Iron Man should be the final signpost and piece of cinematic advice for studios when they're contemplating a comic book adaptation: hire a director with vision! Though it might not always work (the wonderful Ang Lee made a not-so-wonderful mess out of Hulk), getting directors with a sense of style, intelligence and individuality usually pays huge dividends: Bryan Singer with X-Men and Superman Returns; Tim Burton with Batman; Chris Nolan with Batman Begins; Robert Rodriguez with Sin City; and Sam Raimi with Spider-Man. When you hire hacks and journeymen, you end up with rank, insulting garbage like Ghost Rider, The Punisher, Elektra and many, many more. Iron Man director Jon Favreau is a filmmaker with a background in indie cinema and a facility for rich characterisation. Guess what? He scores big time: Iron Man is an exciting, funny, entertaining and utterly compelling piece of popcorn entertainment that sits at the top end of comic book adaptations.

The film centres on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), a multibillionaire, genius scientist, playboy, media sensation and weapons manufacturer. Boasting a clear conscience and a usually full tumbler of scotch, Stark is a true "master of the universe". But while out on a field test of one of his military weapon inventions, Stark is wounded, captured and forced to make weapons for the enemy. Instead, he fashions himself a crude form of armour to save his life and facilitate his escape. When he returns home, morally awakened by his experiences and now painfully aware of what his trade in weapons has done, the previously footloose and fancy free Tony Stark revamps his armour and reinvents himself as the crime fighting Iron Man. In his corner are his military liaison buddy Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and his loyal secretary Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), while facing off against him is his scheming business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).

Director Favreau does just about everything right here. The casting choices are absolutely spot-on, with Downey Jr. brilliant as the flashy, cocky Stark, and even better as the bruised man who later looks at himself and sees nothing but disappointment. All of the supporting performances are excellent, with Bridges particularly strong. Unlike most actors when playing comic book bad guys, he keeps it on a leash and never goes over the top. Favreau also sensibly grounds his film with a rich, involving story, and uses the excellent action sequences to punctuate it rather than control it. The result is pretty much the blueprint for how to make a blockbuster: provide the fun and the thrills, but back it up with strong characters, a good story and a little bit of substance. Is it that hard, Hollywood?