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Iron Man
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Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 38 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 570 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard
  • Summary: Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man. (Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios) … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 38
  3. Negative: 0 out of 38
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    You hire an actor for his strengths, and Downey would not be strong as a one-dimensional mighty-man. He is strong because he is smart, quick and funny, and because we sense his public persona masks deep private wounds. By building on that, Favreau found his movie, and it's a good one.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    100
    Ever-eclectic director Jon Favreau, who briefly pops up onscreen as a Stark minion, maintains a brisk but not frantic pace, and, in concert with lenser Matthew Libatique, production designer J. Michael Riva and the first-rate visual effects team, has made an unusually elegant looking film for the genre.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    60
    It's not sure where to go once the final Iron Man suit is constructed, and seems in a rush to get there, but Downey Jr and the supporting cast are so perfectly placed we're already looking forward to the bound-to-be-better sequel.

See all 38 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 265 out of 304
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 304
  3. Negative: 24 out of 304
  1. grandpajoe6191
    7
    The action and humor is amazingly strong and unnecessary to prove the movie that its worth more than the others; in the end, "Iron Man" is just a decent summer blockbuster.… Expand
    • 3 of 3 users said yes
  2. GilbertL.
    5
    Run of the mill plot twists almost seem besides the point in this movie. The director/producers/screenwriters hit all the marks of a typical superhero movie, knowing that the movie will be a crowd pleaser.This movie feels as though it would have been fresh at least 10 years ago, but, as seen in 2008, the movie is somewhat dull. Robert Downey Jr's line readings and the banter between him and Gwyneth Paltrow are the most entertaining elements of the movie. Even the character of the villain is boring. If a movie of this sort doesn't have a strong, seemingly invincible villain, then what is the point?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. AntrossoI.
    3
    Overrated movie, just another solid action movie. Nothing more, nothing less.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 304 User Reviews

Trailers

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