Junior’s Rating ***** out of *****

Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb

There is no Academy Award for best casting director but if one existed, it’s first recipient should be the person who ultimately made the decision to let notorious Hollywood bad boy Robert Downey, Jr. play a super hero in Iron Man, now on DVD.  It is inconceivable that this rehab veteran was anyone’s first choice to play the Marvel Comics character, but now that I have seen him in the role arms-dealer-turned-international-crime-fighter Tony Stark, I can’t imagine any one else filling his metallic, fuel-injected shoes.  Iron Man is unexpectedly good and Downey turns in a career-rejuvenating performance that had everyone talking.  Equally impressive are Gwyneth Paltrow and an initially unrecognizable Jeff Bridges, who play Stark’s coy Girl Friday and devious arch nemesis, respectively.  Despite the presence of one mildly sexual situation, Iron Man is a high energy spectacle the whole family will love.