Comic book adaptations are notoriously difficult to achieve with exceptional results. The two outstanding contributions to the cinematic world of superhero films are Sam Raimi's Spiderman series and Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy. Chris Nolan's Batman Begins is serviceable (granted, to many it is an exceptional film), and Bryan Singer's X-Men flicks work on at least a mechanical level. What is noteworthy, however, is that the artistic success of these films is directly related to the inherent artistry of its director, in general. Iron Man director Jon Favreau, is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a cinema artist, and the picture suffers because of this.