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With
an electromagnet implanted in his chest to pull shrapnel away from his
heart, he is set to work building weapons of mass destruction for his
captors, only to turn the tables and build himself a cybernetic suit of
Ned Kelly armour and bust out of his cave prison.
Back
in the USA (and looking a little shaky), both his assistant 'Pepper' Potts
(a stunning looking Gwyneth Paltrow) and his business partner (Jeff Bridges) are worried
about what Stark's building in the basement - but as it turns out,
they're worried for very different reasons.
Fast paced, and with
just the right mix of humour and cheesy seriousness, this is about as
note-perfect a superhero film as you could hope for. That said, there is
a big difference between a mid-level special effects film and one of
those Hollywood blockbusters where money is no object, and there is simply no
denying that Iron Man falls into the former camp.
The
action is well shot and exciting, while the many effects shots as the Iron Man
suit flies around dealing out damage are all well handled.
Fortunately,
there is a big difference between the usual B-grade cast that
populates superhero movies of late, with Robert Downey Jr giving, perhaps, the
best performance ever in a superhero film.
Going from a decadent playboy,
to a slightly less decadent crusader, with a glowing super-powered heart
gives Downey plenty of opportunity to be funny while hinting at a
darker side. Even if this was a movie about a playboy arms dealer
without a robot suit, his performance would make it riveting
viewing.
The suit might get all the action, but it's the man inside that makes Iron Man a great superhero film. Perhaps one of the greatest ever.
DVD EXTRAS with Sean Lynch
Iron Man was the first film
to be released under the "Marvel Studios" banner - and you can really
tell this is a comic book movie, made by comic book people - and a
comic book movie dvd, made for comic book fans.
Because the extras are phenomenal. They really are.
There
are a heap of "Special Edition" covers floating around (the coolest one
being a DVD embedded within the helmet of Iron Man himself), and
there's this Two Disc Edition which is pretty visually impressive on
it's own merits. Seriously, how can you not love foil enhanced pictures
of Downey Jnr and Iron Man?
However, the real appeal of the 2
Disc Edition is the sheet quantity (and quality) of the behind the
scenes featurettes. There is an extensive seven part production diary
from director Jon Favreau (for once, a behind the scenes doco which
isn't fluffy and actually shows that things don't always run smoothly
on a multi million dollar movie) which is nothing short of outstanding.
Also
well worth a look is a "History of the Hero", which gives a fantastic
look at the relatively unknown story behind the comic book creation of Iron Man. It's a truly excellent insight into the world that most have never even thought twice about.
There are also a bunch of pieces on the visual effects and a rather cool look at the audition process for Downey Jnr.
The
difference here is that each and every extra is just as enthralling and
entertaining as the film itself, and warrants being viewed more than
once.
I tell you now - if this is the sort of quality we can expect from every Marvel DVD release... THEN BRING ON THE THOR!
Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 100%
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