Iron Man (2008)

2008 Widescreen Edition Ultimate Edition 2 Discs O-Sleeve DVD

Iron Man is about industrialist Tony Stark who is suddenly and quite unexpectadley captured by terrorists in Afghanistan. He is told to build a missle he designed, but instead builds a suit of armor to escape captivity. When he is back home, he decides to focus on getting his life together and doing something that matters-like building and even more advanced suit of armor and becoming the super hero Iron-Man.

Jon Favreau proves he can make a block-buster hit with this movie. As more and more things were realeased about the film, I could tell Jon was passionate about it and knew his comics. The movie itself is on par with Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2 for not only being a great movie, but a great comic adaptation. Jon pretty much keeps the film closely related the comics, only putting Stark in Afghanistan rather than Vietnam, which makes all sorts of sense.

Robert Downey Jr. as Stark/Iron Man has to be the best choice for a hero since Cristain Bale as Batman. He portrays Stark perfectly to the point that whenever I read a comic with Iron Man in it, I'll think of Rob. His witty comments and ego-centered personality make Stark someone you hate, but is likeable, too. as for the rest of the cast, Gwennyth Paltrow as Stark's main love-interest Pepper Pots, isn't as great as she could be, but she gets the job done. Terrence Howards's Jim Rhodes is believable, and will surely become a bigger supporting character in future films.

Lastly, Jeff Bridges's Stane/Monger, is a perfect example of what happens when comic dialogue turns into movie dialogue. When he's in the suit saying his lines, it's kinda cheesy, like how the old super villains in the comics would monologue for five pages and then attempt to kill the hero, but just end up getting beat cuz the hero had come up with a plan by the time he had finished talking. That entire sentence was kinda like a monologue, actually. I also think Jarvis, while not actually a person(which is a big difference from the comics, but a good one) should get mentioned just for the fact that he delivers comic relief, but is nothing more than a computer.

The Iron-Monger himself makes for an interesting choice for Iron Man's first cinematic villain, but a choice that makes sense. The group 'the Ten Rings' could be taken as a nod the Mandarin, who will probably show up in the sequel.

Speaking of sequel, this movie practically screams it. Whether it's Rhodes looking at the Mark-1 armor and saying "Maybe next time"(a nod to when he becomes War Machine) or Stark's surprising announcement at the end, a sequel is a must. Let's just hope that it's as good as this movie. If the director and cast return, it should be.

The film is filled with comedic moments, which are pretty much all delivered by Downey. It balances the comedy and action perfectly. Now for the visuals, which are top-notch. At first I thought the suit looked a little video gamish in the trailers, but it looked as real as it could get in the film.

Overall, Iron Man is a non-stop thrillride from beginning to end-literally. The cave moments are a little slow, but it's the first movie in a planned trilogy, so were gonna get a lil backstory such as with Batman Begins. It's a comic book adaptation-what more do ya want out of it?

The special features are top notch...this is what The Dark Knight DVD should have been like. We get a SEVEN PART "Making Of" featurette and another SIX PARTS of the "History of the Hero." There's a feature called "Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man" just because you didn't get your fill of effects in the Making Of feature and a great Robert Downey Screen test. Throw in a crap load of galleries ranging from sets to concept art to tech, and you have the Ultimate DVD.

This is the ultimate DVD and should not be missed by any fan of comics or movies in particular. The film is a great adaptation and the special features are astounding. Get ready to be wowed.