Iron Man

So Anna and I went to see the Iron Man movie (sitting at astonishing 94% on Rotten Tomatoes) at the Loews on Boston Common Friday night... place was packed, of course... we got there probably 20 minutes early and still had to sit in the front section, though that has to be expected on opening weekend in Boston.

Anyway, it really is great summer blockbuster type fun. Robert Downey Jr. is a fantastic Tony Stark and the dialog is snappy and crisp. Great action coupled with some funny moments and plenty of easter eggs for comic book fans (be sure to stay to the end of the credits!).

I've never really been much of an Iron Man fan... always pretty much solid X-men with a little Batman thrown in since he's such a psychopath. Tony Stark is pretty interesting with all of his flaws, but gadget oriented superheroes just aren't my thing(which is a little odd since I'm an engineer, but there it is)... however this movie has definitely given me a newfound respect for Iron Man the hero and solidified my interest in Tony Stark the character.

I have to say this was the best executed super hero movie I've ever seen, and could only wish the X-men had been so excellently cast and competently executed. Even Batman Begins, which was excellent, had flaws (the fight scenes, for example, were badly shot IMHO)... none of which is in evidence in Iron Man. It's really pitch perfect as far as the superhero movie goes; the best of the bunch.

Now, how does it compare to "regular movies"? I'm not sure I'm qualified to judge, since I can't really separate the comic book origins out... but I think it's certainly going to stand up as one of the better popcorn flick action movies of the last ten years or more, and it even has a little social commentary thrown in there for free. I do know that Anna really enjoyed it, and she is not exactly a superhero fanatic, so that's something.

So, two thumbs up. Go see it right now.

(image used under a Creative Commons license by flickr user Speaking Jargon)