Iron Man (2008)

The first in a series of Marvel Comics's-led adaptations of their own works, Iron Man kicked off the summer superhero blockbuster season with an unqualified success and set the bar very high with the quality of its adaptation.
Iron Man tells the origin tale of the two-toned, armored hero, holding true to the main gist of the original story from the 1960s (set in Vietnam) but updating the specifics to match current events. In the story, Tony Stark (played brilliantly by Robert Downey, Jr.) is a gifted inventor running the family corporation, a corporation substantially built upon military-contract arms manufacturing. When he finds himself the victim of his own weaponry, in the hands of insurgents in Afghanistan, he comes face to face with the legacy of his corporation's line of work. He resolves to change things, but to do so he must first escape his captors and stay alive despite critical injuries he has received. His solution: a suit of powered armor.
Upon his return to the US, Tony Stark radically changes his corporation's direction, much to the dismay of his right-hand man at Stark International, Obadiah Stane (played by Jeff Bridges), and major stockholders. After dropping such a bombshell, Stark largely secludes himself to work on his powered armor, devising a few prototypes, and developing the suit as a tool to make the world a better place.
Downey's portrayal of Tony Stark, based in part on the original comics but also influenced by the later version of Iron Man found in The Ultimates, is like watching the comic character step off the pages. From his womanizing, devil-may-care attitude, to his earnest change of heart and driving genius, Downey doesn't make any missteps in his characterization. It is such a pleasure to watch an actor of his talents, particularly in a men-in-tights movie (even if technically, the tights are made of steel).
Iron Man marks a departure from the previous line of Marvel Comics movies in that Marvel Comics had retained a lot of creative control rather than just farmed the movie rights out. And I believe it shows in the quality of the story, characterizations, and in the relatively seemless fit with traditional Iron Man lore. The story is updated but keeps true to the main core. Traditional characters are in place, including Pepper Pots (played by Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pulled from among the earliest days of the Iron Man stories, even before there was a devoted Iron Man comic. And, if I don't miss my guess, there are bits in the movie that seem to be laying the groundwork for the appearance of an old Iron Man nemesis, the Mandarin, in a potential sequel. If they can keep up this level of quality in the future, I have no qualms with yelling out the old slogan, "Make mine Marvel!"

Grade: A