IRON MAN REVIEW - "I PREFER THE WEAPON YOU ONLY HAVE TO FIRE ONCE"

In the land of overdone, poorly written, visual effects-driven movies, 'Iron Man' was a welcomed relief. Admittedly, I was one of those people who didn't like Robert Downey Jr.'s casting, but I am not too big to admit that I was completely wrong. Downey was perfectly cast as Tony Stark aka Iron Man. His comedic timing and flippant delivery were flawless. The writing, the effects, and the build-up of the mythos were all quite good. This is one of the best comic book adaptions I've seen in a long time. I'm more of a DC fan, than a Marvel fan...so that takes a lot to say.

Plot: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the owner and CEO of Stark Industries, a major military contracting company he inherited from his father. Stark himself is a charming playboy, who likes fast cars and even faster women. He's also a genius with a lot of hubris. He doesn't really care where his weapons go or what damage they do, as long as he makes money.

Tony's mentor, Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges handles the day to day operations of the company, while Tony travels to war-torn Afghanistan to demonstrate a weapon. That's where our story begins. Tony's envoy is ambushed by terrorists, who in turn take him hostage for three months. Thus begins the fascinating story of Tony Stark and the creation of the suit of armor that would eventually become Iron Man, only instead of a Vietnam cave, it's Afghanistan. As Tony builds his creation, he develops enemies in unlikely places. It's fair to say that Tony's experiences soon change his outlook on life. Terrence Howard stars as his confidant and friend and Gweneth Paltrow plays his trusty assistant, Pepper Potts.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS