Kicking off the summer movie season is Iron Man another Marvel Comics creation.  Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is a wealthy man who is famous for designing military weapons; on his way to a demonstration Stark and several military personnel are attacked. Stark is then held hostage for three months where he learns that a terrorist group has been using weapons made by his company. The group forces Stark to make a missile, but Stark builds a suit that helps him break free and get back at the terrorist group. The twist is that Tony Stark finds out that a close friend and business partner has been shipping his weapons to the terrorist group. The story is simple a newly gained conscience vs. greed and power shown in the character Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) who builds his own suit.

This is a fun and entertaining ride with a really cool suit, cool cars, great shots and nice effects. The film grabs your attention immediatly by showing the scene where Stark and the military personnel get attacked  and then going back showing the events that lead to the attack. This is a style not often used, but is a great way to go.  The film is well acted including actress Gwyneth Paltrow as assistant Pepper Potts and Terrace Howard as Col. James Rhodes, a close friend and colleague. My fear of Robert Downey Jr. in a comic book  film was quickly cured because the character he played was brash and driven by his ego and the character has a playboy image. The movie is funny, however the film is long and several scenes are slow and drown out, but it doesn’t destroy the experience of seeing the film. This film is a great way to start off the summer season and will get you excited for the movies to come. Oh and if you see this film in the theaters trust me when I say watch the end of the credits it’s worth it.

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