Review
The "Iron Man" DVD is one of the best discs of the year.
The plot: Tony Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries (a company which focuses on building weapons), decides to close the weapons division down after he is captured by a group of terrorists who were using weapons built by his company. With a new outlook on life, Stark now focuses his attention on building robotic armored suits to help protect people and stop evil. Unbeknownst to Stark, a mysterious villain is standing in his way and plans to get rid of him and create his own robotic suit.
I remember first seeing the “Iron Man” trailer and thinking that director Jon Favreau could pull this comic adaptation off with flying colors, and he certainly did with the final product. Favreau managed to create an exciting film that not only appeals to a general audience, but to most comic fans. As a fellow comic geek myself, I can’t even begin to describe how delighted I was by “Iron Man.” From seeing the Mark 1-3, Iron Monger and War Machine suits to catching a glimpse of Nick Fury (played by Samuel Jackson), I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a massive grin on my face for most of the running time.
One of the film’s strongest suits was the script (which written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway). While I agree the Iron Monger showdown at the end did feel a bit forced and tacked on, the script absolutely nailed “Iron Man,” especially when it came to the origin. The writers wisely translated his origin by mixing in modern day elements and issues (i.e. the war and terrorists). In addition, I was quite glad that the movie was character driven. Unlike many comic films which rely heavily on F/X and action, “Iron Man” is very much a character driven piece.
On the subjects of characters, you can’t talk about “Iron Man” without mentioning the cast. Let’s be honest, Robert Downey Jr. owns this movie. His portrayal of the rich, cocky, confident, sometimes bad-ass Tony Stark is pitch perfect. He truly makes the character his own, and more importantly, he makes Tony Stark stand out as a unique type of hero. I also have to give credit to Gwyneth Paltrow who plays the charming assistant Pepper Potts.
Finally, I have to give praise to the special f/x. I was especially pleased with the fact that Jon Favreau decided to include both practical and visual f/x. In my humble opinion, it was great to see actual suits in certain shots and not just CGI renderings.
Summary: “Iron Man” is one of the ten best comic films to date. I can’t wait for the sequel!
Picture and Sound
The widescreen picture quality looks absolutely perfect for a DVD release. The colors, lighting, F/X all look stunningly clear. This is one of the best looking DVDs to date.
I have no complaints with the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The audio will certainly put your speakers to work with an abundance of sound f/x, action, and music.
Extras
Disc 1:
* “Star Trek,” “Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull,” and “The Incredible Hulk” trailers.
* 11 deleted and extended scenes including an alternate opening shootout/capture sequence, an amusing extended scene with Rhodes and Stark on the plane, Stark in Dubai, an alternate death sequence at the end (which does not work at all).
* “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” is a quick sneak peek at the upcoming “Iron Man: Animated Series.”
Disc 2:
* Concept art, tech, unit photography and poster galleries.
* The Onion “Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film”- A 2 ½ minute goofy Onion news bit.
* “The Actor’s Process”- A 4 minute rehearsal between director Jon Favreau and actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges.
* A 6 minute Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test.
* “Wired: The Visual Effects Of Iron Man”- An informative 27 minute featurette about the excellent F/X that was done by three companies. The highlight is an ILM Test for Iron Man.
* “The Invincible Iron Man” (47:00)- A 6 part documentary that goes into the origins, the characters, the comics, the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D, Tony’s alcoholism, the Extremis story arc, and the Ultimate version of Iron Man. Included are interviews with Stan Lee, artist Gene Colan, and writers Gerry Conway and Warren Ellis. This is the best extra by far. A must watch for anyone wanting to know about the comics.
* “I Am Iron Man”- An extremely comprehensive 108 minute 7 part documentary that covers the suits, Favreau’s passion for the project, the sets, Tony Stark’s character, Favreau’s cameo, filming at an Air Force Base, Peter Billingsley’s cameo, the F/X, post-production. Also Included are interviews with the cast and crew, set footage, and neat behind-the-scenes bits with the crew.
