Who’s an ‘Iron Man’ fan?

So, who saw “Iron Man” last night, and what did people think?

I’ll start. I thought Robert Downey Jr. lived up to the hype, no easy thing since hardly anyone else has – including Christian Bale who, though a talented guy, didn’t strike me as having the full range of emotions that an effective superhero needs.

The vulnerability in Downey’s puppy-dog eyes can’t be faked. And even Ron Perlman , under all that latex in “Hellboy,” shows hurt better than Bale managed in “Batman Begins.”

In fact, all three of the “Iron Man” leads did well. Gwyneth Paltrow made the ridiculously named Pepper Potts more than Tony Stark’s sidekick by giving the impression that she had an actual interior life. And Jeff Bridges , as Obadiah Stane, breathed evil, underplaying his role perfectly – except for when he screams at an underling for not being as talented as Stark.

If I did have a problem with the film, it’s that it doesn’t have the complexity of the highest-grossing superhero movie series in history: “Spider-Man.” Another subplot, maybe going more into Stark’s relationship with his father or by expanding the role of Yinsen played by Shaun Toub , would have helped.

And I did think the final showdown between Iron Man and Iron Monger was a bit predictable, even if the special effects were first rate.

Still, as my colleague Tom Bowers said, “This is the perfect male fantasy,” I’m not sure, though, why he would say that. Maybe it was the pole-dancing flight attendants on Stark’s private jet. Yow.

Below: Robert Downey Jr. and Shaub Toub greet each other at Wednesday’s Los Angeles premiere of “Iron Man.”

Associated Press photo