'Iron Man' Enjoying Early Rave Reviews

If you're lucky enough to live in some parts of the world, like Mexico or Sydney, Australia, then you may be among the few who have attended an early screening of Iron Man. Apparently, there was also a screening for exhibitors last week where one such exhibitor had the following to say about the film: "I have never read the comic and know almost nothing about the character. But I had seen some clips of Downey developing the suit and was amused. Well I can report the movie is terrific. It is a thinking person's superhero film with more character development than special effects and action scenes (though there are plenty of those which are nicely balanced so we get involved in the story rather than bored by non-stop effects.)." We've included video from the Iron Man press conference in Mexico after the jump, courtesy of Anne Thompson.

Gallery: Iron Man

Over at AICN, they've got a bunch of people writing in with early looks at the flick. Here are a few random quotes to whet your appetite: "I personally think that the movie was better than all of the X-Men movies, and I would put it up there with the first Spider Man." "And believe me when I tell you it was breath taking ... " "Intelligent script, great character development and Robert Downey Jr. is terrific." And finally, how can you ignore this quote: "Being a long time comic book geek who has seen some of his favorite characters butchered in these film adaptations, it was an immense relief to be absolutely blown away by the sheer awesomeness that is Iron Man!"

Our fingers are still crossed, but these reactions combined with the 7,987 awesome Iron Man trailers currently online -- and I'd say we have a new explosive franchise on the way ...