Big Mechanical Buzz

Quite a few reviews are out, and as of this posting, Rotten Tomatoes has Iron Man securely in the "fresh" -- and not just fresh; 89% is hardly a lukewarm recommendation. Read some of them, read all of them, read NONE of them... you'll probably not get a better opening gush than the review from Cinematical:

Forget about all the fantastic action. Dismiss the disarmingly smart, wry screenplay, and ignore the phenomenal supporting cast. Feel free to overlook the dozen components that make Jon Favreau's Iron Man the most uniquely entertaining superhero movie in a long time ... I've got the one main reason that this flick is worthy of your two hours and ten bucks right here, and that reason is named Robert Downey Jr.

I don't know... did he like it? Read more to find out! My only trepidation is when the reviewer gets my expectations up by comparing it to super-hero classics:

I'll put it in terms that the superhero movie geeks will understand: It's almost as good as Spider-Man 2, X-Men 2 and Batman Begins. Yeah, it's that kind of quality. Only Iron Man is a pretty unique entry in its own right. It's got some violence, some edge, and some seriously snarky attitude. But then it also has a little something to say about the nature of a society that allows itself to be governed by its own high-tech weaponry -- which means that not only is Iron Man a very fun, very slick, and very consistently clever movie; it also has some sort of a social conscience.

I'm glad there is some separations there where it forges its own identity. As I mentioned in my Lifes Rich Pageant post, comparing something to the past sometimes can ruin the first reveal of the product.That all said, I am excited to see the film, because if I never read a review, any of the trailers and TV spots have conveyed enough of Robert Downey's charm to get me into a theater. I will say this about the review, a comment about Downey that also rings true for me:

Like many movie fans of my generation, I consider Downey to be sort of an old friend. We all wept when Jami Gertz noticed his odd demise in Less Than Zero, we loved watching his evolution in films like True Believer and Chaplin, and we all felt pretty great when the guy finally kicked his well-publicized drug addiction.

Downey is a survivor, no doubt, and he's also a refreshingly engaging actor to watch -- and boy was I thrilled when Marvel announced that this would be the guy to portray Tony Stark. To those who don't know the Stark character from the comic books, let me just make it clear: Downey is the perfect guy to play a smug yet charming, sarcastic yet likable, and perpetually womanizing multi-billionaire mega-genius with a bum ticker. We all know the guy can play sly, snarky, smart characters, so much of Iron Man's early stuff is light lifting for the actor -- but when he starts getting angry? Noble? Heroic? The guy is aces across the board. Bottom Line: Downey has paid his dues, he's been through a lot of hell, and now he's a freakin' superhero who delivers the best popcorn flick performance since Johnny Depp first played pirate. Sometimes Hollywood actually works.

I've agreed about the casting, and I'm thrilled to see him in the role. I'm so secure in the casting and Downey's potential that I find it hard to picture anyone else doing it, or capable of pulling of the multi-dimensional role that is Tony Stark. Jerk, playboy, hero, villain, egomaniacal charmer, and no-doubt first blockbuster of the year, you can count on my ten bucks contributing to the cause.