The Invincible Iron Man

One of the movies coming this summer which everyone should really be looking forward to is the the iconic Marvel hero's film debut, Iron Man. As for those who are unaware of the story, here it is. Industrialist, weapons designer, and billionaire playboy Tony Stark is wounded in the heart by a piece of shrapnel whilst kidnapped by terrorists, who demand that he make them a super-powerful weapon. Instead, Stark creates a suit of impenetrable powered armor, escapes his captors and returns to America. There, he refines this armor in order to protect the people he had inadvertently put in harm's way, due to his weapons, and becomes the Invincible Iron Man!

The trailer can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hx6TEqrzHU

Now I know recent Marvel films have had a track record of sucking horribly, like Spider-Man 3 and X-Men: The Last Stand not living up to expectations, Ghost Rider being a pure box office trash heap, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer being just a little bit better than the original, but I surely hope to God Iron Man won't be as bad.

First off, it's directed by Jon Favreau, the man who brought us "Elf", so we know the movie itself is going to be a really fun ride. Second, the supporting cast is highly star-studded, with Jeff Bridges as villain Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow as assistant and love interest Virginia Potts, and Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard as the trusted Lt. Colonel James Rhodes/War Machine. And finally, the (Iron) Man himself, Tony Stark is played by Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr. who not only handled the suit well, but held the lighter moments of the film as well, with superb improvised comedy skills.

While it may seem like a bad choice to have someone of Downey's age to play Tony Stark, Downey seems to make up for it with his own brand of humor, as well as his past experiences with substance abuse. Such experiences would of course help him continue to play Stark in the already planned sequels to the film, as Stark is a known alcoholic.

Hopefully the film comes together as planned. I'm really banking on this film to bring life back into Marvel Films, which since lost its light ever since Spider-Man 2, X2: X-Men United, The Hulk, and Fantastic Four were forgotten.

Knowing them, the film is going to be targeted where it counts most, at the kids who'd like a fun and enjoyable ride.