It’s taken a while for Marvel to get to where they are now, but it finally looks like they’re really getting it right. For those of you who take pleasure in not being nerdy, Marvel is the comic series behind most of the superheroes you know. Spidey. Wolverine. The Thing. And now that they’ve made enough to produce their own films under the Marvel Studios company, it looks like their creative control is paying off and fans of the comics can rest assured. And so, we come to Iron Man, the first of 2008’s superhero offerings.

Since Iron Man is a more obscure hero (though some of you may remember the 90’s cartoon series), here’s a breakdown: Tony Stark is a billionaire weapons manufacturer and genius engineer. He gets captured by terrorists and builds a suit of power armour to escape. Once back home, he massively upgrades it into a flying, high-tech, armoured power suit and uses it to fight terrorism. That’s pretty much it. If you enjoyed Spider-man and X-men, but (wisely) stayed away from Fantastic Four and Hulk, then Iron Man is the one you should see.

Do not expect a deep plot, however the film is paced well and has several very satisfying action sequences (including Iron Man vs. two fighter jets in an adrenaline-pumping sky chase). But the real highlight of this film is Robert Downey Jnr, who in his role as Stark literally carries the film. He was made for this role, and embodies it far better than most other superhero actors, giving it a depth and an edge that gives the film its quality. Co-stars include an entertaining Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark’s secretary, Terence Howard as James Rhodes (who in later times will don the Iron Man suit) and Jeff Bridges as Stark’s former mentor. All in all, Iron Man is smart, funny, and above all entertaining. And to all you comic fans out there, make sure you stay after the credits.