BOTTOM LINE: This is a comic book movie cut above most of the rest, and despite a highly predictable last act, this is an entertaining piece of popcorn with a stellar performance from Robert Downey Jr. and a few anti-war messages thrown in for good measure.

THE GOOD: "Iron Man" doesn't quite have the reputation of other comic book superheroes like Superman, Batman or Spiderman, but he does have a fascinating origin story in that Tony Stark (played with great wit and charm by Robert Downey Jr.) is in essence a war profiteer who sees the light when he learns his weapons are falling in to the wrong hands and he decides to do something about it. Captured in Afghanistan, he manages to break free from his captivity by building a cast iron suit with weapons and flying capabilities. When he returns to America with plans to cease all weapons manufacture for his company, partner Obadiah Stone (a very menacing Jeff Bridges) has other ideas, deciding to find the secret behind Stark's designs to make the ultimate combat soldier. Make no mistake, this is a comic book movie but it somehow manages to throw in some anti-war messages, particularly in the very strong first act where Tony sees first hand how his life's work is causing so much misery in the world. Robert Downey Jr. really makes this movie as good as it is, putting in a gravitating, witty performance as Tony Stark. He's always fun to watch, and portrays the careless playboy extraordinarily well. Jeff Bridges is perfect as Stone, portraying right from the outset someone who you shouldn't trust, and when he reveals himself, he's a nasty piece of work. Gwyneth Paltrow is great as Stark's assistant Pepper; she's girly enough to be the apparent love interest but no so girly to not be strong in the story. The design of Iron Man is very cool, and there are some great fun moments, particularly when Stark is testing the suit out before he completes it. "Iron Man" is a comic book movie with strong characters, solid action and a few stong themes that give it some extra dimension over other lesser comic book adaptations.

THE BAD: Once bad guy Stone is revealed for what he is and we enter the last act of the film, things become extremely predictable and essentially mimics the final acts of most superhero movies where Iron Man meets his match. After the stellar beginning, and coming to really enjoy Robert Downey Jr. command the screen, the climax of the film was a bit disappointing if only that it reverted to formula, became less believable, and didn't provide anything new. I found myself tuning out to be perfectly honest, but then, this kind of film has to have an ending like this so I'm not sure if the filmmakers could have done any better. It's a shame because the first three quarters of the film is quite engaging and unique (at least for a comic book movie).