Robert Downey Jr.? A superhero? Really? Truth is … this comic book pic is really pretty good.

Yes, I was suspicious with this cast choice, but when Christian Bale took the screen in Batman Begins my narrowed eyes became widened with his rich performance. Downey Jr. makes Iron Man his own – fun, eccentric, cocky, decisive. Yes, the film is well directed, edited, and paced, but it's really Downey Jr. that adds the spark, the flair, the heavy metal. Had the film delivered consistently the quality presented in its first ten minutes …

… it would surely have earned an 'A+' from me. Unfortunately, the quality is interrupted a handful of times, mostly due to holes in the script. "Oh come on, it's based on a comic book …" others might remark, expecting me to forgive a few gross implausibilities in the name of good film fun. To which I would reply, "If you can build a solid suit of iron around a man and not only make him fly, but make me believe it (which I did), then you ought to be able to create a solid script around that superhero and make a film that flies as well."

My only other criticism of the film is that the general story line comes a little too close for comfort to other past pictures, namely "Robocop" and The Iron Giant. But even with these impurities in the iron, I enjoyed "Iron Man" – easily a strong 'B+'. In fact, here's a quote from my girlfriend who defended the picture and even wanted me to give it a full 'A', "I am not a comic book person, but I was pleasantly surprised! This is a very good film. People are going to get their money's worth!"

-- Book Contest --