Date: May 3, 2008
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Now that’s why you go to the movies!

I had high hopes and expectations for Iron Man the moment I heard Robert Downey Jr. was the star. He’s one of the finest actors working today, but beyond that, he brings a very specific sarcastic charisma to all his roles that puts him in a class of his own. So Downey as a superhero… that would have to be good.

And it certainly is, in large part because of Downey, but also because of director Jon Favreau, sidekick Gwyneth Paltrow, the team who wrote the script and some wonderful special effects and action sequences.

Iron Man doesn’t take itself too seriously… there is none of the hand-wringing and psychological darkness of the Batman films or the teenage angst of Spider-Man. Weapons designer Tony Stark is a cocky, skirt-chasing son of a bitch from start to finish — deliciously so. The film’s final scene takes a delightful right turn that drives home how different a superhero this guy is.

What a great way to kick of the summer season, with a brand-new franchise that already has me dying for a sequel (and a post-credits scenes even spells out what shape that might take).