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A major difference between Iron Man and other established superheroes is that he came into being as an adult. Unlike Spider-Man, Batman or any of the X-Men, Iron Man's transformation didn't take place during his formative years, which immediately makes his story an interesting one.

When we meet the man behind the iron, Tony Stark, he's already grown up, educated, and less impressionable than his comic book brethren. In a time when Hollywood bombards us with superhero movies from every direction, many with the same structure, this different aspect comes as a refreshing change and gives the movie something new to play with and explore, even though we'll have to wait until the sequel to experience it fully.

As it is now, Iron Man abides by the same structure and design as most superhero movies: man experiences physical change-->man has moral epiphany-->man decides to fight crime. It doesn't really go into the psychological effects of his change. What is different about Iron Man, though, is its tone. Whereas most superhero movies live at one of the spectrum, either bright and humorous (Spider-Man) or dark and cynical (X-Men and Batman Begins), Iron Man falls in between, and is able to generate weight from both sides.

I've never read the comic books by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, nor have I seen any of the cartoon spin-offs. I went into Iron Man completely cold and without any preconceived knowledge of who this character was. In fact, it wasn't until Comic-Con 2007 that I even learned there was an Iron Man. Fortunately, Jon Favreau's movie is so focused and accomplished, it got me hooked from the very beginning.

Favreau, the director behind such charming popcorn fare as Elf and Zathura, seems content making the inaugural Iron Man (you know there will be sequels) an action movie first. He seems to have gone to the school of superhero movies where they teach you the sequel is almost always deeper than the original (X2, Spider-Man 2). At times, we can sense the director wanting to make the material more serious, perhaps make it a social commentary, but Favreau and the four screenwriters forego intellectual depth and emotion and concentrate on strong characters, action and old-fashioned spectacle. Audiences will have little cause for complaint.

Stark is played by Robert Downey Jr., who owns the role of a weapons industry tycoon, womanizer, and technology whiz. Downey brings his usual smarminess and bad boy qualities to the table and we completely accept him as a semi-alcoholic, self-indulgent, billionaire playboy. Credit to the casting director who saw Downey's inherent nature and knew he may have been the only choice. The best thing about him is that we like his character, and Downey the actor doesn't overstep his boundary by being too cool or arrogant. He's attractive, funny and quick-witted, but his character is also interesting because of his intellect.

At the beginning, Stark goes to Afghanistan to show off his latest weapons for the U.S. army. His convoy is ambushed by a terrorist group and Stark barely escapes death by one of his own bombs. He's saved by another captive, Dr. Yinsen (Shaun Toub), who makes Stark a magnetic chest plate to prevent the bomb's shrapnel from entering his heart. The makeshift device, which also keeps Stark alive, serves a greater purpose later on.

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