Really need to stop being lazy

So, Iron Man review (Cut Copy + Madonna + Roots coming THIS weekend. Honest.)

We've been seeing the 3rd (or 4th?) comic-book invasion of Hollywood for almost a decade now. There have been some great films, some middling and occasionally confusing films and more than a few clunkers. Iron Man presents something of a gamble on the part of Marvel Films and Paramount in that all the other comic book films thus far have focused on iconic characters of Marvel lore - non-comic fans and those of us who only read them as younger children recognise the likes of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man fairly readily. It appears, however, that Iron Man is possibly the most interesting super-hero to have ever made the leap to film. The character of Tony Stark is a normal man turned hero, more similar to Batman than any of the aforementioned crowd draws. It's surprising, then, that Iron Man has managed to make such a sudden impact, earning (almost) $100'000'000 in its first weekend in the American and Canadian box office. And honestly, even though we all love and overrate superhero films, it's well deserved. The film plays itself off well and not at all as seriously as one might think. Gwyneth Paltrow clearly enjoys the almost-pointless role of Pepper Potts (best name for a character ever?) and pulls off an enjoyable, vapid performance. I half expected Jeff Bridges to ask Robert Downey Jr. if he knew who he was, only to assert that he was in fact The Dude. That might be my mental typecasting of Bridges but there was no real motivation for Obidiah Stane. And while it's the low point of the film it doesn't detract all that much from the whole. After all, this is an origin story. Robert Downey Jr. perfectly plays Tony Stark, the single-minded industrialist-turned-hero and successfully humanizes the role by bringing a lazy charm to his witty character. After seeing the film, you'll believe that nobody else could play Iron Man. The pacing is excellent and perfectly planned with only minor dry spots disrupting the flow. Along with the only half-serious acting comes the cheeky in-jokes that litter Marvel's films; the Stan Lee cameo, the reference (and foreboding) of S.H.I.E.L.D. and best of all Terrence Howard's very cheeky War Machine reference. Iron Man succeeds where Fantastic 4 failed in actually being fun to watch, and it could be the best superhero film since Spider-Man 2. Now it's only 1 year and 358 days until the next chapter. Can't wait.