Wait…who’s Iron Man? While I’m sure some of you reading this are big fans of Iron Man, Marvel’s second-best-selling comic-book character after Spiderman, the rest of you are probably scratching your heads. Outside of the comic-book community, Iron Man is fairly obscure. He never reached the iconic pop culture status of Spiderman, Superman, Batman, or The Incredible Hulk. So, who is Iron Man? And why on earth did they cast Robert Downey, Jr. to portray him?

I urge you all to go see for yourselves, because Iron Man is as every bit as good as the first Spiderman film or Batman Begins. Robert Downey, Jr. is surprisingly perfect for his role as Tony Stark, a technical genius who graduates summa-cum-laude from MIT and is handed his father’s major weapons manufacturer company, Stark Industries. When the movie opens, Stark is a womanizing, quip-firing billionaire who is clearly enjoying his indulgent life at the top.

The more his ‘irresponsible side’ is revealed to us, the more Downey, Jr. starts to make perfect sense as an actor with a notorious ‘irresponsible side’ himself. But everything changes when Stark is taken prisoner in Afghanistan and must become Iron Man to escape. The ordeal really changes Stark’s outlook on the world, and he decides to turn his life around by turning it completely upside-down.

So, what are Iron Man’s superpowers, exactly? His brain. That’s it. Not that he lacks brawn – ladies, the man looks good – but Tony Stark’s only superpower is his genius mind. All of his physical ‘powers’ are contained within the “iron” suit he constructs for himself, a brilliant feat of technology and engineering. I mean, he’s kind of the ultimate geek.

Stark seems like the superhero designed for an Ivy League audience. The message here is that you can change the world for the better using your mind; your mind is a superpower. Iron Man is also Ivy League-friendly because it emphasizes that just because you’ve been a capitalist most of your life doesn’t mean you can’t become a hero.

In fact, you’ll need lots and lots of money to be a hero, so go make those billions first, save the world later! Well, maybe that’s not the message exactly; but there is a clear correlation between Tony’s ability to become a heroic figure and his billions of dollars – his brain is more important, but his money makes it all possible.

And there is certainly something to be said for the different paths one may take to bring good to the world; Wall Street-bound Ec concentrators are going to love this guy.

Then again, everyone will love this guy. Tony Stark is fabulously likable. From the opening scene, in which Tony’s character is brilliantly established in less than five minutes, you wish you were friends with him.

Gwyneth Paltrow is also quite likeable as Stark’s personal assistant, Pepper Potts. If you are used to the love interest in superhero movies driving you up the wall, you’re in for a refreshing treat; Pepper is potentially the least whiny superhero love interest yet.

You’d never realize this movie is two hours and twenty minutes long without somebody telling you, because it zips right by. Every minute is enjoyable. The movie is paced very well; it never drags, and the great writing keeps you laughing for a good 7/8ths of the time.

This classifies as an action movie first, but as a comedy second. Furthermore, while plenty of time is spent on the action and Iron Man’s CGI-produced suit, the focus is really on Tony Stark’s character. That’s why this movie joins Batman Begins and the first Spiderman film in the ranks of great superhero movies. You care about Stark, you want him to succeed.

And he’s not perfect, not even close. He makes all sorts of bad decisions, all of which make him more human, more real, and more lovable. Much credit goes to Downey Jr. for his outstanding portrayal of Stark. You have to love when the title character steals the show.

So while the movie isn’t a perfect film—the plot is a bit simplistic (spot the plot-contrivance reporter!), the product placement is annoying—it’s pretty close. Men and women alike will be charmed (plenty of eye-candy for both), and it’s well worth the $10 to see on the big screen. You even get an Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer thrown in for free! Check it out this reading period.