Movie Sneak Preview: "Iron Man"

When making a movie based on a popular comic book character, the director and screenwriters actually have two separate audiences to please: the die-hard comic book fans and the moviegoers who know absolutely nothing about the character or the backstory.

With "Iron Man," director Jon Favreau has created a smart and funny adventure that should please both fans and those who have never picked up a comic book in their lives. Working from the script by Matt Holloway, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, Favreau keeps the story and action on track from start to finish.

Industrialist Tony Stark is Critically-Injured in the Middle East

Robert Downey, Jr. plays Tony Stark, a cheerfully amoral industrialist whose company is in the business of making weapons. Stark isn't all that concerned about the number of people killed by his products and would rather think about which lovely lady will share his bed that night.

Stark gets the wake-up call of a lifetime, though, when he flies to the Middle East to demonstrate a new type of weapon. After his convoy is attacked, a terrorist named Raza (Faran Tahir) and his band of warriors capture the critically-injured Stark and force him to build one of his new weapons, the deadly Jericho missile.

Racing the Clock, Stark Builds the First "Iron Man" Suit to Save His Life

With shrapnel from the attack moving closer to his heart every hour, Stark first builds a miniature reactor that will keep his heart beating and, with the help of another captive scientist named Yinsen (Shaun Toub), he constructs an iron suit to help him escape.

Upon his return to the United States, Stark ceases production of all weapons and takes his company in a brand-new direction. He also works night and day to improve the crude armor he built as a captive. Stark's change of heart doesn't sit well, though, with Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), Stark's right-hand man, who firmly believes that Stark Industries is, first and foremost, a weapons manufacturer.

"Iron Man" Stays Faithful to the Comic Book History and Supporting Characters

Unlike the "Fantastic Four" movies, which deviated quite a bit from their comic book roots, "Iron Man" remains faithful to the original characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It's hard to imagine anyone other than Robert Downey, Jr. playing the lead role of Tony Stark, a talented inventor who sometimes lets his own desires get in the way of doing the right thing. Downey also has impeccable comic timing, especially when Stark performs tests on his experimental armor.

Gwyneth Paltrow also earns high marks as Pepper Potts, Stark's faithful assistant, nursemaid and social conscience. As was the case in the comics, there's a simmering sexual tension between Pepper and Tony, but neither one of them knows how to handle it.

As James Rhodes, Stark's military liaison and good friend, Terrence Howard has some truly great moments. In the comic book, Rhodes eventually wore armor of his own and became known as "War Machine" and Favreau throws in some tantalizing hints that Howard may suit up in the sequel.

A film that gets just about every detail correct, at least from the point-of-view of comic book fans, "Iron Man" is one of those rare, must-see summer popcorn flicks.

"Iron Man," rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content, opens nationwide on Friday, May 2.