IRON MAN: ULTIMATE 2 DISC EDITION (Paramount/Marvel)

Peter Marlowe · 10-01-2008, 02:46 PM

All "BD Live Rumors" aside, here's the scoop on this eagerly-awaited title...you can just tell director Jon Favreau had a little bit of fun bringing this legendary Marvel character to the screen -- but it's also injected with a serious edge that makes for one of the better comic adaptations we've seen. Sure -- Iron Man is by no means any Spider-Man 2 or Dark Knight, but it's sure better than, say, Ang Lee's The Hulk, any of the Joel Schumacher Batman sequels or the Superman films after II...well, you get the point.

In the continuing trend to bring comic characters to life, Iron Man tells the story of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (played convincingly by Robert Downey Jr.) who is taken hostage by a rogue element of terrorists when he is doing a weapons demonstration for the American military in the Middle Eastern desert. The terrorists force him to build one of his missile systems as they want to dominate the black market with it; meantime, Tony's body has been compromised due to an explosion prior to his kidnapping...the explosion has caused his heart to now require a special chamber that's connected to a battery. I wasn't a big fan of this particular Marvel book, so I am not sure just how much of this is following the accurate storyline of the comic. At any rate, with the help of one of the guys he is held captive with, Tony builds an armor-plated super suit with wild weaponry in order to escape from the terrorists.

As the U.S. military finds Tony out in the desert after his escape with his suit mangled, a plot involving his second in command (played by Jeff Bridges) being behind Tony's kidnapping so he would be killed and out of the way is unveiled. Other characters from the comic are explored here as well, such as Stark's loyal personal assistant Pepper Potts (played by the very sexy Gwyneth Paltrow) as well as the prerequisite Stan Lee cameo. As in some other Marvel adaptations such as the bachelor party scene in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Iron Man is loaded with sequences of smokin' hot women all over Tony Stark for his money and celebrity; I mean, these slammin' chicks are everywhere in this film -- from the craps table at Caesars Palace in Vegas to sexy news reporters in short skirts, there's plenty of eye candy beyond Paltrow's character.

The premise of the film adaptation of Iron Man is that Tony gets fed up with his company, Stark Industries, being a weapons building giant that's selling weapons of mass destruction to people like the terrorists that held him hostage; the character goes through a complete change of identity -- and that's the film's greatest strength I think...watching Downey go from cold, self-centered billionaire to realizing there's something better he can do with his resources. When word gets out that Stark Industries is no longer going to be making weapons after Downey holds a press conference, Bridges becomes irate and attempts to take him out of the picture. Tony utilizes his high tech computer and robotic system in his lab to create an armor suit much like he built to escape from the terrorists -- and hence Iron Man is born. The armor is eventually dyed red and gold, and it actually looks pretty cool in the flying sequences. Armed with propelling rockets and all kinds of weaponry, Tony heads back to the terrorist camp he was kept captive in and in a very cool scene takes these guys out one by one.

Of course, with every comic book film adaptation there must be the final hero vs. villain fight sequence, and here it comes in the form of Bridges, who figures out Tony's "recipe" for making the flying suit and builds one of his own that's much larger and more powerful than Tony's; the "official" name to this adversary is "Iron Monger," but it's never said in the narrative of this film (so it's supposed to be Iron Man vs. Iron Monger)...the end fight sequence is actually one of the worst parts of the film as it just looks silly on the screen; here are these two armor-suited guys beating each other up on a California highway, throwing cars and talking in robotic, metallic voices from beneath their suits...I don't know. To me it just didn't work -- it was like watching Transformers again and I didn't like that to begin with. This final sequence doesn't hold a candle to the closing fight sequences in the Spider-Man films, that's for sure.

You all know the connection between the end of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, right?

VIDEO:
1080p HIGH DEFINITION

In typical Paramount fashion, there's no specific information on this transfer listed on the slipcase of this "Ultimate 2-Disc Edition" except for the fact that it's 1080p; at any rate, the widescreen transfer seems to be around 2.40:1 and although there's been nothing but wonderful things said about this video quality, it seemed "okay" to me. The opening sequence in the desert showed a great deal of promise with lots of contrast and punch -- the detail on characters' faces in the opening humvee shot are amazing; yet, as the film goes on, parts get soft and even with my sharpness on my display turned down, there's still a good amount of film grain that distracts from the visuals. I wish some of these Blu-ray transfers would be cleaned up if even just a little bit before they're released to eliminate some of the buzzy grain that runs in the background of certain shots; I find it distracting yet I know others love it and it's a true representation of the film stock.

I just didn't find it to be the outrageously amazing and pristine video that others who are reviewing it have found. For the most part, Iron Man is a solid, yet average, transfer.

AUDIO:
ENGLISH 5.1 DOLBY TRUEHD; FRENCH, SPANISH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL

The audio, as expected, fared better than the video. I couldn't even get this TrueHD track to reference levels because I watched the disc so late...but what I heard was pretty satisfying. While there are some disappointing moments -- such as when flying missiles or weapons could have reached the surround channels -- this is an active track from start to finish. The attack sequence on Downey's humvee in the beginning throws debris and gunfire all around the soundstage and there's really nothing wrong with this track that I can even comment on.

I know there have been BD Live issues with these discs, but I was only interested in the film itself and the audio and video parameters so I cannot comment on the extras or the interactivity; I usually love the documentaries on comic book film extras where they discuss the villains and bringing the heros to life, so I will probably watch the Iron Man extras over the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading, friends...discuss away!

jjufon · 10-01-2008, 04:30 PM

If, IF . . this was copied from the web, you need to provide a link and or provide the authors name.

Chris Gerhard · 10-01-2008, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjufon

If, IF . . this was copied from the web, you need to provide a link and or provide the authors name.

I believe he writes his own reviews, do you have reason to think otherwise?

Chris

oblioman · 10-01-2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Gerhard

I believe he writes his own reviews, do you have reason to think otherwise?

Chris

Me thinks that Peter Marlowes avatar beats JJ's

Peter Marlowe · 10-01-2008, 07:25 PM

Guys,

I have been over this with everyone before...this is ABSOLUTELY my review, written by me today after I watched the disc last night, 100 percent...my OWN thoughts and words.

Peter Marlowe · 10-01-2008, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oblioman

Me thinks that Peter Marlowes avatar beats JJ's

They're not even in the same category to be compared......

jjufon · 10-01-2008, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Gerhard

I believe he writes his own reviews, do you have reason to think otherwise?

Chris

what do you not understand about the word "IF"?

I'm not now nor did i earlier make any claims he didn't write this; if i did i would be providing proof he didn't. i simple stated IF, IF.
you should learn to keep your nose out of others business. I'm sure Peter can answer for himself. also, this is his first review i've seen but i have read many, many other posts of his.

also, this site just recently got it's "hand slapped" for copyright infringment so as members, we should ensure we're policing Ourselves so the "owners" don't have to.

anywho,

nice review.

BTW: i like my avatar, but his is nice too

Peter Marlowe · 10-01-2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjufon

what do you not understand about the word "IF"?

I'm not now nor did i earlier make any claims he didn't write this; if i did i would be providing proof he didn't. i simple stated IF, IF.
you should learn to keep your nose out of others business. I'm sure Peter can answer for himself. also, this is his first review i've seen but i have read many, many other posts of his.

also, this site just recently got it's "hand slapped" for copyright infringment so as members, we should ensure we're policing Ourselves so the "owners" don't have to.

anywho,

nice review.

BTW: i like my avatar, but his is nice too

JJ,

Thank you very much for your concern; is this the first review of mine that you've read? I'm sure you have contributed to one of my review threads before on other occasions...what did you mean by this site got its hand slapped for copyright infringement? What happened?

jjufon · 10-01-2008, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Marlowe

JJ,

I appreciate your input and concern but I think Chris was just trying to ask you why you stated "IF" it's my own review; I don't think he meant any harm by it -- I just wanted to add that. Thank you very much for your concern, once again; is this the first review of mine that you've read? I'm sure you have contributed to one of my review threads before on other occasions...what did you mean by this site got its hand slapped for copyright infringement? What happened?

I mean you no disrespect, and I truly haven’t read or just totally forgotten reading a review like this from you. (sorry)

Some review a few weeks ago got posted in its entirety and the author didn’t care for it. PFC5 cleaned up the thread per his request. (highdef review?)

again, nice review.

Peter Marlowe · 10-01-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjufon

I mean you no disrespect, and I truly haven’t read or just totally forgotten reading a review like this from you. (sorry)

No problem; just thought I remember you joining a review discussion of mine at some point; perhaps I'm mistaken...

Quote:

Some review a few weeks ago got posted in its entirety and the author didn’t care for it. PFC5 cleaned up the thread per his request. (highdef review?)

Not following you here with what you had mentioned regarding copyright infringement problems...

Quote:

again, nice review.

Thanks so very much; thanks for reading!

Did you pick up Iron Man yet or do you not plan to?

F91 · 10-01-2008, 11:42 PM

The movie is pretty faithful to the comics. The origin in the comics actually occurred in SE Asia. The "Ironmonger" villain was actually Stark's business rival. Trivial differences overall. I think the group that captures Stark is part of the Mandarin's group, but I guess we'll see. Everyone has seen the scene after the credits, right?

soupnazi · 10-02-2008, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F91

The movie is pretty faithful to the comics. The origin in the comics actually occurred in SE Asia. The "Ironmonger" villain was actually Stark's business rival. Trivial differences overall. I think the group that captures Stark is part of the Mandarin's group, but I guess we'll see. Everyone has seen the scene after the credits, right?

I just seen this scene after the credits finish after I watched it the second time. Was this Avengers scene shown in theatres too?

Blu-Jawa · 10-02-2008, 03:15 AM

I got this blu-ray and it's fantasic! the pq and aq are great.

Spoiler:

Nikopol · 10-02-2008, 03:27 AM

Thanks for the review, Peter M.

It'll take awhile until i get my copy (believe it or not, the movie is not very high on my must-buy list

) so i am waiting for a sale.

In case someone wants to look at a few frames from Iron Man, Dare has posted a few screenshots over here.

Joe_news · 10-02-2008, 04:56 AM

Just saw it tonight, and it was awesome. Man '08 sure was a hell of a year for comic-book movies, Hulk, Iron Man and Batman

10-01-2008, 02:46 PM	#1
Peter Marlowe Blu-ray Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,257	IRON MAN: ULTIMATE 2 DISC EDITION (Paramount/Marvel) All "BD Live Rumors" aside, here's the scoop on this eagerly-awaited title...you can just tell director Jon Favreau had a little bit of fun bringing this legendary Marvel character to the screen -- but it's also injected with a serious edge that makes for one of the better comic adaptations we've seen. Sure -- Iron Man is by no means any Spider-Man 2 or Dark Knight, but it's sure better than, say, Ang Lee's The Hulk, any of the Joel Schumacher Batman sequels or the Superman films after II...well, you get the point. In the continuing trend to bring comic characters to life, Iron Man tells the story of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (played convincingly by Robert Downey Jr.) who is taken hostage by a rogue element of terrorists when he is doing a weapons demonstration for the American military in the Middle Eastern desert. The terrorists force him to build one of his missile systems as they want to dominate the black market with it; meantime, Tony's body has been compromised due to an explosion prior to his kidnapping...the explosion has caused his heart to now require a special chamber that's connected to a battery. I wasn't a big fan of this particular Marvel book, so I am not sure just how much of this is following the accurate storyline of the comic. At any rate, with the help of one of the guys he is held captive with, Tony builds an armor-plated super suit with wild weaponry in order to escape from the terrorists. As the U.S. military finds Tony out in the desert after his escape with his suit mangled, a plot involving his second in command (played by Jeff Bridges) being behind Tony's kidnapping so he would be killed and out of the way is unveiled. Other characters from the comic are explored here as well, such as Stark's loyal personal assistant Pepper Potts (played by the very sexy Gwyneth Paltrow) as well as the prerequisite Stan Lee cameo. As in some other Marvel adaptations such as the bachelor party scene in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Iron Man is loaded with sequences of smokin' hot women all over Tony Stark for his money and celebrity; I mean, these slammin' chicks are everywhere in this film -- from the craps table at Caesars Palace in Vegas to sexy news reporters in short skirts, there's plenty of eye candy beyond Paltrow's character. The premise of the film adaptation of Iron Man is that Tony gets fed up with his company, Stark Industries, being a weapons building giant that's selling weapons of mass destruction to people like the terrorists that held him hostage; the character goes through a complete change of identity -- and that's the film's greatest strength I think...watching Downey go from cold, self-centered billionaire to realizing there's something better he can do with his resources. When word gets out that Stark Industries is no longer going to be making weapons after Downey holds a press conference, Bridges becomes irate and attempts to take him out of the picture. Tony utilizes his high tech computer and robotic system in his lab to create an armor suit much like he built to escape from the terrorists -- and hence Iron Man is born. The armor is eventually dyed red and gold, and it actually looks pretty cool in the flying sequences. Armed with propelling rockets and all kinds of weaponry, Tony heads back to the terrorist camp he was kept captive in and in a very cool scene takes these guys out one by one. Of course, with every comic book film adaptation there must be the final hero vs. villain fight sequence, and here it comes in the form of Bridges, who figures out Tony's "recipe" for making the flying suit and builds one of his own that's much larger and more powerful than Tony's; the "official" name to this adversary is "Iron Monger," but it's never said in the narrative of this film (so it's supposed to be Iron Man vs. Iron Monger)...the end fight sequence is actually one of the worst parts of the film as it just looks silly on the screen; here are these two armor-suited guys beating each other up on a California highway, throwing cars and talking in robotic, metallic voices from beneath their suits...I don't know. To me it just didn't work -- it was like watching Transformers again and I didn't like that to begin with. This final sequence doesn't hold a candle to the closing fight sequences in the Spider-Man films, that's for sure. You all know the connection between the end of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, right? *VIDEO:* 1080p HIGH DEFINITION In typical Paramount fashion, there's no specific information on this transfer listed on the slipcase of this "Ultimate 2-Disc Edition" except for the fact that it's 1080p; at any rate, the widescreen transfer seems to be around 2.40:1 and although there's been nothing but wonderful things said about this video quality, it seemed "okay" to me. The opening sequence in the desert showed a great deal of promise with lots of contrast and punch -- the detail on characters' faces in the opening humvee shot are amazing; yet, as the film goes on, parts get soft and even with my sharpness on my display turned down, there's still a good amount of film grain that distracts from the visuals. I wish some of these Blu-ray transfers would be cleaned up if even just a little bit before they're released to eliminate some of the buzzy grain that runs in the background of certain shots; I find it distracting yet I know others love it and it's a true representation of the film stock. I just didn't find it to be the outrageously amazing and pristine video that others who are reviewing it have found. For the most part, Iron Man is a solid, yet average, transfer. *AUDIO:* ENGLISH 5.1 DOLBY TRUEHD; FRENCH, SPANISH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL The audio, as expected, fared better than the video. I couldn't even get this TrueHD track to reference levels because I watched the disc so late...but what I heard was pretty satisfying. While there are some disappointing moments -- such as when flying missiles or weapons could have reached the surround channels -- this is an active track from start to finish. The attack sequence on Downey's humvee in the beginning throws debris and gunfire all around the soundstage and there's really nothing wrong with this track that I can even comment on. I know there have been BD Live issues with these discs, but I was only interested in the film itself and the audio and video parameters so I cannot comment on the extras or the interactivity; I usually love the documentaries on comic book film extras where they discuss the villains and bringing the heros to life, so I will probably watch the Iron Man extras over the next couple of days. Thanks for reading, friends...discuss away! __________________ ONKYO TX-SR605B HDMI 1.3a; Onboard Dolby Digital Plus/TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Panasonic DMP-BD10A SONY 1080p KDS-50A2020 SXRD Mains: polkaudio R20 Center: polkaudio CSi30 Surrounds: polkaudio R15 Sub: polkaudio PSW10 marantz CC4001 TASCAM CD-RW900SL PROFESSIONAL Technics SL-QD33 (due for replacement) APC SurgeArrest System INTERCONNECTS & SPEAKER CABLING BY MONSTER Last Review: Last edited by Peter Marlowe; 10-01-2008 at 08:00 PM.

10-01-2008, 04:30 PM	#2
jjufon CMMS Junkie Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Frisco Tx Posts: 967	If, IF . . this was copied from the web, you need to provide a link and or provide the authors name. __________________ JJufon

10-01-2008, 07:25 PM	#5
Peter Marlowe Blu-ray Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 2,257	Guys, I have been over this with everyone before...this is ABSOLUTELY my review, written by me today after I watched the disc last night, 100 percent...my OWN thoughts and words. __________________ ONKYO TX-SR605B HDMI 1.3a; Onboard Dolby Digital Plus/TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio Panasonic DMP-BD10A SONY 1080p KDS-50A2020 SXRD Mains: polkaudio R20 Center: polkaudio CSi30 Surrounds: polkaudio R15 Sub: polkaudio PSW10 marantz CC4001 TASCAM CD-RW900SL PROFESSIONAL Technics SL-QD33 (due for replacement) APC SurgeArrest System INTERCONNECTS & SPEAKER CABLING BY MONSTER Last Review:

10-01-2008, 11:42 PM	#11
F91 Plasmatic Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Port Orchard, WA Posts: 2,784	The movie is pretty faithful to the comics. The origin in the comics actually occurred in SE Asia. The "Ironmonger" villain was actually Stark's business rival. Trivial differences overall. I think the group that captures Stark is part of the Mandarin's group, but I guess we'll see. Everyone has seen the scene after the credits, right? __________________ "you give me a water board, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders." Jesse Ventura Proud to be living in a hatt free zone.

10-02-2008, 03:15 AM	#13
Blu-Jawa High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 76	I got this blu-ray and it's fantasic! the pq and aq are great. Spoiler: I guess the next film will have Iron Man teaming up with Nick Fury as they had a short chat at the end of the film. __________________ Also a Member of: Blu-ray.com «Still waiting 4 FMC and Chiller in HD»

10-02-2008, 03:27 AM	#14
Nikopol Uwe Boll's my hero Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Maelstrom Blu-rays: 14 Age: 4 Posts: 6,374	Thanks for the review, Peter M. It'll take awhile until i get my copy (believe it or not, the movie is not very high on my must-buy list ) so i am waiting for a sale. In case someone wants to look at a few frames from Iron Man, Dare has posted a few screenshots over here.

10-02-2008, 04:56 AM	#15
Joe_news Sega does what Nintendont Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: U.S. of A. Posts: 951	Just saw it tonight, and it was awesome. Man '08 sure was a hell of a year for comic-book movies, Hulk, Iron Man and Batman __________________ Home Theater Pro 1 ---------------------- Pioneer 5080 Logitech Z-680 Samsung BDP-1600 Panamax M4300 Cox HD-DVR Harmony 880 PS3, Wii, Dreamcast

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