Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. again reveals why he is one of the best actors of his generation -- allowing himself simultaneously to be playful and poignant as he adds enormous depth to the title role.

You won’t be bored and you’ll probably be left anticipating the inevitable sequel (if not the anticlimactic Part 3).

Iron Man stands out as one of the best comic book movies ever made thanks in large part to a healthy dose of humor, action, and a great performance by Robert Downey Jr.

It's genuinely funny, the special effects are bulletproof, the dialogue better than your average superhero movie, and the cast is flawless.

As big-budget comic book adaptations go, this one's a gratifying freak -- the right kind of conflicted, as well as quick-witted. It's a lot of fun

Iron Man reinvigorates hope in the joys of the summer movie. It is simple -- and not so simple -- fun.

This exciting, enthralling action-thriller is certainly the best comic book-based movie since the second Spider-Man film.

Iron Man soars above the rest, a thrilling, innovative and enormously entertaining movie that just may be the coolest and smartest superhero adventure of them all.

The four credited writers seem to have borrowed from various action and comic-book films.

With such smarts and outstanding special effects, I eagerly await a second Iron Man movie, which of course is virtually promised in the final scene.

There are several nods to longtime fans of the Marvel comic book, but the film will be exciting and compelling to neophytes as well.

Director Jon Favreau takes the scrap metal of the superhero scenario and welds it into new form, reinventing the oversimplified good-versus-evil genre to reflect on more-nuanced consequences of war.

Clothes don't make the Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. does.

There's no rust on this baby. Iron Man kicks off summer on a blazing high note and practically dares the competition to measure up.

It's a slickly engineered special-effects extravaganza with a saucy sense of humor, a well-acted adult take on juvenile escapism.

Quick-witted Robert Downey Jr. may have seemed like an odd choice to play an action man, but his intelligence and humor are the film's biggest assets.

It's everything you want from a superhero flick -- lots of action, great characters and a really cool suit -- and it smartly vaults a lesser Marvel Comics hero into the same stratosphere as Spider-Man.

With Iron Man, the season of big-ticket popcorn movies is not only officially launched, it's off to a blazing start.

The ticklish fun of Iron Man comes from watching a happy cast in fighting trim make a concept that should sink like a lead dirigible do cartwheels on the ground and barrel-rolls in the sky.

Iron Man kicks off 2008's summer of movies today, and in the process it sets a high bar for the blockbusters to come this season.

Downey gives the human half of the movie great strength and depth.

Iron Man boasts the kind of rarified call sheet one would typically associate with an Oscar-customized ensemble drama, not a smash-mouth sci-fi blockbuster about a guy in flying robot suit.

Within this clichéd framework the movie clicks in every scene, it works mostly off character and dazzles with innovative special effects.

The movie rises and falls on the strength of Downey, and it rises pretty high.

Zips along with impossible feats accomplished by impossible technologies. But by coupling dry humor with exhilaration, the film makes it work.

Iron Man is the rare comic-book movie that makes the prospect of a sequel seem like a promise instead of a threat.

Iron Man is a better superhero movie than your average outing thanks to the deployment of a first-rate cast and to-die-for leading man.

Even behind an expressionless metal mask it seems as if there is someone there (director Jon Favreau does include the odd shot from within the mask).

It's swift and witty, with visual and verbal humor that works on a fanboy level (gotta please the loyal customers) and, often enough, for the layman thrill-seeker.

It has some spectacular moments, powered by an Oscar quality performance by Robert Downey Jr.

The key to Downey's mocking, crumpled charm is that no matter whom he's talking to, he's really just nattering to himself.

He doesn't really even need the suit: Robert Downey Jr. is the Man in this comic-book adaptation that finds a nice balance between the heavy-metal heroics and that elusive flesh and blood under the armor.

Among the many surprises in the wonderful new Iron Man, adapted from the long-running Marvel Comics series, is that it gives Downey the role he seems to have been born to play.

It was the casting of Downey that seemed to appease fan fears about adapting Iron Man, and truth be told he's the best thing about the film.

Iron Man blasts off the summer in just the right way -- fun, funny and a treat for fans of the comic book on which it's based.

Even in the midst of those personal troubles, Downey heated up every movie he was in. Now that he has been entrusted with a superhero franchise, you may believe the man can actually fly.

It's hard to imagine what more you would want from a superhero movie than what Iron Man provides.

The first big popcorn movie of the season is also the best Marvel movie since Spider-Man.

There's a lot to like about the movie's iconography -- like the glowing mini-reactor that the injured Stark devises to keep his damaged heart pumping. It's the same device that makes Iron Man aerodynamic and invincible.

It’s really Downey’s movie and he runs with it, knowing just the right pacing to deliver the script’s tongue-in-cheek jokes with a cynical twist.

Iron Man is a brain-free ride on a cinematic bullet train, a good-looking gateway to a summer full of mayhem that will be perpetrated by old friends.

After 2003's Elf and 2005's Zathura, Favreau has now made three smart, family-friendly, high-concept popcorn movies.

It’s hard to think of another actor who could match Downey’s ability to so convincingly portray a man mutating from the smarmy to the altruistic.

An absolute blast to watch, a consummate piece of popcorn entertainment made with wit and class, and it leaves you so pumped for a sequel that it is practically guaranteed to become a huge hit.

A witty and dapper speeding bullet of a film, able to appeal to nerds and civilians alike.

The best comic-book adaptation in years.

Iron Man -- while not entirely bulletproof -- is cast from a sturdier alloy than your average spandex-clad superhero.

Congratulations, Hollywood! You've made a Marvel Comics superhero movie that doesn't suck. Now, was that so hard?

Iron Man comes pre-loaded with special effects, as befitting the first blockbuster of the summer, but the coolest effect is the one you see first: the jaded face of Robert Downey Jr.

Iron Man is an action sci-fi blockbuster extravaganza that provides cartoon thrills for thinking people. It's the best movie of its kind since the second Spider-Man movie four years ago.

Even though the inaugural Marvel Studios self-financed blockbuster doesn't quite live up to the massive expectations craftily nurtured over the past year, Downey's energy, humor and charisma make it fun.

Iron Man is smart enough to remember it's the suit that makes the superhero but the actor who makes the man.

The suit is cool, but Iron Man belongs to Robert Downey, Jr.: His effortlessly nuanced performance as Tony Stark is a dark delight that combines pop-culture wit and genuine emotional depth.

Iron Man's biggest strength is that the fantastically armored suit doesn't overpower the intriguingly flawed character encased within.

A perfect mix of high-tech dazzle and good old-fashioned charisma that's bound to leave audiences begging for more.

Most of the movie's two hours is set-up for the inevitable sequels, but we get enough of a glimpse at the futuristic effects to eagerly await the follow-up.

If all you require is a fun time with plenty of cool stuff to gawk at, Iron Man is likely to deliver.

Downey Jr.'s sly take on Marvel Comics' cold warrior Iron Man elevates everything about this film.

A standard origin story, Iron Man stays faithful to its comic-book roots while making necessary upgrades that enhance the characters rich history.

Even though the fantastic Robert Downey Jr. plays our slutty, metallic superhero, there's a sameness to it that makes the entire enterprise seem obligatory. Close your eyes, and it's Superman Begins: Rise of the Silver Daredevil 3.

Director Jon Favreau and his quartet of writers bite off more story than audiences can comfortably digest.

The final payoff for two hours of mounting mechanized-action anticipation being merely a terse, murky, nighttime street scuffle that makes the similar Transformers finale look coherent by comparison.

Robert Downey Jr.’s characteristic blend of affable arrogance, suppressed anger and hipster wise-assery is so novel for a leading role in a superhero movie, you might wish he got to star in all of them.