Marvel got it right.

Somehow, this mix up of a director with a great sense of humor, Jon Favreau (Elf), two Oscar Nominated writers, Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus (Children of Men) and an actor who set out to prove to the world he is at the top his game managed to create one of the best super-hero movies – EVER! Staying 98.9% true to the original comic book helped a bit as well. The newly christened Marvel Studios can walk proud cock about the Hollywood barnyard taking in roughly 25 million for their endeavors.

There were some that thought Robert Downey Jr. could not possibly play Iron Man. He’s too short, he’s too old, and he’s washed up. These where but a few sentiments heard among the trash talkers. But among the stacks at comic book shops across the world, there was another logical response. Who better to play the character of Tony Stark, a flawed hero and alcoholic, than the man who had been through the hell of substance abuse and lived to tell the tale? Believable, witty and looking more Stark than Stark, Downey made fan boys and girls cheer around the globe. My own sincere Thank You goes out to Mr. Downey, thank you for making this movie and taking the material seriously.

The lovely Gwyneth Paltrow as the ever patient and long suffering assistant to Stark, Pepper Potts, was a breath of fresh air. Her chemistry with Downey was undeniable. Paltrow added depth and warmth to the film, an area where so many other super-hero movies have failed, recognizing the importance of Pepper to Tony and to the story.

SAG Award winning actor Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle and Flow) is Stark’s friend and military liaison to the company, Jim Rhodes. Howard was only a bit flat in one particular scene where he was possibly “talking” to a green screen; not the easiest task for most actors. Again, the otherwise excellent acting of Howard added another layer of believability to the film. Look for homage to War Machine toward the end of the film!

Lastly and certainly not least, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane was shear genius. Not only does this man “look” like Stane, Bridges does an excellent job of acting fatherly one moment and wanting to commit murder the next.

There are several Easter eggs in the film for die hard comic book fans making a third or fourth trip to theater even more fun. For example Tony drinks from a coffee mug that has a black bolt on it, a reference to Black Bolt, leader of the Inhumans. There is another inside joke as some of documents Pepper downloads have the recipient as “The Big Lebowski”, a role played by Jeff Bridges. Stay past the credits for a special scene as well.

Go see this movie in the theater! You will not be disappointed!