Blu-ray Movie Reviews

When jet-setting genius-industrialist Tony Stark is captured in enemy territory, he builds a high-tech suit of armor to escape. Now, he's on a mission to save the world as a hero who's built, not born, to be unlike any other.

This is the first comic movie that was actually done by Marvel, rather than being a studio born project. Comic movies have been so hit or miss that I didn’t have high hopes for this one based on the early previews but boy did it deliver when I finally saw it in theaters. We are finally seeing these types of stories realized in the way comic fans only dreamed and this one is definitely one of the better examples of how to do it right. It is an establishing story for the character and is brilliantly played by Downey Jr. I just hope Hollywood can continue to deliver this type of quality for the genre and not just start pumping out comic movies to make a quick buck. We’ve already seen where that goes with this genre and more.

The HD presentation is a good one but falls a bit short of what I would call reference. This is mainly due to the filming style, which changes up a bit as the film progresses. The first third of the film was a bit on the soft side, so much so that I thought my projector may not have been focused in correctly. Blacks are also a tad elevated which hurt black levels and image depth. As the film progresses things tighten up. Detail starts to get real good about half way through and contrast levels improve dramatically. The CG is balanced really well with the live action and colors have great pop and detail.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is one of the most intense bass heavy mixes I’ve heard in awhile. They definitely cranked the bass to 11 on this one. The mix has a great sense of spatial design with inventive surround use and a nice wide front soundstage. Volume levels are catered to reference level and I had no issues at all playing it back at or near full reference. Dialogue is balanced nicely within the mix but the films score was on the laid back side. Overall I know I’ll be using quite a few sequences from this for demos going forward.

Paramount has gone the extra mile for this release and delivers one of the most complete special feature packages I’ve seen yet. You can check out each Iron Man suit individually or test your knowledge online. There are also quite a few deleted scenes. The second disc has a spectacular documentary on the film that includes production work, interviews and more. You’ll also get a look at the making of the visual effects, casting and a still gallery. Last up are the trailers.

Iron Man is definitely one of the best comic adaptations I’ve seen yet. It would have been my pick for the summer if The Dark Knight wouldn’t have been released. Paramount has done a great job with this presentation and outstanding supplemental package. Highly recommended.