Finally a movie that lives up to its hype. Iron Man deserves its number one ranking. The plot is good, Robert Downey Jr. is good as Tony Stark, the special effects are good, the tech level is high. They do set up a sequel (make sure you stick around after the credits; no spoiler but you will see a performance by an uncredited “big name” actor). However, the movie is very much standalone.

I have to admit that it took me half the movie to realize that Obadiah was Jeff Bridges. He doesn’t look like himself. It was the voice that clued me in because at one point I thought to myself, hey that guy sounds just like the Big Labowski.

I did find Gwyneth Paltrow and the subplot around her character to be somewhat weak. However, the acting in general didn’t descend to comic book-level. Which is good.