Iron Man: Best Super-Hero Movie Ever?

For the few of you who check this blog on a regular basis, the recent inactivity was due to a vacation up in cottage country north of Toronto. I've done a lot of reading, so should have a lot of talk about for the remainder of the month, but my thoughts right now are with Tony Stark & Co.

With two young kids, I very rarely get to see a movie while it is still in theatres (nothing since Sweeney Todd), but I decided that enough was enough and that I was well within my rights to play hooky from work and check it out before it was replaced by crappier movies at the local multiplex. After reading a million reviews and posts, my expectations were pretty high and I had braced myself for disappointment. What a relief to discover that it live up to its billing. From the moment I had that Robert Downey Jr. was cast, I knew it would be a perfect fit (there's probably a 2 year old post on CBR stating same) and every other aspect was just as good. It's hard not to delve into fanboy giddiness here, as it's 2 weeks later and I'm still in love with the movie.

Is it perfect? Nope - the final battle scene was over the top, as they always are in these films but at least the tried to keep it short. I was dreading the ending throughout the movie, knowing that they'd likely lose the atmosphere and pacing - but it wasn't too bad. I do wish they'd ended it with a frozen free fall, though.

So, the question is where does it fit in the grand scheme of superhero movies? Keep in mind that I am of the generation that endured the long, dry stretch between Superman II and Tim Burton's Batman, so anything half decent has always won some praise form me. The first two Spidey films and Batman Begins hit all of the right notes in my books. The thing is, those are my two favourite characters so they've got a good head start. Iron Man is not likely even one of my top 10 favourite characters, so the fact that I'm even considering this for the top spot says a great deal. Only time with tell, but it's definitely a contender.

Now, I trying to figure out a date to skip work to see Dark Knight.