Action is a genre that’s seldom recognized as being of great quality.  People perceive it as “escape” and do not pause to consider the labor and artistry that’s poured into the making of a great action film.  Figuring out how to shoot an action sequence may well be the most logistically complex thing I can imagine...

That said, most action films are successes in at least one regard: the artistry of their SFX, makeup and CGI crews.  Stealth, after all, was the worst action film I’ve ever seen - but the ability of those artists to build clouds and other loose particulate matter that looks *so* real...breath-taking - and worth tipping a hat to.

Where most action films fail is the script itself.  Catwoman may be the coolest female comic hero ever, but when the script that goes to production requires its lead actress to say things like “purrrrrrfect,” it’s doomed to wind up on the clearance bin of every Blockbuster Video from Maine to San Diego.

Iron Man’s team of writers (literally - 4 of them: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway) transcended such mistakes - and wrote an entertaining action film with smart characters, snappy dialogue, well-placed humor, and even a thought-provoking criticism of capitalism’s relationship to weapons manufacturing. 

Adding to the backbone is a director (Jon Favreau) who is obviously familiar with the comic book itself (unlike other tragic director hires; see X-Men 3), and brings the story to life with a careful balance of comic book imagery and real-world grit.  Add Downey’s misanthropic portrayal of Stark, Bridges’ sleazy villain and Paltrow’s under-stated Pepper Potts to the mix...and voila! - you’ve got a delightfully fun and fast-paced comic adaptation that brings escape and a little criticism.  Not bad for an “artless” genre...