Billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is kidnapped by Afghani terrorists who want him to design an advanced missile system; Stark instead builds a suit of armor, turns the tables on his captors, and escapes. Once he’s back stateside he vows to stop profiting from the war machine that made his family rich, continues to refine his armor, and then takes to the skies as the invincible Iron Man.

CRITIQUE

This one was definitely worth the wait. After more than a decade of false starts and shifting creative teams, Iron Man--the first movie produced by Marvel after the comics giant decided to take its cinematic future into its own hands--finally managed to make it to the big screen. And I for one don’t think it could have turned out any better than it did.

Chucking the gloom and doom that’s infested superhero tales of late (not that there’s anything wrong with gloom and doom, at least when handled correctly), Jon Favreau’s blockbuster is easily the most unabashedly entertaining comic book flick to come along since the original Superman. (I may have said the same thing about Hellboy at one point, but this movie forced me to rethink my position.)

Favreau and his writers (Mark Fergis, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, as well as an uncredited John August) aren’t slavishly faithful to Iron Man lore, but they take many of the key ingredients and use them for building blocks here. The original ‘Nam-set origin is shunted into the world of modern terrorism, and making Stark the victim of his own creations puts a more personal, believable spin on his transformation. Transforming Jarvis into an AI construct pays off in spades (Paul Bettany’s voice is deadpan perfect), as does the manner in which the filmmakers handle the fact that Stark’s face is completely hidden by the armor.

They also establish enough possible plotlines to keep the franchise going for a while; Stark’s alcoholism, his battle with his archenemy the Mandarin, and his succession by War Machine are all introduced in one way or another. And I was overjoyed to see they decided to make Stark’s first outings as Iron Man learning experiences; he’s clumsy and untested at times here, and that’s something I look for in superhero origin tales. Whether it’s Superman saving Air Force One and pulling frightened cats out of trees on the same night, or Batman falling off roofs and fire escapes in his first outing, a story such as this needs to show a progression in its hero’s abilities, and you definitely see that here (one of the many deficiencies in Spider-Man was the lack of such a sequence).

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the movie is its sense of humor. Iron Man is very funny, but not in a campy way, nor in a smirking way. It’s funny in a clever, witty way, the laughs coming as natural extensions of the characters and situations. The audience I saw it with during its theatrical release laughed harder than at any other movie in recent memory, which is certainly something I hadn’t expected.  

Two names were bandied about as possible candidates to play Tony Stark during this movie’s long gestation period: Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage. All I can say is, bullets dodged. I couldn’t imagine either playing Stark when I first heard each was attached (Cruise undoubtedly would have blunted the character’s edge, while Cage is wrong for reasons too numerous to list), and after seeing Downey in the role I can’t imagine anyone else playing Stark. This is a tricky part, but Downey is as perfect here as (here we go again) Christopher Reeve was as Superman.

Stark is, at least to begin with, a self-absorbed ass, but he’s a likeable self-absorbed ass, which is a perfect fit for Downey. And he’s just as good as the enlightened Stark/Iron Man; you can see the change and believe the change in the character. (Given the ups and downs in Downey’s personal life, some may see this as typecasting. If that’s indeed the case, it would nice if all typecasting worked out this well.)

What’s more, Downey seems to be having an inordinate amount of fun. Would it be cool to be rich, have a fleet of cars, own some robots, and fool around with Maxim cover models? Yeah, I imagine it would, just as I imagine it would be cool to don a suit of high-tech armor, fly around and beat the stuffing out of bad guys. Downey gets that. Not to take make light of anyone else’s contributions, but Downey is the true key to the movie’s success. Without him this likely would have been simply an entertaining super hero flick; with him it’s something more.

Favreau (who gave himself a small role as Happy Hogan, Stark’s bodyguard/chauffer) stacked the supporting cast with great actors. Jeff Bridges, as Stark’s business partner/nemesis Obadiah Stane, plays his first heavy in more than a decade (unless I’m mistaken, he hasn’t played one since the remake of The Vanishing), and, as usual, he’s great; the character is menacing in a subdued way, and I think Bridges is to be commended for resisting the urge to turn Stane into your typical comic book villain (not an easy task when you’re encased in a big metal suit).

Terrence Howard is just right as James Rhodes, Stark’s best friend and primary military liaison; I’m seriously hoping his “Next time, baby” line pays off in the sequel. And while some have complained about the outdated, simplistic qualities of Stark’s assistant Pepper Potts, played here by Gwyneth Paltrow, I think much of this criticism stems from the casting; had it been a less establish, non-Oscar winner in the role, I doubt anyone would have made a peep. I personally have nothing bad to say about the character or Paltrow, of whom I’m not usually a fan (I think she’s overrated as an actress), but actually found rather appealing here. And if the hints dropped regarding the storylines for later installments turn out to be true, she’ll become an integral part of the series.      

The movie’s only misstep comes during the finale, which is your standard good guy/bad guy slugfest. I realize the movie is more or less required to end this way, but there’s absolutely nothing noteworthy about the showdown. There are no surprises, and anyone who’s been paying attention will be able to map out exactly how it’s going to go down; a few punches are traded, there’s some property damage, there’s a big lightshow, and it goes on a bit too long. But the sequence is well-mounted, and it’s by no means as silly or overblown as the climaxes of, say, Blade or Hulk. Besides, the post-credits coda is more than enough to send the movie out on a high note.

THE VIDEO

The 2.40:1/1080p transfer is a wow. Visually the first third of the movie is overcooked and a little blown-out, while the remainder exhibits a suitably slick, flashy look. Both extremes look fantastic, with a vivid sense of depth and impeccable detail. (Clarity is so good you’ll easily be able to distinguish between Stan Winston’s excellent practical effects and ILM’s cool CG work, which wasn’t so easy in the theater.)

Colors are, depending on the intent, warm and vivid or icy and metallic; blacks are rich, deep and inky. The image isn’t perfect, however. A couple of darker scenes in the opening act--the reporter waking up in Stark’s mansion, some of the interiors of the caves at the terrorist camp--are just the slightest bit flat and indistinct. But these moments are fleeting, and do little to detract from the overall quality. Trust when I say you’ll be very pleased with the way the movie looks.

THE AUDIO

You’ll also be pleased with the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio, which provides all of the sonic mayhem and fireworks you’d want, need, and/or expect from an action blockbuster. Dialogue, regardless of delivery or environment, is always crystal clear and natural sounding. During the quieter scenes, ambient sounds and music fill the rear channels.

The entire soundstage explodes to life when the action kicks in, and you can expect to be immersed right in the thick of it; the scene in which Stark returns to Afghanistan to break in the final version of the armor, the subsequent encounter with the Air Force fighters, and the finale are all demo-worthy sequences.

And if you’re looking for some deep, earth-shaking bass, you’ve come to the right place; check out any of the bits I just mentioned, or simply wait for the shockwave generated by the Jericho missile.

Additional language options include French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 dub tracks. Optional subtitles for English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese are available.

THE EXTRAS

In addition to the move itself, Disc One of this two-disc set also contains the following extras:

The Invincible Iron Man (48 minutes) covers the history of the character’s comic book incarnation, with an emphasis on his more recent adventures. You can view this as one long doc or as six featurettes.

Hall of Armor offers an interactive look at the three versions of the Iron Man armor as well as the Iron Monger suit.

The deleted/extended scenes (25 minutes) are all throwaway bits, especially those excised from the finale (it’s hard to believe that at one point it was actually longer).

On Disc Two you’ll find:

I am Iron Man (110 minutes) is a through look at the movie’s production. Viewable as one long doc or as seven featurettes, it covers scripting, casting, pre-production, designing/fabricating the armor, you name it. Most of the major players from both sides of the camera make appearances.  

Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man (26 minutes) looks at both the practical and CG effects employed in the movie.

Rehearsal footage (10 minutes) contains two clips: the screen test that secured Downey his role and footage from a cast read-through. 

A still gallery houses more than 200 images, including poster concepts, production sketches, and behind-the-scene photos.

Closing out the extras are three theatrical trailers.

FINAL THOUGHTS

In case you still need convincing, let me offer up the follow: my ten-year-old nephew and seventy-three-year-old mother accompanied me when I went to see Iron Man during its theatrical run. They enjoyed it as much as I did. That sort of cross-generational appeal isn’t easy to come by. This movie deserves its success, deserves the treatment it receives on this Blu-ray release, and deserves a spot on your shelf.