The Summer movie season starts of with a blast today, with "Iron Man."
Iron Man tells the story of Tony Stark, billionaire playboy, and weapon designer who transforms himself into a superhero.
The first thing you notice about the movie is how much fun everyone had making it. Robert Downey Jr. seems to be reveling in the part of the decadent, slightly naive, but ultimately good hearted hero.Terrence Howard is the perfect straight man for Tony's antics, and Jeff Bridges is surprisingly menacing.
As you can imagine, the special effects are slick. They somehow make the Iron Man suit seem real, and fantastic at the same time. And the final fight with the evil Iron Monger is thrilling... I only wish there was more of it.
There's a lot of action at the beginning, and at the end, but in the middle, we get all this plot. While I love plot, everyone knows from the first five minutes of the film everything that's going to happen, and it seems like we're just waiting for the big fight we know is coming.
That being said, what really sets this film apart from some of the other superhero movies out there is the humor. There are some genuinely funny moments in this film that will help keep you entertained even when things aren't exploding.
The only real problem I had with the movie it the message it's trying to send. One moment it's trying to show us the brutality of war, the next it's filled with almost cartoon like violence. It's as if they're saying... guns are bad... unless you're a super hero.
A side note for my fellow nerds... keep a close eye out. There are a number of easter eggs out there for comic book fans.
If this movie is any kind of indicator... I can't wait for the "Incredible Hulk."
This is Ron Edens, for KSEE 24 news, Central Valley's Entertainment News Leader.