The Man Behind the IRONMAN

He was rude, obnoxious, and inconsiderate. He was one of those people who you love to hate but secretly admire because he was so quick-witted and cool. You wish you were him because of his success and hate yourself for it. This man is Tony Stark. Tony Stark is Ironman.

Unlike every other superhero persona, Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) wants the world to know he's Ironman. To him, this is another cool feather in his cool cap. And like Batman, Tony Stark wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider or from another planet. He relies on technology to invent Ironman: a yellow and red chrome hero that couldn't have existed in any other time frame than now.

IRONMAN as a movie is the first truly "Summer" blockbuster. The kind you can sit back, strap in, and be taken away on a high-octane, explosive, CGI-laced ride that leaves you breathless at the end. This isn't a movie where the science has to be taken apart because, quite frankly, the science doesn't make a whole lot of sense. (I.E. Stark goes "A-Team" on us and builds the Ironman suit while being captive in a cave in Afghanistan.) But, quite frankly, if I can believe that a man came climb walls like a spider, if I can believe that robots can transform into cars, this plot isn't that bad. And that's one of the reasons why IRONMAN is so much fun.

IRONMAN has all the same playfulness and action of the first SPIDERMAN and the original Chris Reeves's SUPERMAN. Most of the movie involves the comedic failures and successes of creating and perfecting Ironman's suit. There's no true super-villain for him to battle as his mission is to destroy the high-tech weapons that he (as Tony Stark) created and sold (A high-tech weaponized suit of armour destroying high-tech weapons: Can I rename this flick IRONYMAN?). But a super-villain isn't necessary here and would've cramped up the story.

As the first blockbuster of the Summer season, spend some well deserved time with the cocky yet endearing Tony Stark. I look forward to the sequel when he can face off against someone truly worthy of Ironman.

8.5 mixed drinks out of 10