Iron Man (2008)

I am Iron Man!

And to think, Marvel thought that Spider-man would be their only critical success and box office hit for a long time. Guess again comic empire! Who knew a story about a corporate sleazeball turned superhero would bring in so much dough?

Director Jon Favreau has probably had the most diverse career among filmmakers who have been in the business for only ten years. Starting with a hardly-known comedy Made, to more child accessible films like Elf and Zathura: A Space Adventure. Out of nowhere, Marvel hires him to direct an adaptation of who (I think) is one of the most interesting superheroes ever created. The result? A great film that's realistic to our time, and most of all, modernizes a comic book character so well, it just works.

Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. (perfect casting, wouldn't you say?), is a multi-billion dollar man who has inherited his father's business, which happens to be selling and distributing explosives to the U.S. government. Stark starts out as a smooth, yet consciencousless person who "believes the best kind of weapon is the kind you only have to fire once." Durring a demostration in Afghanistan of one of his latest weapons, the Jericho, he is attacked and at the expense of many lives, he is taken hostage by an evil warlord named Raza, who gives him an ultimatum of building him a powerful missle, or losing his life. In secret, he builds an impenetrible iron suit which he uses to escape. After losing his assistant in captivity, Yinsen, and destroying all of the arms the insurgents have stolen, he vows to use his genius towards helping others and protecting those who fall victim to his weapons. He then announces his company will never manufacture them again, and will focus his enginuity on a different weapon, which he reluctantly admits is a superhero.

Downey portrays Tony Stark with style, but surpasses the smooth-talking, one-dimensional character by showing his raw humanity through interactions with other characters. When Tony has an epiphany, like the moment he realizes what his weapons have done to innocent people, we see more of his sensative side, a concept of justice. He takes it upon himself to use the suit, and when we witness his idea of "peace in the middle east" it suffices as some of the most energetic action ever captured for a Marvel movie.

Considering the amount of attention this film has been getting for the entire month of May, it took an Indiana Jones movie to knock it down out of the top spot. I'd say, Marvel is rollin' with the big dogs now.

Oh, and stay tuned after the credits for Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Yes, Nick Fury and yes, there are plans to make an Avengers movie.