant, Pepper Potts, and his friend, James Rhodes, Stark is able to go from bringer of death to protector.

I have yet to read the original comic but as far as I’ve heard, the film adaptation does not stray too far from its roots. The story of Tony Stark and his transformation into Iron Man is a great one. He truly is like no other super hero. Normally you have someone who is gifted and uses that gift to help others around them. With Stark, you have someone who is intelligent and uses that for destruction, only to change for the better. You really get a sense of the human side of him. Robert Downey Jr. does an excellent job at portraying him. He is arrogant and persistent, looking down on everything from his richly throne. It is like he and Tony Stark were one in the same person. What made the movie great were the small things. The visuals were stunning, from the futuristic computer technology to the gadgets and suit of armor. It all brought back memories of Transformers with all the gears and mechanics happening at once. There is also the usual cameo appearance from Stan Lee, the creator of Iron Man as well as the hinting of War Machine for films to come (which I’m sure will happen). They even managed to throw in some well placed humor. Together, all these things make one nice super hero package worthy of watching.

While quite amazing, Iron Man, is not perfect. Some of the scenes felt a little drawn out and took some time before you really got into the story. Maybe it was all the hype but I was constantly wondering, “When’s he going to make the suit?” in the beginning. I also would have liked to see more of the armor as well. For the most part, it seemed to show off the flying aspect and I would have loved to see more of the projectiles and other abilities he was able to do. As far as acting goes, Gwyneth Paltrow did an average job as Pepper Potts but she didn’t stand out too much. I could almost see anyone doing her character. There were also some very over the top scenes, ranging from super powered paralysis gadgets to some amazing interactive computers. Coming from a comic book, these can be expected though. These minor flaws didn’t really get in the way of much though, as the story and visuals more than made up for them.

Overall, if you have been waiting to see this, you will not be disappointed. This is definitely going to be a great start to the summer and super hero films alike. The story is great, the acting is superb, and the armor is fantastic. Aside from some rather obvious product placements (was there any car that wasn’t an Audi?) and other minor flaws, everything is done as I had hoped. Go out and see this film, it is worth every penny.

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