There's at least one blockbuster superhero action movie every summer now. All that audiences expect at this point is popcorn entertainment -- Spider-Man 2, one of the best action films ever made, fulfilled the greatness quota. But occasionally, comic book adaptations that make hints at greatness appear -- and while Iron Man has those hints, its unwillingness to take risks hinders it from classic status.

The beginning is essentially the only original element -- billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is driving through Afghanistan with a military group that is using some of his corporation's equipment. Suddenly, they're attacked by terrorists who are, oddly enough, also using the Stark Corporation's equipment for weaponry. That's original -- and surprising -- to take an old school comic book and place it in such a modern, relevant location -- the setting is ripe for sociopolitical commentary, and Iron Man takes advantage of this.

But the novelty stops there. Every other plot point in the film, minus a few slapstick surprises, is taken straight out of The Sam Raimi Guide on How to Make a Good Superhero Movie. There's the discovery scene (Stark is supplied with tools and becomes Iron Man), the death-of-a-friend scene, the almost-kiss-the-love-interest-but-not-quite scene (with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts), an evil corporate villain, (Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane) and direction that never pulls any special or inspired tricks. Sounds boring, right?

Not quite. The film is consistently kept alive by two things: Robert Downey Jr. and a great script from Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. Downey Jr. is easily one of the greatest living actors -- even in mediocre or terrible cinema, he makes every scene interesting. There's just something about the way he speaks and twists his eyebrows that leads audiences to watch him. And on top of that, he's supplied with punchlines that are funny and clever. You laugh out loud. And often. You'll never find quality like that in Spider-Man 3.

Everywhere else, the performances are adequate -- to be fair, all of the actors' appearances have been altered enough so that you'd never think it's them. Terrence Howard, a military commander, makes a good companion and appears much less stout. Jeff Daniels, as the archnemesis, successfully conceals his villainy with his graying beard but still manages to appear suspicious beneath it. Paltrow, with her hair sucked toward the back of her head, is charming, but that's about as far it goes (and probably about as far as we'd want it to).

So yes, Iron Man is highly entertaining -- but never extremely entertaining. It's engaging, but never thrilling -- a textbook good movie, as good as familiar territory can be.

Rating: B

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Method: Sneak Preview at My Local Theater

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