DVD : Iron Man (2-Disc Ultimate Edition) [2008]

Rating: - Sleek, cool, sharp, witty...high-quality
The overwhelming success of the Spider-Man and X-Men trilogies revitalised interest and credibility in superhero movies since the original Batman and Superman film franchises fell into great decline. Since then, floodgates have been opened, allowing all kinds of Marvel heroes to have a shot at cinematic stardom.

Although (in my opinion) there haven't been any truly horrible Marvel films, the majority of these haven't lived up to the hype as they could've done. For example, Daredevil, Hulk, Fantastic Four (the first film) had all the necessary tools to be on a par with any of the X-Men/Spider-Man films, yet they weren't.

So now, we have Iron Man, the next Marvel legend in line for a big superhero film. When I saw the first trailer, it looked promising (like so many other movies of this genre, initially) but I thought this was destined to flop, yet hoping it wouldn't. As it turns out, Iron Man is a surprisingly excellent film, that's executed so well.

Starting off with the subject, the character of Iron Man has always been one of my favourites in the Marvel Universe. Tony Stark has always been a fascinating character from his beginnings to present-day. The industrialist/millionaire, whose heart was near-fatally wounded by shrapnel, forcing him to design a chest-piece life-support to keep him alive, who then decided to stop the destruction he created with his weapons by becoming Iron Man...WOW. It's no surprise why I liked him instantly. He just reeks of awesomeness and fascination.

This origin has been captured perfectly, thanks to first-class acting, a sharp script, a very good plot and outstanding CGI. Starting with Robert Downey JR., his performance as Tony Stark is both brilliant and credible. Stark starts off as a naïve, careless, lazy and reckless, yet brilliant genius weapons manufacturer who is forced to confront the wrongs he has brought to the world in order to make himself a better person. It's all brilliantly presented but what I really loved most about the film is that it doesn't take itself TOO seriously. There's some really clever humour here, and that's delivered expertly by Downey and the rest of the cast.

Speaking of which, there's a truly excellent supporting cast here. There's Terrance Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes, who has some great humorous interactions with Stark, plus a cracking nod to his future as War Machine. Also, Jeff Bridges makes for a fabulous, two-faced antagonist as Obadiah Stane. Those who've read Iron Man comics will know that it's the Mandarin who's the arch-nemesis of old Shell Head, but putting him into this film may not have worked. So it's pleasing that they've decided to play it safe by putting in another, lesser-known antagonist from the comics to make it more in-keeping with the realistic presentation of the film.

Gwyneth Paltrow also plays a great love-interest as Pepper Potts. The character is another sharp, credible, intelligent, strong-willed and quick-witted individual. What's refreshing about this is that in comparison to other superhero films, the implied romance between her and Stark isn't as obviously played out as you'd expect. There's some cracking exchanges between the two which again is a positive boon, as it reflects the film's nature of not taking itself too seriously. It's quite original and makes for a nice change from superhero films past.

The CGI is also something to be impressed with, and I've really started to develop more appreciation for Paramount films as a result. The effects here are easily on a par with the epic stuff from Transformers (also a Paramount film), and implies that there's still so much more that can be done with the technology.

Plus, there's some brilliant surprises along the way. I won't spoil anything, but it's worth looking out for the emergence of one of the Marvel Universe's biggest organizations. And you're going to LOVE the ending, plus the EXTRA ending after the credits have finished rolling. Watch out for it, seriously. It's worth it.

As for special features, expect some brilliant deleted/extended scenes as well as a trailer for the brand new Iron Man: Animated Adventures that starts in 2009. The second disc on this Ultimate Edition is packed with documentaries on the film and the comics history of the character itself. There's also a screen test of Robert Downey JR., the actor's process and some nice still galleries. There could've been more features in terms of an audio commentary and trailers, but the extras are good enough for those who wish to fork out an extra fiver for them.

So...was Iron Man the best movie of Summer 2008? Or the ultimate, definitive superhero film? No to both questions. Those honours go to The Dark Knight, but really, it doesn't matter. Iron Man nevertheless remains a hugely enjoyable film. It's both much more cooler and meatier than a lot of other superhero movies in previous years. This will satisfy all fans and is very, very good.

But should you go for this 2-disc edition instead of the regular single-disc? Well, it's your choice entirely. If you want to spend more money for documentaries, screen-tests etc, then it IS worth it, but the deleted/extended scenes should be enough to please the viewer if you go for just disc 1. I certainly would've been happy with just one disc.

Regardless of which version you decide to buy, Iron Man is definitely something I would recommend. It's just a truly enjoyable romp with very little to fault. Maybe not truly essential, but certainly a great, great film that's worth emptying your wallet for.

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Rating: - Cast Iron
A cracking action film, well paced, well casted with great effects. RDJ is on great form and makes steals the show. The gadgets etc really add to it and really set this apart ftom some of the 'superhero' duds that weve had to put up with in the last few years. Iron Man 2 - yes please, carnt wait!

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Rating: - Better than I thought it was going to be
I am not a huge comic book fan but I do like watching the movies. I love Robert Downey Jr and I think he played the roll of Stark very well. The effects, etc were very good (did expect more digital effects though). I loved the fact that he turned from a bad man to a good man.

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Rating: - Good CGI but lousy story
I decided to watch this film based on the strength of the trailers (as did everyone else!). However, I was sorely disappointed, because the film did not concentrate on the real story and also greatly embellished in many aspects.

Firstly, in the original comic series, Tony Stark was hurt due to an act of industrial sabotage by one of his competitors and not because of some Arabs purchasing his weapons and using them against him (which is complete tosh!).

Secondly, the real story was two-fold. It lay with the building of the suit (which surprisingly, the film did pay some attention to, although inadequately).

Thirdly, the main chunk of the story (the real twist), lay with Obadiah Staine, who tried to murder his boss (Tony Stark) and then tried to steal the company from him. In fact, Obadiah tried to murder his boss not once, but TWICE!!. Please note, Obadiah Staine is an American white guy. He is not an Arab!. Unfortunately, the film paid very little attention to this twist and instead focused on demonising Arabs.

Overall, the film relied heavily on CGI but did not focus on story line. This is now the trend with films. The film also has another (less endearing) agenda and again this is a common trend, which is becoming more prevalent. How unfortunate.

I found only two good aspects to this film. The CGI and Robert Downey jr. He portrayed himself very well as Tony Stark, as an arrogant, womanising, gold digging, imperialist. This is why this film deserves only 1 star.

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Rating: - Awesome!!!
I was'nt sure how good this movie would be when I arrived at the cinema,after all the genre of comic-books to movies does'nt always works does it?I mean Spider-man 3 was a little disappointing and Fantastic Four rise of the Silver Surfer was dreadful,and let's not discuss "Batman and robin".
However,to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.I will state here and now that THIS is THE best comic-book movie EVER made.
Now I know that there are hundreds of people reading this who are jumping up and down and saying "how can he say this?,the Dark knight is the best!".Well Ladies and Gentlemen,the Dark Knight IS a very well crafted movie and the performance of Heath Ledger is nothing short of astounding,but if you want an accurate movie based on a comic-book,and also a stunningly entertaining piece of work,look no further.
The origin is spot-on,the performance by Robert Downey jr is solid and believable,and the special effects flawless.This is also the last movie that the late great Stan Winston was involved in,designing the wonderful Iron Man armour.
Overall,a wonderful and thoroughly entertaining movie.I can't wait for the sequel!