43°

Iron Man'

Marvel Entertainment

2 hours, 6 minutes

Ahhh. Summer has arrived. OK, maybe not calendar summer, but that sweet, loud, shiny, action-packed, star-filled rollercoaster version that Hollywood excels at. That's the summer I'm talking about, and with this weekend's release of the spectacular comic-book adaptation, "Iron Man," the season is in full swing, baby.

I'll admit it, I unabashedly love summer blockbusters. Well, maybe not always the blockbusters themselves, but the idea of them. The hype, the anticipation, the endlessly changing variety of teaser trailers and posters ? all that build-up turns a regular movie into an event. It's great. True, often the movies can't live up to the expectations. Look at "Spider-Man 3." That poor thing just got buried under the weight of the hopes and dreams of million devoted fans. So, while I love the coming summer blockbusters, I often get my heart broken. It's an emotional season, that's for sure. Luckily, this week's movie started me out right.

Robert Downey Jr. cements his return from the edge of the abyss as he takes on the role of Tony Stark. Stark is a wealthy industrialist, blithely ambivalent weapons manufacturer, and all-around playboy who only gets about five minutes into the film before being taught a harsh lesson in humility. While on a weapons demonstration trip to war-torn Afghanistan, Stark is mortally wounded and captured by guerilla terrorists using an arsenal filled with Stark Industries products. Only the application of a small, round electromagnetic power supply directly to his heart saves his life, but his troubles have only just begun. The terrorists want their own version of the latest Stark missile, and they want our hero to build it for them. It's either that, or a shallow grave under a sand dune. Tony, who also happens to be an engineering genius, has other plans in mind, however. The terrorists may want a bomb, but with the spare parts they are providing him, Tony Stark is building an entirely different kind of weapon. Thus begins the saga of "Iron Man," a superhero in the vein of "Batman" ? super wealthy, super smart, and super determined to stop evil-doers ? just without so much angst.

There are a dozen reasons this movie succeeds, but the biggest is that the people involved decided to treat it as more than a quick buck. As such, the writing is well done, the casting is superb, and the focus is on character, not just explosions. Downey Jr. is perfectly cast. He exudes just the right level of smarminess, coupled with the ability to be dramatic without being schmaltzy. Rounding out the stellar group of players are Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Stark's go-to gal, Trevor Howard as his buddy Jim Rhodes, and Jeff Bridges as the evil and ambitious Obadiah Stane. High praise should also go to Jon Favreau, whose previous silly but enjoyable directorial offerings, "Elf" and "Zathura," give no hint as to his ability to steer such a large production with such confidence.

"Iron Man" marks the debut of a brand new studio in Hollywood. Marvel Comics, which previously served as one of a number of smaller financiers in the production of its properties as films, has now taken on the task entirely. For the company, this means total control and most of the profits from the incredibly lucrative and seemingly endless number of upcoming comic book films. The Marvel roster of heroes is huge, and considering the number of characters that have yet to receive the big-screen treatment, you can understand the attraction for the company to put out its studio shingle. Next up for Marvel is a revamp, of sorts, of "The Incredible Hulk." One of the coolest possibilities to Marvel taking on full responsibility for movie-making is the ability to easily cross characters from one film to the next. "Hulk" is rumored to have an appearance by Tony Stark, and Marvel is said to have an "Avengers" movie in the works, a super-team that includes a variety of costumed crimefighters including Iron Man, as well as Captain America and Thor, two characters that also currently have films in pre-production.

I suppose the comic book film's popularity could fizzle, sending all these grand plans down the tubes. And stall it will, if Marvel doesn't learn from the lessons of the past. "Batman" seemed a never-ending juggernaut in the 1980s, until Joel Schumacher turned it into a joke. And "Superman" looked like it would employ Christopher Reeve into his 80s until they gave a supporing part to Richard Pryor. Comic book fans are among the most rabid and opinionated in the world. Remain true to the source, take it seriously, and those fans will come running. Don't, and they'll bury you.

"Iron Man" is the movie the fans asked for. It's not perfect ? one or two of the lines fall flat, and there is some debate as to the appropriateness of placing fictional heroes amid a real-life tragedy like Afghanistan. But "Iron Man" hits all its marks, and does so with such unadulterated coolness that it gives hope that maybe this summer won't break my heart after all.

Grade: A

"Iron Man" is rated PG-13 for violence, language, and brief suggestive content.

Chris Jenness is a freelance graphic designer, artist and movie buff who lives in Nikiski.