Jon Peters Reviews: “Iron Man” Blu-Ray

The Film:

It seemed on paper that ‘Iron Man’ was going to be good. They had a solid director in Jon Favreau, a stellar cast, and an eye-popping trailer that sent everyone in a buzz. I could go on about how Robert Downey Jr. embodies Tony Stark or how Favreau craft each scene, but the film succeeds ultimately, by its nuances.

Tony Stark is a playboy genius. He is making money hands-over-fist, drives the coolest cars, and knows it. He’s one part arrogant, another part cocky, and to finish it off he is a suave talker. But when he shows off his latest invention, the Jericho, a missile that once airborne, deploys other little missiles to cover a wide range. It’s a powerful, devastating, weapon, one in which could turn the tide on the war on terror in our favor, much like his dad’s weapon did in WWII-the atomic bomb. After the successful demonstration, his convoy is attack by terrorists and he is captured as a POW. Once he learns his situation and the seriousness of it, our cocky, playboy, turns into a scared man. This is where I think the film soars. Upon learning that he has been wildly naive about these weapons he creates and the sacrifice of men who fight against them, he in one moment recognizes the terrible effect he has on the world.

‘I want to protect the people that I put in harm’s way’, he stresses during the movie. It’s a valiant attempt and a powerful change in his character. Downey handles this so perfectly, it’s one of my favorite scenes in 2008 thus far. It’s also a refreshing take at the superhero mythos; he doesn’t need a love interest, so there’s no lover to protect against the bad guy (see in ‘Spider-Man’, ‘Superman-1978′, and ‘Batman-1989′) and he really isn’t concerned with keeping his secret identity, it’s more of an after-thought to him, and one he answers nonchalantly. While he still is the cocky, wise-ass as before, his time in the POW camp change him deeply. He doesn’t have any superpowers or anything of the sort; but he is a genius and if he can use that to develop weapons to kill people, he can make one to protect them.

I know who Iron Man was prior to the film, as I have been a fan for some odd years, these careful scenes establish a new superhero in a post-9/11 age in which we can believe in, both thematically and realistically. These scenes that I have mentioned above create powerful actions that enhance what is known to be a summer blockbuster. It’s risky to pit him up against a political backdrop, but I think it’s one a modern audience can accept. While it never gets to political to alienate a certain group of people, it’s a timely origin.

Don’t get me wrong, ‘Iron Man’ is a blast despite my gushing over a few well-written moments. Its action is understated and while we come to expect huge explosions and constant action, ‘Iron Man’ never outdoes itself and always brings character first. Those expecting as such, might be disappointed though I think they might’ve missed ‘Iron Man’s’ point: the man isn’t a willing superhero he even says ‘I’m not the hero type’, but he must find his morals. He vows to use his knowledge to defend people he has been putting in harms way, so seeing Iron Man in some over-the-top action scene seems a bit dull. Stark has creating possibly his ultimate killing weapon, himself, as he displays on some evil terrorists. He is quick and efficient much like the entire film. If ‘Iron Man’ does have any flaws it’s the lack of development for Rhodes, his friend, but this origin film is all about Stark. There are plenty of nuggets introduced subtly, like Stark’s alcoholism, War Machine, and a villain, so wisely saying ‘Iron Man 2′ will be better isn’t a stretch. Regardless, ‘Iron Man’ is a well-made film from all involved and safely translates a 40 plus year character to his first silver screen appearance.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: I would say 98% of the time the Blu Ray kicks the standard DVD in this department. Strangely enough, I found the Dolby Digital track on the standard DVD to be better. That track had more rumble from the sub equaling better bass that will shake your house. On the BD, the Dolby Digital TrueHD track seemed to lose some of its punch especially in the action scenes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good track, but it is odd that the compressed audio on the DVD sounds better than the Blu Ray.

For the video, naturally the Blu Ray looks great but so does the DVD when up-converted. The colors are naturalistic looking which sometimes the Blu Ray feels bright and glossy. Comparing the DVD to the Blu Ray picture-wise, both are excellent. The Blu Ray wins however in details from like back ground objects or like license plates; everything is seen easily and clear. On DVD those things are a bit fuzzy.

Disc 1:

Hall of Armor: This feature allows you to use the remote to zoom and turn in every angle the various suits Tony Stark wore. You can get a better appreciation for Stan Winston’s work on the suits.

Invincible Iron Man: This almost hour long documentary covers everything about Iron Man, from the comics to the film. Something like this is typical for Marvel to add and it’s a fun refresher course on the history of the character.

Deleted Scenes: About 24 minutes worth of stuff, mostly character moments. A couple of good things but nothing major.

Disc 2:

I am Iron Man: This gigantic documentary, running 109-minutes, covers every possible thing about the making of the film. Ranging from pre-production, to making the suits to the premiere, you’ll know everything about the making and behind the scenes of the film. Awesome stuff and well worth your time.

Screen Test:This is Robert Downey’s six minute screen test to be Tony Stark. He was born for this role.

Actor’s Process:Here we see Downey and Bridges rehearse for a scene together for about six minutes.

Wired:This covers all the CG work done in the film with interviews from ILM. Mildly interesting but I’m not that interested in CGI anymore.

The Onion’s Iron Man trailer: This is that funny mock trailer the Onion did for Iron Man.

Trailers, art gallery, preview for an Iron Man animated TV series, and stills round out this amazing set.

The film is amazing, worthy of numerous viewings and whether you get the 2-disc DVD or the Blu Ray, you’ll be rewarded with a great set of must watch bonus materials. This is a must buy.