"Iron Man? Catchy, but technically it's gold titanium..."

Iron Man was fantastic. I went in expecting very little (like I did when I went to see Daredevil). I expected explosions, corny super hero jokes, a lame delivery by Robert Downey Jr., and two-dimensional female love interests. I was happily wrong.

While this is no Batman Begins (it just doesn’t carry as many big hitter actors), and the making of Iron Man from Tony Stark is not the same tale of overcoming family murder to fight for justice, it is a good intro movie to the creation of Iron Man.

Robert Downey Jr. was the perfect choice for Iron Man/Tony Stark. Time magazine was right. The character of Stark parallels Downey very well. Downey is a long-time drug addict who has finally emerged from rehab with a sobriety that’s sticking and landing some of his best parts, a mid-life turn around. Stark’s character is a billionaire playboy who gets a wake up call that his lifestyle and his weapons manufacturer company are hurting more than helping others and himself. He rallies, with the help of his friends.

While Iron Man cannot tout Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, or Liam Neeson, it does have good old Jeff Bridges, the rising and very talented Terrence Howard (August Rush, Hustle and Flow, the Brave One), and a very new and different role for Gwyneth Paltrow. She kicks ass and takes names as the dedicated and tenacious right-hand (wo)man to Stark.

In addition, if you’re going for the obligatory explosions, gadgets, and tech, you will be far from disappointed. It’s not terribly believable, but you’ll forget that until the credits are done rolling. Speaking of which… DO NOT LEAVE BEFORE THE CREDITS ARE OVER! Like X-Men 3, there’s a great 2 minute set up for the next movie after the credits, and it stars another big Hollywood hitter who isn’t in the rest of the movie. So buckle down, strap in, and don’t leave early. This one is worth seeing on the big screen.