Can I get that suit at Macy’s?

So I have never been an Iron Man fan. I don’t think I’ve ever even read an Iron Man comic book. I was more of an X-Men fan, and a DC comics geek. I know Iron Man was part of The Avengers, but that’s about all I know. Anyhow, I had been waiting for this film to come out since I saw the trailer for it at Comic-Con. At the panel for Iron Man, Jon Favreau (who directed and had a cameo in the film) talked at length about how he was always a fan of this hero and how he had always wanted to make a movie about him. Favreau’s best directorial decision? To cast Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, Iron Man.

Trying out the gizmos: Robert Downey Jr. plays the charmingly unapologetic Tony Stark.

The thing about Downey is that he is such a charmer. We know he can do comedy, drama and even a music video (see the Elton John video I Want Love), so it’s obvious that the guy is talented. However, there’s just something about Downey–some kind of inner strength and confidence and just a humor about himself that leaps off the screen. Downey’s bout with drug addiction was highly publicized, and undergoing treatment meant having to leave the biz for a while. However, he came back in full force, and starred in the dark comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Val Kilmer, which was absolutely hilarious. He also recently starred in Zodiac and Charlie Bartlett. Although Downey has seemed to pick up sort of similar roles in the past few years (usually swaggering, confident, hard-hitting experts of something [A psychologist in Charlie Bartlett, a top writer/investigative reporter in Zodiac, and now an expert tech engineer in Iron Man]), he has owned every single one of his roles. Honestly, if he wasn’t cast as Iron Man, I don’t think the movie would have been as successful. And the fact that he has a hot bod in the film didn’t hurt either.

Tony Stark is powerful, good-looking and filthy rich. Oh, and he's got the brains to make the awesome suit, too.

Now, although I can say I enjoyed the movie, I wouldn’t call it my favorite of the Marvel series. It was funny, and designed to resonate with much older viewers, but still have the same awe-inspiring effect on young kids. However, I thought some parts were draggy and some roles were weak. Actually, scratch that. All roles were weak. Only Leslie Bibb, who played the annoying Vanity Fair reporter Tony Stark sleeps with and who consistently harangues him, and Downey seem to have very good parts. The rest of the roles seemed like afterthoughts, such as the role of Jim Rhodes, played by Terrence Howard. Howard seemed like he was just there for kicks. There was nothing interesting about his character. Any scene he was in seemed to be engulfed by Downey’s big personality, and he didn’t even get to shoot anything.

Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) attends to Tony Stark's bumps and bruises

And oh, the glorious Gwyneth Paltrow, who reportedly worked out to get a superbly-shaped butt only to not be able to flaunt it in the film. I think that she looked the part of Pepper Potts, but her character was boring and underdeveloped. I feel like she and Downey complemented each other, but there should have been more fire to her Potts (hmm, that sounds like a sexual harassment comment waiting to get sued haha). Paltrow’s performance seemed a bit contrived. However, someone who amazed me? Jeff Bridges. I’ve never really seen him step out of his serious drama roles to play a conniving head honcho who in the comic book is referred to as Iron Monger. Although I had hoped the climactic action sequence between him and Iron Man would’ve been more intense, it just didn’t deliver and didn’t make me want to root for Iron Man or sit on the edge of my seat, biting my fingernails.

Although I thought the villains were kind of lame and there was no real intensity to the action, I thought the special effects were awesome. There were parts in the movie were I was just gaping at the screen. It’s amazing how far we’ve come with technology that watching a movie makes us believe we can don a suit and fly. I thought it was cool that the writers and producers chose to devote a lot of time to demonstrating the evolution of the Iron Man suit. I mean, it is what makes him Iron Man, after all. Avi Arad, who produced other Marvel movies like Spiderman, probably thought it was important to give fanboys their just desserts after waiting so long to have their superhero given screentime. I thought the way the suit turned out was just kickass. Just looking at how the action that suit got involved in makes me want to order it from somewhere just for kicks. It was definitely the major highlight of the entire film.

I actually rose in my seat a couple of times and gaped in awe at the scenes of Iron Man flying around. I loved the hi-tech part of the film and also, the cars! Damn those cars are nice. Tony Stark is ultra suave and filthy rich, so all the luxuries he has (like the super sick pad he has) made you just wanna be Tony Stark, which is pretty much what the movie is going for.

Anyway, overall, a good blockbuster film to see if you’re bored on the weekends and looking to pass some time. I wouldn’t take your younger siblings (unless it’s a boy) to see this movie, though. I took my younger sisters and they were just like, “When is this gonna end?” Perhaps because Iron Man does not have the same mainstream appeal as Spiderman or Superman. Tony Stark’s character is nothing like Peter Parker. In fact, they may just be polar opposites, if not for the whole saving-the-world-from-bad-guys thing. He’s also a much more adult character, whereas Peter Parker is just a geeky kid in school, and thus easily relatable. Iron Man may appeal more to James Bond enthusiasts who like fast cars and witty one-liners, and who would appreciate Downey’s charismatic swagger as Tony Stark.

A juicy tip for those who are planning to go see Iron Man: Stay until after the credits. There’s a sweet treat in store for comic-book fans that I guarantee will absolutely have them flip out.