http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/iron_man/

94% is the nutz even for a movie nit like myself

4 star review in the NY Daily News:


4 STARS

IRON MAN

BY: JOE NEUMAIER



A millionaire weapons expert builds a superhero armor to fight evil. With Robert Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges. Directed by Jon Favreau. (2:05). PG-13: Violence, explosions. At area theaters.



There’s really not a lot of Iron Man in “Iron Man,” opening Friday. That’s ok — the summer’s first action blockbuster is essentially “The Robert Downey Jr. Show,” which is always a blast.

When a rock’ em-sock’ em first hour is added as well as, yes, some Iron Man fight sequences, the result is the first comic-book movie in a while that actually feels like a classic comic-book: Fast, furious, and flip. Forget about superheroes with love problems and tortured souls.

Downey is Tony Stark, a millionaire arms inventor who, while giving a weapons demonstration to troops in Afghanistan, is attacked and kidnapped. Shoved in a cave by terrorists who give him a week to build a rocket from spare parts, Stark — who now has magnetized sphere in his chest that keeps shrapnel in his body from entering his aorta — instead constructs a tank-suit that looks like the Michelin Man and boasts more goodies than a Swiss army knife.

Back home at his L.A. mountaintop bachelor pad (which of course has a workshop General Motors would kill for), Stark literally experiences a change of heart, deciding to stop making war machines. So he builds a suit of armor that flies like a jet, shoots energy blasts and helps keep his ticker going as he fights injustice.

The fact that Iron Man is a B-lister in the Marvel Comics stable doesn’t stop director Jon Favreau and his writers from aiming high and generally hitting the target. Meanwhile, Stark’s inner circle, including Gwyneth Paltrow (sexy and bookish as Pepper Pots - his redheaded Girl Friday), Terrence Howard (tough and loyal) as his military connection, and Jeff Bridges (bald and menacing), as a mentor-turned-villain, lend a touch of class.

But cruising above it all is Downey. Since Iron Man’s helmet has no nose and a little rectangular mouth, the smartest thing Favreau did was cast a lead who’s constantly alive. The few times the red-and-yellow battle gear is front-and-center in “Transformers”-ish action moments, Favreau often shows his star’s face inside the shell-head. As Downey-as-Stark pumps life into every scene, it’s clear the actor regarded as one of the best of his generation has not let the rusted set in after his battle with drugs a decade ago.

Even in the midst of those personal troubles, Downey always heated up every movie he was in. Now that he’s been entrusted with a superhero franchise, you may just believe the man can actually fly.

studois cant lose money on a movie?

125 million in domestic film rental assumes a 250 million dollar domestic gross, and as much as I liked the film, that is far from guaranteed, as would be a 400 million dollar foreign take. Those are both lofty blockbuster type numbers and difficult to obtain.

In other words, don't start printing the money just yet. Marvel has a major, major investment and risk in this movie, more so than any other production they have ever done.

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=s ... ronman.htm

as you can see, the only movies that mojo considers similiar (although I would thrown the Tim Burton Batman Movies and the original Superman Movies into the mix) that made 250 million + are the three Spiderman Movies and Transformers.

Plus many consider Iron Man to be a second tier Marvel Superhero to begin with...a notch below Spiderman and X-Men and maybe even Fastastic Four, putting it more on a level with Daredevil, so Marvel has a lot on the line. I think they are sweating bullets and crossing their fingers.

To their credit, I think they pulled it off, and I would love to see Iron Man be huge. I thought Downey was really good and a perfect fit for Tony Stark..plus a SHIELD movie spinoff would be fun too.