Iron Man

It's been a long time since I've seen a movie in the movie theaters (having a one-year old will do that to you). I've scrupulously avoided any spoilers for just about every summer movie out there, although more than one reviewer has given away quite a few surprises (I'm looking at you, Entertainment Weekly). When we finally got a babysitter willing to take care of our little tyke for a few hours, we decided to given the second-run movie theater nearby a try. And that movie was Iron Man.

By now everyone knows the story of Iron Man: alcoholic weapons-merchant billionaire Tony Stark has a change of heart (literally) when shrapnel penetrates his ribcage and threatens to end his life. Instead of making weapons, Stark vows to make a power suit instead...that is loaded with weapons, but let's not quibble over details.

Iron Man is an adult's movie, which is to say it involves mature subjects like the fact that Stark is an inveterate womanizer, likes his alcohol, kills bad guys, and many of those bad guys look like Middle Eastern terrorists. All this drama is tempered by Robert Downey Jr., who rattles off quips with abandon. His keeper is Obadiah Stane (played by Jeff Bridges with suitable cranky menace). Stark's assistant is the alliterative Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who runs the line between sweetly naïve and sleekly sexy in her five-inch heels and pencil skirt.

At its best, Iron Man features Stark uses his power suit to dodge jet fighters, kill terrorists, and rescue civilians. The theater I was in didn't have very good audio, so the (presumably adlibbed) one-liners that Downey constantly tosses off were often lost in the sounds of explosions and screaming. I imagine in a bigger theater or at home this wouldn't be a problem, but the movie lost some of its charm as a result.

There are plot holes. Vanity Fair reporters show up at important news conferences. Stark seems far more interested in building a power suit than removing the shrapnel from his body. And the entire premise of Iron Man revolves around "repulsor lift" technology, which is an infinite source of energy the size of a hockey puck that defies gravity. But if you didn't buy into the notion of a man in a flying suit, what are you doing watching the movie, right?

Iron Man keeps the plot tight. Unlike Spider-Man, there are no extraneous supervillains. Unlike X-Men, every character is there for a reason. But the big payoff for Iron Man is the ending. Iron Man flips traditional superhero conventions the bird and dares you to guess what happens next. Then it leaves you begging for more.

And there IS more, if you stay for the end of the credits. Unfortunately, I didn't read enough spoilers to realize I should have waited, so we missed it. So for the three of you who haven't seen the movie yet...stick around!