Iron Man

Loved it! While the superhero "origin story" format is becoming all-too-familiar, like a subgenre of its own, this is one of the best iterations I've seen... if not *the* best.

Downey Jr and Bridges elevate it to a whole 'nother level. Also liked Gwyneth Paltrow and the decision to do Jarvis as an AI rather than a butler... That let them give Pepper a lot more presence than she would've had otherwise, and it let the "you're all I have" line ring emotinoally true. It also let them put AI Jarvis in Tony's head while he's in the suit. Very clever.

I'm especially impressed that they added not just SHIELD, but also the Avengers (Initiative) wrinkle as well. Hope everyone stayed for the after-credits bit with Samuel L. Jackson -- who is as perfectly cast for Nick Fury as Downey Jr and Bridges were for Stark and Stane.

Marvel now seems intent on launching a full-scale feature film version of its universe, and they're using a much more streamlined, organic approach to world-building than Warners, which is doing a Justice League movie that exists in a separate film universe from both the Batman and Superman tentpoles... which are themselves separate from each other... Silly rabbit: take note! This is how it should be done.

On top of Nick Fury in this movie, Downey Jr has a cameo in the new Hulk movie. My guess is we'll see Stark recruit Banner for the Avengers. An Avengers movie could follow on that basis alone--with Downey Jr and Norton--if the plot centered on resurrecting Captain America.