This is the kind of superhero movie I like. It has a terrific actor in the lead role, the script has clever dialogue and a healthy dash of humor, and the technology & special effects are impressive. A buff Robert Downey, Jr. stars as Peter Stark, a weapons inventor & manufacturer who develops a conscience when he discovers that the weapons he has built to protect his country are being used against it. We especially enjoyed the first 3/4 of the film, as Stark invents his way out of an Afghanistan cave/prison and takes the technology back to his fabulous Malibu home to develop it for good. Jeff Bridges, almost unrecognizable with a bald head and heavy beard, makes for a great villain. Gwyneth Paltrow provides some nice sexual tension as Stark’s competent assistant, Pepper Potts. Terence Howard appears as an Air Force officer who is Stark’s best friend, although he isn’t asked to do much here. I expect we will see more of him in the inevitable Iron Man 2. I’m actually looking forward to the next one, even though I’m sure I won’t like it as much as this one. Gary and I enjoyed the film and applaud Jon Favreau for successfully pulling off his first directing foray into the superhero genre. As A.O. Scott put it in his review, Favreau "wears the genre paradigm as a light cloak rather than a suit of iron." I say A; Gary says A-. GRADE A/A-