***Spoiler Alert***

Read on at the risk of being upset if you have not watched the movie yourself.

I finally went on Sunday to a very packed theatre during the opening weekend for a film that rightfully grossed nearly $105 million in ticket sales. For a director who has not churned out very many blockbuster movies if any at all, Jon Favreau does an excellent job with the Iron Man character clearly establishing the series and the character.

The Actors

Robert Downey Jr. Could not is more perfect for the role of Tony Stark. For the sequels Favreau intends to take viewers down the alcoholic, arrogant Stark we all know from the comics. This is great for Downey who has struggled with addictions to drugs and alcohol in his real life. It also guarantees should he have a lapse in judgment it really won't affect the character any since that is the character. I doubt he will be having any lapses. Downey does an excellent job in bringing the arrogant billionaire we all love to hate to the big screen mixing whimsical comedy with action drama. The fact the actors were doing a lot of adlibbing says a lot as well.

Gwyneth Paltrow was magnificent as Pepper Potts, playing the role very well or as well as it takes to be a secretary swooning after he boss.

Jeff Bridges, bald and all looks like a very strong character and serves well as the enemy of Iron Man in this first entry tot he series. Obadiah Stone in the first incarnation of the Iron Man suits.

Terrence Howard joins the assemble as Rhodes whom we will more than likely see in the sequel as was hinted at in this movie as War Machine. His role in the movie was cut and his presence in the movie was minimal but still effective to build that Stark Industries Military Industrial Complex relationship.

CGI

This movie was largely CGI and that is no surprise. I was very impressed with the CGI. What is capable on the screens today is just amazing. The latest Superman movie really did make you believe a man could fly and Iron Man really did show you the way that was really going to happen for us mortals. Every aspect of the suit right down to its flight and fight capabilities seemed plausible, not over done or highly exaggerated. At no point did I think to myself, bullshit, that can't really happen. Well, okay not so true. For instance when Downey is testing the rocket boots for the first time at 10% thrust and nearly kills himself on the ceiling I was thinking that was unbelievable. When he and the Jet wing collided and he was not really worse for the wear I thought that was unbelievable, but the movie did well because it allowed me to suspend disbelief because I kept thinking, given the right technological advancements man could really accomplish exoskeleton armament in order to fight. That is where the dork in me took over and it ended just as quickly when I looked back at the screen. My female companion was asking about the armor and she is no comic book fan, but it captivated her interest enough or she feigned interest, either way we enjoyed the CGI.

Story

What can you say; the story was just an updated version of what happened in the comics. We don’t get the Mandarin and his ten rings of power unless you count the terrorist groups naming, but it was a foreshadowing that he is on his way into the films. Favreau felt like introducing such a villain in the first film would be too difficult. I thoroughly agree.

So instead of getting Mandarin we got Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane in a beefed up original Iron Man suit. This was not bad at all until we get the way the battle is resolved which was really anti-climatic and not very epic. To be truthful it was almost as bad as the Superman movies ending to the crisis averted.

Obadiah Stane thinks he is as smart as Iron Man, but he hasn't figured out the problem with icing in the suit at high altitudes, yawn of a way for a fight to end. After the credits rolled we got a preview for what looks like not the sequel to an Iron Man movie, but maybe a script being written for the Avengers? Either way it has Samuel L. Jackson in the role of Nick Fury... don't ask me who comes up with this stuff, it isn’t me!

Well till next time, Marvel Universe Previews and I think we will be getting some of that Annihilation Conquest love this week. We have a lot of reviews as well coming off the shelves so please stop on by and vote for Darkseid Revenge over of VSnetwork, its real easy just click on Darkseid in the top right column, go ahead do it, don't be shy...

PS Since i am really a DC fan and just trying to lure you all in with all these Marvel comic Reviews here is a taste of what DC will be bringing to theatres this July, Batman the Dark Knight's newest trailer http://www.whysoserious.com/happytrails/trailer.htm