Wittier than Spider-Man, cooler than Batman, Robert Downey Jr.’s invincible Iron Man has got more one-liners than Toby Maguire and more high-tech toys than Christian Bale, Val Kilmer and George Clooney combined.
Indeed, director Jon Favreau’s choice of Downey as billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is the most inspired bit of superhero casting since Tim Burton tapped Michael Keaton to bring the caped crusader to the big screen.
Downey handles Stark’s transformation from boozing playboy to gleaming avenger so well that you don’t even mind waiting around for him to fire up his repulsor rays. In fact, getting there is really half the fun.
Jeff Bridges, meanwhile, as Stark’s business partner Obadiah Stane, turns in the most high-powered super-villain performance since Jack Nicholson’s Joker.
The action starts out with a blast
