Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Robert Downy Jr., Shaun Taub, Gwyneth Paltrow
Rating: PG-13

Robert Downey Jr. stars as billionaire industrialist Tony Stark in Iron Man. (Courtesy photo)

The summer movie bar has been set very, very high. Iron Man is a rip-snorter from start nearly to finish. It only falls a little short during the final showdown, when characters and ideas must necessarily be put aside for standard spectacle. But that merely places Iron Man in very good company. It firmly belongs alongside Spiderman 2, X-2, Batman Begins, and the original Superman as the best of the super movies. And there’s no reason to think the next one won’t be better—especially if you stayed until after the credits. Iron Man boasts a terrific supporting cast, strong direction by the formerly underrated John Favreau, and a topflight villain in Jeff Bridges. Jeff Bridges! But what really sets Iron Man apart from all others is the inspired casting of Robert Downy Jr.

It’s a perfect marriage, of course. One of Hollywood’s most self-destructive creative geniuses playing one of the comic world’s most irresponsible heroes-in-the-making. Now that the enormously charismatic Downey Jr. has beaten his demons, he appears, at age 43, ready to claim the stardom that he has continually orbited. Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, billionaire weapons manufacturer who suddenly finds himself held prisoner in Afghanistan, by terrorists using the very weapons he designed. They demand he make them his most destructive missile, or else he will die. With prodding from fellow hostage Yinsen (Shaun Taub), Stark manages instead to build a makeshift suit. He escapes, and returns to America with a need to make up for his past. This is both unsettling and encouraging for his long-suffering assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and pretty much just unsettling for his mentor and business partner Obadiah Stane (Mr. Bridges). Stark disappears into his private lab and begins building the ultimate hero suit.

Most hero movies are at their best as the protagonist discovers and hones his hero abilities. Iron Man is no exception. Writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby seem to know exactly how much we want to watch the Iron Man suit get played with. More than that, they know that it will all add up to nothing if real themes aren’t in place. There may be no hero theme more familiar than the desire to make up for past sins, but in the case of Tony Stark the argument is strong indeed. It’s extra satisfying, of course, that the man is a weapons manufacturer, and his enemies are terrorists. In fact, Iron Man is the first movie in some time to involve terrorists and succeed. Credit Fergus and Ostby, the writers behind the best film of 2006, Children of Men. But make sure to thank Jon Favreau, as well. Since his overlooked 2001 directorial debut in Made, Favreau has directed the new Christmas staple Elf and the okay Zathura. Iron Man makes it three exceptional movies out of four, and catapults Favreau to the top of the heap. Favreau gives the movie the right balance of real and fantastical. He solves a big potential dilemma by allowing us to cut to Downey Jr.’s face inside the suit. We’re able to experience the flying and fighting in a way we can’t with Spiderman or The Hulk.

Which brings us back to Robert Downey Jr. The danger was that the charismatic but unpredictable actor would nail the clever lines but come up short in heroism. That is not the case. Maybe it’s that dark past he totes around, but he pulls off the dramatic clichés with full commitment. One of the problems with so many superheroes is that they don’t have a sense of humor. Iron Man, of all people, is now the funniest superhero going. Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow) is Stark’s best friend, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jim Rhodes. Howard’s energy is very different from Downey Jr.’s, but he handles himself well. Rest assured he’ll have more fun in the sequel. Paltrow is engaging as Pepper, trading nice banter with Stark while thinly veiling her attraction to him. Maybe it’s the skirts and high heels, but she really can’t run a lick. The terrific Jeff Bridges makes Obadiah all the more menacing because he’s so real. Kevin Spacey should take note.

Previous adaptations of Marvel Comics characters were all done in conjunction with major studios. Iron Man is the first film produced exclusively by Marvel Studios. This maiden voyage is all the more laudable for the number of smart creative risks they took. Their biggest accomplishment may be that they have instantly made one of their lesser superheroes into a character and franchise on par with the biggest. Now that Robert Downey Jr. has turned Iron Man into an instant icon, it’s already hard to believe he ever wasn’t.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, California. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard residents for many years.