A surprisingly good superhero movie is, so far, still just a superhero movie. Iron Man is mostly good because of the acting. Robert Downey Jr. is on a hot streak right now by playing different permutations of the same sarcastic and witty character. It kind of felt like I was watching Harry from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang as a geeky, suave superhero. Gwyneth Paltrow is remarkably inoffensive as the love interest that, intelligently, is never completely won over in this film. The relationship is just kind of put on hold in the background, which will most likely and unfortunately be further explored in the unnecessary sequels.
One of the things I do like about Iron Man is that, other than Unbreakable, it is the most camouflaged superhero movie that I have seen. One could watch the first hour of this film and not get the impression that it is in the superhero genre. It is played out as a the story of a smart man who develops something that is useful for his situation. The film is more interested in being a well-made action movie than anything else, and it succeeds at that.
My main problem with it is one of the main problems that I have with all superhero films, which is that the film tries to spread a pacifist message of ‘I’m fighting to end all wars and violence and to protect the people’ but is filmed in a manner that portrays the fight scenes as graceful, well-choreographed spectacles that the audience is clearly intended to admire. I’m still waiting for the mainstream, anti-violence movie with fight scenes that really make the fighting look unappealing. But other than that, there is nothing really wrong with this film, nothing I have to see again, but certainly the best superhero movie released in 2008.