Where do I begin to express my immense joy over this spectacular film? It seems only fair to start with the star of the film, Robert Downey Jr. Without a doubt, Downey Jr. is the heart and soul of this film; I sincerely doubt that the film would have been as effective with anyone else in the role. For those unfamiliar with the comic, Tony Stark is well-known in the realm of comics as a handsome, talented man who is often at odds with his naturally irresponsible nature and his history of substance abuse. If the character had not been created in 1963, by that description one would suspect it had practically been modeled after Downey Jr's life. He portrays the character with a large measure of pomp and bravado, and his dry sense of humor throughout the film provides a number of genuinely funny moments. In fact, the scenes with Stark out of the armor provide just as much sheer entertainment value as the amazing action sequences, which in my opinion is what separates the great comic films from the poor ones. Tony Stark is not a flat, immaculate, consistently heroic character; he is a real guy with a number of flaws, some of which adversely affect his life in and out of the robotic suit.

Thankfully, the rest of the cast also proved to be extremely competent in their respective roles. I don't believe I have ever seen a comic villain portrayed quite the way Jeff Bridges played Obadiah Stane, which is in no way a criticism. Bridges' performances lends a certain level of ambiguity to the character at the start of the film, and had I not been familiar with the comic, I might not have suspected at first that he would be the mastermind behind the sinister plot in the film. Gwyneth Paltrow also performed admirably in her role as Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant. She makes it very clear through her performance that even though Potts is continually exasperated by Tony's juvenile behavior, she also has a deep admiration for him and ultimately needs him as much as Tony needs her. Terrence Howard was also very strong as Stark's best friend, Jim Rhodes; the interactions between him and Downey Jr. provide some of the film's funniest moments.