Iron Man movie review *SPOILER ALERT*

*gasp* I'm not complaining about how I'm in the minority?! It's a friggin mira--- oh, fuck it!

There was once a time when I'd pretty much enjoy any film I saw; I think we all were like that when we were younger, and it was only last year that I started to get out of that stage. I did so because I was starting to view a lot of films that made me realize what a good film was like. Star Wars Episode IV, Beauty and the Beast, Dark Knight..... and then, of course, there's that one amazing flash-tastic experience I had in theaters in May 2008....... IRON MAN. Apart from all the flashy action and astonishing special effects, what made Iron Man so great? Let's find out!

The film follows an inventor named Tony Stark. He manufactures weapons in a company known as Stark Industries, and he's one of the most well-known inventors of the century. The problem, however, is that he never wants to do anything responsible; he just blows shit up, has sex with random reporters, and uses all the money he gains to his advantage. He doesn't even care if he wins an award! But he doesn't believe any of this at this point; he believes that creating weapons to protect the innocent is being responsible.

But one day, he gets blown up and captured by a group of terrorists in Afghanistan after testing his new missile. During his stay, he realizes that his weapons were leaked into their hands; innocent people were being harmed by the very weapons that he created to protect the innocent. Tony's also dying because shrapnel (or however you spell it) is entering his heart, and the only thing keeping him alive is an electromagnet hooked up to a car battery. The terrorists want him to create the missile that he was testing out that day; they say that once he builds the missile, they will set him free, but Tony knows this is utter bullshit.

So, Tony builds a stronger electromagnet powered by a miniature arc reactor, and he begins building a metal suit that will help him get out of the terrorists' hands. His plan works, and once he gets back home, he decides to shut down the weapons industry and get into this arc reactor technology; his assistant, Obidiah Stane, does not approve of this, and neither does the board of the company, and on top of that, the company's stock falls about 54.5%. But Tony believes that none of this matters because he still believes it's what's best for him and the company.

But one thing Tony found interesting is that he kept himself alive. Why? He believes that he should be lying in that cave.... dead..... unless it was for a purpose. He believes that letting the terrorists having those weapons should not be the last act of the great Tony Stark. So, how's he going to get rid of the weapons still in the hands of those terrorists? Well, he rebuilds the suit, creates a bunch of upgrades, gives it a very slick design, and heads out into their grounds to blow up their shit. But somehow, they still manage to get ahold of Tony's weapons; how are they getting all this? Who's letting them have those weapons?

Well, hey, I didn't say I was going to spoil the entire movie. :P

The thing I love the most about this film is that the technology presented in the film is beyond that of a normal imagination. That can be a good thing and a bad thing at times, as there are a few points where I didn't understand some of the gadgets presented. But you can also tell that they tried to simplify it as much as possible without confusing you too much, and on a certain level, they did a good job with that. But on the other hand, I would love to spend an entire day in the shoes of Tony Stark, as the gadgets he uses are freakin awesome, and the house he lives in is astonishing with its design.

One of my favorite moments in the film is when Tony's flying in his silver suit above the city; you feel the excitement rushing through as he's looking at that amazing view.

One thing that's very well-received about the film is the cast.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, and not only does he fit the character completely, but he comes up with a bit of originality on his own. He's one of the reasons why I'm looking forward to Sherlock Holmes.

Jeff Bridges plays Obidiah Stane, and I did like him, but while he does fit the part pretty damn well and he's able to be both intelligent and even intimidating at times, there are some moments where he's a bit over-the-top. For example....... "TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD IT IN A CAVE!!!!..... WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!!!" Strangely, that made me giggle a little. :P

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Tony's supervisor, Pepper Pots. While she is pretty looking and she's able to handle the very intelligent script pretty well..... she's not that good at emotion. Seriously, there were some moments where she seemed pretty robotic, and other points where she attempted to be emotional, but just wasn't very believable.

Finally, there's Terrence Howard as Stark's good friend, military flight attendant Rhodey. I like this guy because he's the funny African-American character you'd see in most movies; some would say it's generic, but it wasn't any different from the comics and I like it.

In conclusion, Iron Man is an amazing experience. It's morality mixed in with ten different roller coasters, Power Rangers, and RDJ, and yet it still manages to stand on its own and be its own thing. It's not perfect, but I love it, and I will always cherish it more than any superhero film I've ever seen..... except for Dark Knight, of course. :P

I give it a 4.7/5!