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Industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) builds a huge metallic suit to escape Afghani captors and then decides to use it to reclaim his company's weapons that have fallen into the wrong hands. This causes friction with his right-hand man (Jeff Bridges, kinda miscast), confusion from his military pal (Terrence Howard) and not exactly surprising sparks with his loyal assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow).
 
Big question: Can director Jon Favreau ("Elf") satisfy fans of the Marvel comic while kicking off the summer movie season with more oomph than 2007’s "Spider-Man 3"?
 
Catch it: This year's hot father's day gift for dads who crave tank-destroying abilities, Iron Man's suit is a gorgeous beast of drool-worthy, clanging fanboy power, inspiring lust for its awesome strength and inherent sense of responsibility. The equally good-looking movie, though bogged down by a slow start and lack of a central villain, is funny without being cartoonish and serious without being dull, a difficult balance that also happens to be an apt one-line bio for Downey Jr.
 
Skip it: If you believe that every military snafu is the result of a simple "training exercise." Based on Rhodes' (Howard) cover-ups, we can assume that most of them are actually considerably exciting, highly explosive and completely superhero-caused.
 
Bottom line: Ultimately "Iron Man" flirts with greatness without closing the deal, providing some soaring, badass moments to rave about in a film you're unlikely to fully love. Still, its comfortable groove of simple, satisfying entertainment is a place most summer movies only dream of and most superhero flicks never even glimpse.
 
Bonus: Tony claims that part of the benefit of having your own plane is that it will never take off without you. But who wants to endure a life free from the thrills of sprinting through an airport to make a flight?

Video: Watch the review of 'Iron Man'

What do you think of 'Iron Man'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com

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