IRON MAN

IRON MAN: "Give me a scotch. I'm starving."

"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?"
"Lisbeth Wheelehan"
So as not to show any bias, for the record, I LOVE Robert Downey Jr. I have seen every film he has ever made. Iron Man is his time to shine. Through all the turbulent times he has gone through, little by little he proved that he was now stable and ready to work (Zodiac, Charlie Bartlett, Lucky You). Tony Stark/Iron Man fit Downey like a glove. Much like Batman and Bruce Wayne, Stark was a high profile man about town with more money than Oprah. After a life altering event, he decides to use his power for good, not evil and hence forth comes Iron Man. At that point, the movie takes a left turn right into a brick wall. Downey is still fine as are Gweneth Paltro (only kinda wasted as a background fixture, but also not a "girl") and an almost unrecognisable Jeff Bridges (who really shaved his head). However, the script, the plot and the ending just fell flat. I'm glad Iron Man had power, because the last part of the movie didn't. Until then, everything was high octane and full of testosterone. Even though I disliked the end, what I liked in the beginning was what will earn this flick a pick. Downey does a lot of improv so what you see is him, top to bottom. Not a masterpiece, but still a kick ass movie.

PICK: Not a perfect movie, but Downey colors outside the lines. A head-banging pick!