DVD Review: Iron Man Ultimate 2-Disc Edition

Movie Info:
Writers: Various
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir, Sayed Badreya, Bill Smitrovich, Clark Gregg, Tim Guinee
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: May 2, 2008
DVD Release Date: September 30, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $22.99

I like a good Comic inspired movie. Let me just tell you, I’m not a comic purist. I like when the story reflects the comic, but I’m not going to whine, cry, have a hissy fit, or bemoan the fact that a movie plot has deviated from the comic, especially if the deviated plot line is a good one. Comic stories are meant to be told in other ways. Just look at all of the various Superman or Batman stories floating around out there. That’s all the proof you need of how different stories about one character can be told and more than one telling can be enjoyable.

I am kind of tired of people constantly criticizing every single movie that is ever made. People really have to stretch to find flaws in every single movie and if they can find something to stretch, they will. Heck, I’ve seen people complain about Gone with the Wind, Casablanca and The Godfather (all of which have been called ‘highly overrated’ at one point or another). I just don’t get the unjust criticism. Iron Man has received an unfair amount of criticism itself. Everything from “Tony Stark can’t reveal his true identity. He’s a superhero!” (even though he did in the comic), to “How come he didn’t die when he flew into that wall? You know that kind of velocity would have killed someone!” (even if he wasn’t really going that fast) have been spouted on various message boards.

My theory is, “Get over it!” I always wonder why those people who are so obsessed with ‘continuity’ and other errors (that post vociferously online about every little minuscule error in a movie) don’t make their own films. I’d love to see a film with absolutely no errors (like, that bracelet she wore in a scene set in 1973 wasn’t made until April of 1974 – Seriously, who notices this stuff?). I’m in the movie watching business to enjoy myself. If I wanted to examine each and every scene in a movie with a magnifying glass, I’d be a scientist, not a film critic. That being said, I don’t care if Iron Man could have had any possible plotholes. I still liked the movie!

Robert Downey Jr. is what made this movie for me. Sure, he’s supported by some great actors, such as Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, and Gwyneth Paltrow, but without a strong performance by Downey Jr., who actually carries the majority of this movie, I have no doubt Iron Man would have sucked a monkey. I’m a huge fan of comics, a huge fan of action/thrill based movies and a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr. I, for once, agree with the vast majority of film critics (not the general, complaining populace) about this film. It is one of the best movies I’ve reviewed this year and I’m glad I’ll have the chance to watch it again and again, since I own it.

Iron Man Plot
Iron Man is a thrill ride. It’s as exhilarating to watch from beginning to end. For an action-filled flick, the acting is done by first-class actors. The dialogue isn’t stilted nor is it cheesy. I was glued to my seat from start to finish. I was physically incapable of moving from my spot until the movie was over. It was just that good. That’s why I can’t understand why people have whined and complained about this movie. I’m brutally honest in my reviews, as you’ll know if you read them often. So, when I say something totally rocks (like Iron Man), it does!

You probably already know this story is about Tony Stark (Downey Jr.). He’s got gobs of money and a playboy lifestyle to show for it. He’s into the weapon making business, and runs Stark Industries, the company his father founded, when he isn’t off having fun. He is too busy to even attend the Apogee Awards, instead leaving his business partner, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), a close friend of his father, to claim the award for him since he was off in Las Vegas gambling.

Stark leads a life of luxury and frequently has one night stands at his exceptionally high-powered, technologically awesome home. His latest is a Vanity Fair reporter, Christine Everhart (Leslie Bibb), who just wants to get the true scoop on Stark and his weapon making program. After their one time interlude, Christine is informed by Tony’s personal assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) that Tony is away on business (it’s quite a catty exchange with Pepper winning all the points).

Tony is actually off in Afghanistan with his friend Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes (Terrence Howard), where he is giving a presentation to soldiers on his new weapon, the Jericho missile. After the presentation, Tony and Rhodey take different cars, though their convoy is attacked and Tony is kidnapped. In the hills of Afghanistan, where Osama Bin Laden is probably hiding, terrorists take an injured Tony Stark to a prison location. There he is operated on, and he eventually learns he must wear a device to keep shrapnel out of his heart.

The terrorists want one thing from Tony. They want him to build them a weapon they can use against the Americans. His cell mate, Yinsen (Shaun Toub) is charged with keeping him alive while he does their bidding. With the genius that Tony is, he manages to build himself an Iron suit that serves as his ticket out of prison and it powers a circular device in his heart to keep him alive and the shrapnel out.

When Tony manages to escape, he heads back to America a disillusioned and changed man. He decides to move his business in a new direction, because he learns something disturbing while he is imprisoned. He also gets to work on building a much better, high powered suit. Little does he know, not all of the terrorists have died and they want revenge on Tony Stark, no matter the cost.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The movie looked great. It wasn’t Blu-Ray but it was exceptionally clear. The color palette that was used made skintones look realistic. The array of colors is realistic and there is no glow or any other problems frequently seen in lesser quality DVD releases. The anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 transfer is splendid on the eyes. There really was absolutely nothing to complain about. I liked this movie as much as I enjoyed the quality of it. I can only imagine how it looked on Blu Ray.

The sound quality for Iron Man is good. It isn’t as good as some of Paramount’s previous, high action efforts, but it certainly beats most films. The speakers are pretty balanced and the volume remains stable with little to no need to adjust it at any moment throughout the film. There is a wide array of sounds from dialogue to sound effects and music, all of which blasts enjoyably throughout the movie.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Since this is a Two Disc Ultimate Edition for Iron Man, you can bet your buck that this is filled with bonuses. I’ve heard the complaint, “but there’s no commentary!” Maybe Jon Favreau didn’t want to make or didn’t have the time to make a commentary. Either way, there isn’t one. Fans of this movie will just have to deal with it, while they enjoy all the exceptional bonuses included in this set.

Let’s start with what’s on Disc One.

This disc features:

-deleted and extended scenes – There are 11 scenes total. This is around 24 minutes in length. These scenes definitely deserved to be cut, but did add some exposition.

-trailer for Iron Man – This is for the animated series set to premiere on Nick in 2009.

How about Disc Two?

This disc has the bulk of the bonuses:

- Featurette “I Am Iron Man” – This is a seven-part feature documentary. It runs for close to 1 hour and 20 minutes in length. The parts featured go through pre-production, casting, behind-the-scenes, filming, editing, and looks at the films premiere. This was my favorite feature thus far. It’s incredibly well done and quite thorough. I wish every good movie had a feature like this one.

-Featurette “The Invincible Iron Man” – This is a six part feature documentary. It runs for over 45 minutes in length.. This is a character biopic for Iron Man. It looks at his inception from comic book all the way to his movie debut. This includes interviews with Stan Lee, Warren Ellis, Joe Quesada and Adi Granov.

- Featurette “Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man” – This is a look at the suit that was made for the movie and all of the special effects used. It lasts nearly 30 minutes.

-Robert Downey Jr.’s Screen Test

-Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges Rehearse a scene with Jon Favreau

-Onion News Network story about the Iron Man film

-Image Galleries (concept art, photography, movie posters)

I was quite pleased by all of these bonuses and can’t imagine a better set for this DVD.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
I liked Iron Man. I thought it was an action-packed adventure with excellent acting and an engaging plot. I know that there are going to be people nitpicking at this film. That doesn’t matter, because most people seem to like the movie, myself included. Bottom line, if you like Robert Downey Jr., purchase this. If you like action movies, especially those inspired by comics, purchase this. If you want to be thoroughly engaged by a fun, fast-paced flick purchase this. Everyone else, pretty much doesn’t need to watch this. Still, the Iron Man Ultimate 2-Disc Edition comes highly recommended, so why not give this movie a shot?

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Iron Man, DVD Review, Action, Paramount, Ultimate 2-Disc Edition, Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Cartoon

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
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Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.