Movie Review: Iron Man - Plus a word on the Incredible Hulk and Ant Man films

I caught the Iron Man movie with a few friends last night after work. While Iron Man isn't exactly my favorite comicbook character of all time, this film proved to be one of the best Marvel based movies produced thus far! I don't even recall ever reading or owning an Iron Man comicbook growing up, and when I first heard they were making this film, I honestly cared less. However, with all the favorable reviews, I jumped on the band wagon and became eager to see it. In the end, I wasn't disappointed, and I was glad to have seen Iron Man on the big screen.

From the Actors, to the Director, to the Ultimate Iron Man based origin story, Paramount Pictures hit the nail on the head. Robert Downie Jr. was an excellent choice to play Tony Stark. You can't really go wrong when you have an alcoholic playing the role of an actual alcoholic. Gwyneth Paltrow didn't disappoint with her role as Pepper Potts. This was by far the best she's looked on a movie screen in a long time. Jeff Bridges was a pleasant surprise in the role of Obadiah Shane, Tony Stark's business consultant, and eventually as the Iron Man villan.

Although, it's director Jon Favreau who deserves the true credit for Iron Man being a box office success. He truly made this film with the Comic Book fan in mind. From the use of music, to the cleverly placed, yet not overdone, comicbook reference, his effort was truly worthy of praise. In fact, I left the theater hoping that Jon Favreau would get the opportunity to direct more superhero films in the future. After seeing Iron Man, think back to Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Elektra and think how much better a film it would have been if Favreau had directed them. I truly hope they keep Jon Favreau on tap as the sequels director. Hopefully comic fans will be treated to Iron Man fighting a Giant Dragon named Fin Fang Foom (they were surely smoking something when they named him) in his next adventure.

I invite all the fanboys out there to see this film while it's still in theaters. The special effects alone make it a great watch on the big screen. I promise that even the die hard fans won't be let down by this film. You'll regret not seeing it!

Stars: 4 out of 5

As far as the future of Superhero films go, they actually actually packaged the Incredible Hulk trailer with the Iron Man movie. I can honestly say that I'm not very impressed with what I saw in the trailer. First off, I view Edward Norton and Liv Tyler as a step down from Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly. While I do enjoy Edward Norton's acting, he's been out of the spotlight for quite a bit. The Incredible Hulk is still a CGI model, albeit a better looking one. It does still feel like you're watching Shrek kick ass. I do like the fact they're keeping the movie true to the TV show. Bruce Banner's a nomad in this film, and they even played the TV theme at the end of the trailer.

While I don't have much hope for the new Hulk film, I'm really intrigued by the upcoming Ant Man film which will be directed by Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright. While I don't know how a superhero the size of an Ant is going to come across on a movie screen, Edgar Wright's long list of directing accolades should make most people curious to see this film. Ant Man is slated for a 2010 release. While Dr. Hank Pym isn't exactly a British person, we'll have to wait and see if Shaun of the Dead's Simon Pegg gets casted in film's lead.