REVIEW: First big film of the summer has everything you want

The first summer blockbuster of the year has arrived, and it goes by the name "Iron Man." Director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. have taken one of Marvel Comics most enduring characters and created a near-perfect comic book adaptation. From the opening scene to the last, the film never slows down, never gets boring and never disappoints.

"Iron Man" tells the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire weapons manufacturer. He is kidnapped by a group of terrorists, who demand that he make them a massively destructive missile. He agrees, but instead creates a suit of armor that he uses to escape. His experience changes him, and he decides to use his genius to help better the world. And from that idea, Iron Man is born.

Robert Downey Jr. is unbelievably good as Tony Stark. He plays every aspect of the character with utter perfection, from the suave ladies man he starts out as to the changed man he becomes. Even when he's in the suit, Downey Jr. makes Iron Man a real character and not just some special effects magic.

Gwyneth Paltrow is charming in her supporting role as Pepper Potts, Tony's personal assistant. Terrence Howard also does a great job playing Jim Rhodes, an old friend of Tony's. Jeff Bridges rounds out the cast, playing Obadiah Stane, Tony's business partner. Sporting a shaved head and goatee, Bridges is almost unrecognizable, but plays his part quite convincingly.

"Iron Man" has set the standard for all future comic book movies. Someone who has never read a comic in their life will enjoy it just as much as someone who's been reading the comic since issue one. It has it all: action, adventure, drama, suspense, romance, comedy — everything you could possibly want in a summer movie.