Man of Steel

You know that jetpack novelty get-up that you see from time to time, where a stuntman will fly awkwardly over some store-opening or state-fair for half a minute or so?

That's reality.

Then there's Iron Man.


Deep in a cave beneath the Afghan mountains, you are asked to believe that a genius playboy inventor, faced with a life or death ultimatum, is able to build a supersonic jetpack to escape in. Did I mention the whole bit about the super-duper reactor battery he has to build to power the suit AND keep his heart beating?

That's Hollywood.

The brilliant part though, is that as absurd as a comic book premise like that can be, the movie sells it. Robert Downey Jr. becomes this technologic Iron Man, and for a few hours in a darkened theater, you just roll with it, smiling all the way. Downey Jr. is that good. All his rehab-tinged tabloid dalliances are seemingly channeled directly into a character that might as well have been written for him.

Unlike other cheesier comic book adaptations, say like the Fantastic Four flicks, this movie decidedly chooses a more adult route.

By not trying to pander to the lowest common denominator, director Jon Favreau gave his talented cast of Oscar nominees and winners a broad canvas to play on, and it worked. It really worked. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard all rise up to challenge of playing foils to Downey Jr.'s playboy superhero.

It is almost a testament to the sheer joy it was to sit through the film, that the final climactic battle (almost a cliche in itself in this era of bigger better spectacular effects) almost seems understated and simple. If you want more robotic bangs per city block, it is as if the movie acknowledges Transformers did that last year, and daringly the movie decides to be OK with that.

Just before the credits start rolling, the movie gladly throws a wrench into everything you know superheroes are supposed to do. Just the way Robert Downey Jr. manages to pull it off with style, it makes me look forward to the inevitable sequels already.

What a great start to the summer popcorn season. With the Wachowski Brothers and Spielberg still to come just this month, here's hoping for a good old summer blockbuster season!