Iron Man ****

"Iron Man" is a super-satisfying, super-action-filled, super-entertaining movie that surpasses the genre. And since his power comes from a super-advanced, self-propelled suit of armor, the hero Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) remains a very human protagonist - super-intelligent and super-wealthy, sure, but still a guy you can relate to. He even has his flaws, which, with the superb acting from Downey, and the inevitable baggage he brings to the role - I hasten to say the performance stands on its own - gives a depth of character seldom seen in the ranks of the super-heroes.

Director Jon Favreau ("Zathura," "Elf") gets the most from a talented cast. In another world far different from that previous one with flying robots,"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (2004), Gwyneth Paltrow here redeems herself for that lifeless performance. Her 'Pepper" Potts is a dead-on smart and saucy Girl Friday for her famous boss, one of the world's richest arms merchants and a well-known playboy. The chemistry with Downey is palpable. A bald-headed and bearded Jeff Bridges is fun to watch as mentor/nemesis Obadiah Stane. And Terrence Howard is pitch perfect as Stark's military contact/friend Jim Rhodes.

The back story unfolds well and keeps our attention as it carefully lays the groundwork for what is to come. The action sequences are exciting, well-produced, and well edited. And the writers didn't forget the humor. The summer blockbuster season couldn't have had a better opening act.

PG-13. 126 minutes. Jon Favreau - Director, Mark Fergus - Writer (screenplay), Hawk Ostby - Writer (screenplay), Art Marcum - Writer (screenplay), Matt Holloway - Writer (screenplay), Stan Lee - Writer (characters), Don Heck - Writer (characters), Larry Lieber - Writer (characters), Jack Kirby - Writer (characters), Avi Arad - Producer, Kevin Feige - Producer, Matthew Libatique - Cinematographer, Ramin Djawadi - Composer, J. Michael Riva - Production Designer, Dan Lebental - Editor. Distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Principal actors: Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub, Leslie Bibb, Bill Smitrovich, and Nazanin Boniadi.