Iron Man

Iron Man
(spoilers below)

Word is that Iron Man brought in over $100 million (!?) this weekend alone, and for good reason. Robert Downey Jr. is absolutely perfect in the role of Tony Stark, the brilliant, sharp tongued, and incredibly flawed multi-billionaire. Without delving too deep into the plot, the movie is well paced, funny without giving of that impression that it's trying way too hard (ala Fantastic Four), and is a Transformers-esque visual treat, certainly deserving of its unofficial title as the summer's first blockbuster. As a result, Iron Man, much like Spider-Man before it, is accessible to the casual viewers who may not have picked up a comic book in their lives. But that's not to say that Iron Man will disappoint the comic book geeks; Downey plays Stark better than anyone could have imagined, the film's Stan Lee cameo is definitely the funniest to date, and we even get overt mentions of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. As advertised, the Iron Man suit itself is spectacular, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the film could successfully turn Iron Man into a household name, a distinction traditionally reserved for the Supermans and Spider-Mans of the comic book world. Thankfully, a trilogy looks to be in the works, and with Terence Howard in a War Machine suit and more of Sam Jackson as Nick Fury in the cards, things are looking good for Marvel's latest film franchise.