Iron Man

Okay, I just saw Iron Man on Saturday, and I must say I am impressed. Even some of the better movies, like Spider-Man and X2, lack a certain maturity or realism. Don't get me wrong, those are great, fun movies that somewhat bring real life into a comic book story, but Iron Man had something these movies lacked. There was a certain maturity, and at the same time, a feeling reminiscent of the original Superman story that reminded me of that old slogan, "you will believe a man can fly." Iron Man had that feeling. It was downright exhilarating.

It helped tremendously that the actors seemed to take the roles seriously. Nobody was hamming it up (the worst example I can think of is Martin Sheen with his fake voice in Spawn, or whatshisface playing Bullseye in Daredevil). Downey plays the part of a party-going billionaire quite well. The humorous bits were pretty hysterical and well-timed.

This is also a good one for the kids... I only heard two profane words in there, and they weren't all that bad. I highly recommend this movie.

If I understand correctly, this is the first time Marvel Comics made a movie where they had real creative control. They were able to do this because they financed it themselves, around $140 million, I believe. Bravo, Marvel. I think you figured out how to make good comic movies. You control your assets! Not to mention, that's probably going to make you a fortune. If this proves successful long-term, I wonder if DC Comics will try the same trick?