Iron Man... it's FAVREAU-lous!!!

The man in the iron mask... and iron gloves... and iron boots... and iron underwear... and iron...

Comic book flicks are here to stay. Yep, that's one film genre that's definitely earned it's niche in the industry. The past few years have proven that bringing two-dimensional people in tights can be very lucrative to the high and mighty powerbrokers residing on Mount Hollywood. Marvel Entertainment has definitely benchmarked this trend by steadily transitioning their more popular characters from the funny books to the big screen. With the unquestionable financial success of their Spider-Man franchise, Marvel now presents to the moviegoing public.... IRON MAN.

can you tell which one is Moe, Larry and Curly?... nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!!!

Iron Man tells the story most comic book geeks know by heart: Billionaire-Industrialist-Playboy meets with a life-altering accident which brings him to see the light. After being given a second crack at life, said Billionaire-Industrialist-Playboy devotes his time and effort to fighting crime while wearing brightly colored duds. Yep... in another lifetime, that would have been enough for a great movie, but these days a good flick, especially a comic book flick will live or die at the hands of it's director. Thank God for Jon Favreau!

right before he turned to directing films, favreau was a closet serial killer

Jon Favreau is definitely one of the major assets Iron Man has in it's favor. The Fav's love for the genre has enabled the flick to be more than just a hack-movie. He made it FUN. The choice of having Robert Downey Jr. play Tony Stark (our Billionaire-Industrialist-Playboy per se) was inspired right from the beginning. Downey's wit and humor enabled him to flesh-out the title role in a way that is engaging for both moviegoers and comicbook fanboys alike. Kudos to the whole crew for making this flick watchable from start to finish.

"a cool exec with a heart of steel"... hmm... howabout a heart of arc-based energy?

As with most comic book films, getting the first one off the ground would arguably be the hardest (especially if you're gunning for sequels or spinoffs), but Fav's did his homework and brought the story of Iron Man into the 21st century. More importantly, the story was well thought of and paced at just the right speed which gives newbies to Iron Man enough leeway to absorb the what's and why's of the plot. Action-wise, the film makes great use of CGI especially with the flight sequences and good-guy/bad-guy encounters.

"woooo!!!! I can fly!!!".... "but how do I scratch my butt?"

Some supporting characters weren't as developed as they should have been. One good example would be Terrence Howard's portrayal of Jim Rhodes, Stark's best friend and military liaison. I have nothing against the guy, but man!!! This dude's enthusiasm level in the film could have done with a liiiiiittle bit more juice. Jeff "the Dude" Bridges' Obadiah Stone character fared better, especially with that chrome-dome 'do. Gwyneth Paltrow who plays Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant and confidant, had a little bit more screentime which helped define her rapport and relationship with Downey's Stark.

I don't know about Moe and Larry... but I've got your Curly right here!!!

But the defining victory in this movie (at least for me, that is...) is having seen Jon Favreau's dedication to the mediums which he hopes to bridge. DC has it's Nolan.... now Marvel has it's Favreau.