The Marvel Comics adaptation of “Iron Man” is bound to draw hordes of enthusiastic moviegoers to theaters across the US and Canada for them to revel in the marvelous work director Jon Favreau, star Robert Downey Jr. and all of the other cast and crew members put together.

Make no mistake, “Iron Man” is no cheesy, abundantly action-packed comic-book superhero movie suffused with clichés and typical dialogue.

First of all, the cast boasts the names of Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges, all critically acclaimed actors that bring fine nuances to their characters.

Downey portrays the dry, witty and dashing Tony Stark, a billionaire weapons manufacturer who owns Stark Enterprises and lives a life enviable to many – he has a luxurious life style, with exciting cars, a private jet, an impressive home and beautiful women at his beck and call.

His perspective of life changes substantially though, after he is kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan, where he was making a weapons demonstration to troops. The terrorists lock him away and threaten to kill him unless he manages to build a rocket from spare Stark parts.

With the help of his brilliance and the loyalty of Yinsen (Shaun Toub), Stark outsmarts the bad guys, builds a prototype of the future Iron Man suit and escapes.

He no longer thinks lightly of the dangerous products of his business and decides that Stark Enterprises’ weapon-making days are over. Enter Obadiah Stane, Stark’s duplicitous business partner, played convincingly cold and menacing by Jeff Bridges. Obadiah plays a double game by appeasing Stark and in the meantime dealing with the enemy and ultimately plans to destroy our hero.

Stark then dons a perfected Iron Man suit and vows to save the world from the havoc and destruction set free by the immoral Obadiah. Interestingly enough, Iron Man does not have superpowers; his superhero gifts are all high-tech concoctions of his genius mind, while unarmored he is very much a vulnerable human being.

Of course, no superhero story would be complete without the feminine element and here the main character finds budding romance with his faithful assistant Pepper Potts, portrayed warmly, with style and efficiency by Gwyneth Paltrow.

The sidekick is also present, albeit in short supply, as Terrence Howard’s character Jim Rhodes, Tony’s Air Force-commander best friend.

Screenwriters Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway did a good job providing the characters with smart dialogue that fits in well with the fervent action and computer-generated visual effects, while Jon Favreau directs the whole project with evident enthusiasm and confidence.

“Iron Man” opens in theaters Friday and is expected to raise as much as $75 million in its first weekend. “There's no question, this will be the No. 1 movie this weekend,” Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Media by Numbers, anticipates.

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content. Running time: 2 hours 6 minutes.

Directed by Jon Favreau

Written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, Gwyneth Paltrow.

Released by Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment.