Well, this week, “Iron Man,” the movie I have waited for most of my life, finally hits the big screen. Directed by Jon Favreau (“Zathura,” “Made”), “Iron Man” is based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name — and my favorite character in the Marvel Universe.
Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, the billionaire defense contractor/playboy/genius who initially creates the Iron Man armor to escape his captors in Afghanistan and then refines the suit in order to defeat those using his technology for evil. Jeff Bridges plays Stark Enterprises executive Obadiah Stane, who becomes the main rival to Stark/Iron Man when he builds his own armored creation and takes on the name of Iron Monger.
Gwyneth Paltrow portrays Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Stark’s assistant, and Terrence Howard is Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes (who will go on to become War Machine in future installments of the “Iron Man” saga).
I am so pumped for this movie. I was a big fan of the comic book as a kid (and even in later years), and the footage and early reviews I have seen are making me even more excited about it. I actually have tickets to one of the 8 p.m. shows on Thursday, May 1, so I will be seeing it a day before its official May 2 opening.
Also, I love the “Star Wars”-esque poster.
Anyway, here is one of the early reviews…
Brian Kelley 