I am Iron Man!

I totally forgot to post my review of Iron Man after seeing it last week. Short review: one of the best superhero movies in years, with a wisecracking Robert Downey Jr leading a fine ensemble cast. Can't wait for the sequel.
Long review: quite possibly the finest comic book origin story told on screen, as it isn't handicapped by the campiness of Superman: The Movie or the mediocre action of the second half of Spider-Man. The story is nicely updated while keeping all the essential elements of how weapons industrialist Tony Stark is injured in the middle of a war and grows himself a conscience and builds a metal suit(s). Downey Jr is a lot of fun in the role, and it's good to see him put to rest any doubts that he can be a mainstream leading man.
Obadiah Stane (the Iron Monger, who actually appeared much later in the comics continuity) makes a good villain, with Jeff Bridges a surprise casting choice that pays off. Gwyneth Paltrow is more tolerable than in many of her recent roles as Pepper Potts (oh those wacky Marvel names).
Director Jon Favreau does as good a job with the action and special effects as he does with the comedy and human relationships. The film actually reminded me a lot of the Robocop films, especially the second one, with the hero (who is kept alive by machinery) fighting a bigger and badder enemy. There's also a nice surprise cameo after the credits (at least it was a surprise before the film came out) that paves the way for future films where we get to see Marvel heroes actually team up. There's not much to criticise in the film. It knows what it wants to do and does it well.

I hope to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the next few days, so watch this space!