Iron Man
 

After watching the movie, I couldn’t come up with a better actor to play the playboy, billionaire, genius, bad boy Tony Stark, other than Robert Downy Jr.  Then again I expected this.  Downy has a quick wit, and delivery style hat is his own and is not overly stretched to play a comic book hero.  If any one is almost wasted in this movie it is Terrance Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow.  Even Jeff Bridges who plays the arch enemy is not really convincing as an evil person until almost the end of the movie. Jon Favreau directs and really is the Iron Man for casting the bad guy Robert Downy Jr.  I have always liked Downy's acting and his ability to play very complex characters, a rare talent in Hollywood, however that vulnerability seems to exact a heavy toll on some actors and Robert's life has been no exception. We can sense that a lot this movie to him is a victory lap. 

Tony Stark, child prodigy and mechanical and engineering genius, grows up to head his fathers company that is worlds most prestigious and prolific manufacturer of Arms in the nation and in the world.  He lives in a concrete palace in Malibu big enough for any Royalty.  He is playboy, womanizer bachelor, with a female assistant played by Gwyneth Paltrow that is loyal and obviously loves the man. All through the movie they are constantly making eyes and moves at each other and we almost expect a romance to develop.  In fact we want it to happen and the sexual tension and attraction between the two adds a little reality to the movie.

While demonstrating a new weapon in Afghanistan, Tony is kidnapped and forced to build this monstrous weapon for a militant Muslim extremist group. ( The fact that they are Muslim however is not played up) Instead with the help of another person in a cave, Tony makes a robotic steel shell that is powered by a special power source he has perfected and that is also keeping him alive from the attack when he was captured.  Part Robo Cop but not surgically connected like Robo Cop, Tony makes good an escape and has an epiphany.  If You remember the dying scene in Saving Private Ryan, where Tom Hanks says to Matt Damon ( Don't Waste It) You'll see that again when Shaun Toub, who plays Yinsen Tony Stark's helper in the Cave, sacrifices his life to give him more time.  So like Paul to Saul he finally sees the death and destruction that his genius in the weapons business has wrought on mankind in the World and he announces to the world it is time for a dramatic change.  So now we have a new man, putting mankind first, puts his womanizing bad behavior away and develops the next generation Iron Man suit and dedicates himself to helping mankind.  Sadly the plot deteriorates quiet a bit but the action, and humor keep us engaged all the time
 
Predictably there is a final fight scene with good and evil and the predicable outcome. 
 
Did I like the movie, absolutely. Are there poignant messages about war and the futility of our modern day engagements and adventures, absolutely.  Is the Muslim threat to our way of life minimized in the movie, not at all.  As much as I dislike the war in Iraq and now criticize the current government for all it’s bungling, for those of you who followed the edicts and actions of Omar Abdel-Rahman you’ll understand there is a militant virulent group of educated Muslim terrorists that are bound by scripture to all the actions they perpetrate on non believers.  In fact there is no law that mankind can pass that can usurp that of the teachings of Mohammad and if we want laws made by men to allow any freedom outside of Muslim decree, we'll have to fight for them as they will never quit. We have already been targeted as morally weak, and they have demonstrated that they will do anything whatsoever to win.  This movie is not going to get political, rather we just witness brute force from an enemy and don’t ever wonder why, movies of this nature can't afford any serious dialog or controversy if they want to make money and it just glosses over the picture of war and any meaning or background to it .  The political climate we are in is enough for us to understand that evil is being done by these people and no Westerner is safe in Afghanistan.  Iron Man to the Rescue! He has a moment of revenge and saves some peoples lives in Afghanistan and we are left almost wondering what the heck is he doing here. 
Will he win the love of his assistant or she his ?  I leave that to the movie, I’ll never tell.

Do I hope this becomes a franchise and we get a sequel….Absolutely.