Hey all. Capone in Chicago here.

On the day I saw Iron Man for what I'm sure will be the first of several times, there was a serious chance that it was going to snow here in Chicago. So while many other critics have been talking about how summer has arrived a little bit earlier than normal as far as movies are concerned, I choose to look at the release of Iron Man as marking the early arrival of Christmas.

I wonder if it's any coincidence that the two best superhero franchises feature billionaires without any actual super powers--Batman and now Iron Man. The difference between the two titles is easily recognizable: whereas Batman's training, spiritual preparation, and costume design are largely done off-camera or in a slick montage, the element of director Jon Favreau's latest work that I found most enjoyable is that Iron Man's origin feels more like an actual birth--it's painful, messy, there's even a placenta-like goo deep down in the chest cavity that holds the device keeping him alive. But I'm jumping ahead…

By now you probably know all you need to about the film's set up in Afghanistan and about a certain playboy/weapons manufacturer named Tony Stark (played to cocky perfection by Robert Downey Jr.). If you don't know much about the set up, it's probably because you don't want to, and that's actually admirable. I saw two of the summer's most anticipated films on the day I saw Iron Man, and my biggest complaint about the day in general was how much of the cool footage from both films I'd already seen online or in commercials. Granted, part of that is my own fault for seeking this stuff out, but the studios should consider that holding back the best stuff isn't a crime.

But I digress. It's one thing to see the birth if Iron Man out of a cave in Afghanistan taking out terrorists (most of whom are armed to the teeth with weapons from Stark Industries) on a computer screen or in television commercial; it's quite another thing to see it accompanied by the roar of hundreds of die-hard fans. The first thing you notice about the film's use of special effects is that you hardly notice them at all. In many other films, it's so easy to spot the CGI that it's distracting. But in Iron Man, I literally could not tell what was practical and what was digital 95 percent of the time; this made it a lot easier to simply give myself over the story and terrific acting without feeling distracted.

And how about that acting?

The other thing that the latest Batman films and Iron Man have in common is that they actually bother to cast talented actors even in the supporting roles, and not simply resort to casting the prettiest young faces who probably don't cost as much to hire. It actually cracks me up to think that the average age of the major players in the Iron Man cast is probably over 40. But age not withstanding, I can't imagine a better cast, one that never stopped surprising me. Terrence Howard plays the wide-eyed military liaison to Stark Industries Jim Rhodes, who clearly gets a serious case of suit envy when he discovers his friend's secret; Gwyneth Platrow is sharp as Stark's faithful, fearless assistant Pepper Potts; and I was particularly excited about Clark Gregg's small but essential role as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, someone I'm guessing that we'll see a lot more of in coming sequels. If I had one major quibble about Iron Man it would be Jeff Bridges take on long-time Stark mentor and soon-to-be villain Iron Monger Obadiah Stane. His performance and look scream "Villain!" from the second we see him on screen. But Jeff Bridges in any movie is always a bit better than a movie without him, so I'll give his hammy persona a pass.

And then there's Downey, who begins the film getting kidnapped by Afghani terrorists and forced to create a version of Stark Industries' most recent weapon of mass destruction. Instead, Stark creates Version 1.0 of his Iron Man costume, a clunky body armor that looks like it was made out of the bulkhead of an old submarine. It's magnificent, ugly, and beautiful at the same time, and it's loaded with just enough firepower to get him out of his bind. But Stark returns to the states a changed man, one who is determined to make sure that his weapons don't fall into the hands of people who would use them against American troops. The stock value in Stark Industries begins to plummet after an impromptu press conference that Tony holds to announce the dismantling of his weapons division.

My favorite scenes in Iron Man are the extended sequences in which he builds and test drives his high-tech armor, complete with a chest-embedded power source/electromagnet to keep shrapnel from entering his heart and killing him instantly. Favreau spends a surprisingly long time on this section of the film, and as much as it may delay the action just a little bit longer than the Action Movie Rulebook might dictate, I was really impressed with just how entertaining it can be watching a genius at work--tinkering, welding, designing, and, of course, learning to fly. It's during this sequence that we first hear the voice in Stark's head.

Paul Bettany gives voice to the personality-laden computer that Stark communicates with inside that magnificent helmet. I loved seeing inside Iron Man's helmet both through his eyes and looking upon Downey's face as his eyes examine diagnostic images and analysis of the world around him. Everything about the "learning" phase of the plot is interesting, and as much as I thought it was cool to see Peter Parker discover the extent of his powers in Spider-Man, his instinct and Spider Sense was going to get him there anyway. What Stark must learn does not come naturally; sometimes it's an outright disaster, especially when it comes to flying. It's funny, sure, but it's also like watching the Wright Brothers first few attempts at building that first working aircraft.

Even the climactic battle sequence is sloppy, since neither hero nor villain has much experience in their respective costumes. The relatively short fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger is filled with loud, clanging punches; an exchange of ammunition; and a lot of scuff and scorch marks on their pretty armor. It's one of the ugliest action scenes in recent history, and I don't mean that in a bad way. These two opponents aren't necessarily built to look cool while kicking the shit out of each other. Sure Iron Man has some hot-rod-red paint on his armor so he looks a little cooler. But you still get the sense that if one of these guys fell on their backs, they'd have a tough time getting up again without a crane.

I wouldn't call what John Favreau is attempting to do with Iron Man "realism," but he certainly succeeds in making his Stark/Iron Man character one of the most well-rounded, fully formed superheroes the movies have ever seen. He's also given his characters weigh, both physically and emotionally. When Iron Man walks, the room vibrates; when Tony Stark speaks, people listen.

And I could not love more how the film ends, virtually guaranteeing a sequel not with a cliffhanger, but with a promise of better things to come--better villains, more character development (I'm guessing Stark's love of scotch will take us down a road to alcoholism as the comics did), a deeper connection to that mysterious government agency, and we'll see just where Terrence Howard's line at seeing a spare Iron Man costume "Next time, baby" takes us. The greatest thing Iron Man can give us is the desire to see where the character will go next, and on that level, this film is a monumental success.

Capone