Jeffrey K. Lyles' Movie Files

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries out his armor’s repulsor rays in “Iron Man.”

It’s amazing how imaginative and fun a comic book movie can be when the restraints of making it easier to relate to and more real-world are lifted.

Then the directors and screenwriters can make a film faithful to its source.

Such is the case of ‘‘Iron Man,” arguably the purest comic book-to-film translation ever made. [2012 Flash Forward: Yep. Still pretty comfortable with that statement] And the result is a movie that hardcore comic book geeks and non-fans alike will enjoy and want to see again and again. [2012 Flash Forward: True story. I'm probably at my 10th viewing of it now.]

Robert Downey Jr. (‘‘Charlie Bartlett”) gives a performance that will send his career soaring to the stratosphere as Tony Stark, a brilliant billionaire whose company specializes in arms dealing.  [2012 Flash Forward: It's almost hard to think now how risky a choice Downey was to headline a potential summer blockbuster franchise and how this ideal role for him would send his career to Johnny Depp levels after "Pirates of the Caribbean."  It's hard to try and get myself over with that "out on a limb prediction" as anyone who saw 'Iron Man' could easily see Downey entering A-list superstar territory with this role.]

It’s not until he is captured by a group of terrorists armed with the very weapons his company manufactures does Stark begin to rethink his views. While imprisoned he considers a potential new hobby much more dangerous than bedding Maxim models. Stark creates a high-tech suit of armor and soon uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

Screenwriters Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway figure out why Iron Man is such a cool hero, he’s equally cool in the armor or in a stylish suit. While Superman has to play a clumsy reporter and Spider-Man has to be a nerdy student, Stark is a funny, likable genius, who has a stripper pole in his airplane. Bet Bruce Wayne doesn’t have that set up.

And Downey is a blast offering the perfect flippant demeanor of a responsibility-detached billionaire who finds that his golden life isn’t as sparkling as he imagined. It helps that he works with a stellar cast including Terrence Howard and Gwynenth Paltrow. Their characters get significant screen time but have room to grow in future films. [2012 Flash Forward: Or not. I really wonder how often Howard kicks himself for not sticking with this franchise?] Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane might be a bit obvious as the main bad guy, but it’s a minor gripe.

Director Jon Favreau takes the typical superhero story and makes it fun for the audience showing the literal construction of a superhero. During the building of Iron Man, the story keeps moving and I wasn’t waiting for Stark to finally become a super hero. And even with its two-hour run time, there’s never a dull moment.

The film includes nods to the comic fan, including the appearance of a certain government organization [2012 Flash Forward: Who knew how'd important they'd turn out to be?], Stark’s butler Jarvis and his ever-changing armor collection.

‘‘Iron Man” only proves how vastly inferior most comic books movies are. If they had the same attention to character and plot detail, they might approach the level of ‘‘Iron Man.” This film ranks alongside ‘‘Superman II” and ‘‘Spider-Man” as one of the best of its kind. Bring on the sequel! [2012 Flash Forward: And "Incredible Hulk," and "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Avengers"...]

“Iron Man” got the ball rolling for “Marvel’s The Avengers.” Had Downey failed to connect with audiences or it was all special effects and no heart {see: Green Lantern}, the Avengers franchise would have been dead before it started and all that planning would have been a cautionary tale on don’t count your franchises before you know the first film is a success.

Typically, I leave my seat the second the credits start so I missed Samuel L. Jackson’s first post-credit appearance and initial set up for the Avengers. I didn’t see it until the fall when I bought the DVD yet was completely satisfied with ‘Iron Man’ on its own merit.

Avengers’  five-film set up, seems daunting, but for series newcomers, right from the start this is the kind of franchise that invites you in with a fun-filled kick-off with a superstar on the rise and an engaging movie that proved comic book films aren’t just for fanboys, geeks and nerds anymore. 

2012 Flash Forward rating: 9 out of 10