6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances -- and confront powerful enemies.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam RockwellAction | 100% |
Adventure | 92% |
Sci-Fi | 72% |
Comic book | 62% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The suit and I are one.
Iron Man is a whole lot of movie to live up to. It might be the best
Superhero movie of the past twenty or so years not featuring Gotham's favorite caped crusader in a leading role, and outside of 1978's Superman, maybe the best of the rest. Iron Man showed the
world just how much energy, rhythm, humor, sincerity, and quality filmmaking and storytelling could be crammed into a Superhero movie that
managed to satisfy
both longtime series fans and
newcomers in search not of the perfect comic book adaptation but merely a well-crafted Summer blockbuster that delivered the goods without
sacrificing
story.
Enter the inevitable sequel hot on the heels of and only two years removed from the original; retaining the same director and many of the same
primary cast members, the succinctly-titled Iron Man 2 is nearly the match of its predecessor in terms of tempo, special effects, and fun
factor. It's even built around a good-old-fashioned revenge story that's supported by all the bells and whistles that define modern day, big-budget
Action moviemaking. Best of all, it continues to build the legacy of its characters and further shape what's to come in the altered reality in which
they
exist. All said, Iron Man 2 is pretty much the perfect Summer movie. Big, noisy, and entertaining but with a strong story, exceptional
direction, great acting, and seamless special effects that support rather than define the movie -- even during its most daring and heart-racing action
scenes -- Director Jon Favreau's lastest is nothing short of a spectacle; it's both a feast for the senses and a surprisingly tasty treat for
the brain.
Two for 'Iron Man 2.'
Iron Man 2's 1080p transfer is excellent from beginning to end. Other than a few ever-so-slightly soft shots and a hint of banding visible over a few backgrounds, Paramount's Blu-ray splendidly delivers that fresh-from-theaters filmic texture. This image sports meticulous detailing that renders most every object in the film with nearly infinite clarity and precision. The picture begins inside a run-down Moscow apartment where viewers see everything but the cockroaches hiding in the shadows; the chipping paint, stains, battered walls, and other signs of general untidiness and excessive wear-and-tear are readily visible. The image only improves when it has more light to play with. While textured walls, faces, clothes, and other ordinary elements all sparkle in high definition, the real treats come in the form of the intricate detailing seen on the armored suits, particularly those of the battle-damaged variety. Iron Man's heavily-battered suit that's taken a beating form his first encounter with Ivan Vanko's deadly whips is seen in all its intricate glory on this Blu-ray release; not one scratch, scuff, tear, jagged edge, or exposed internal is left wanting for any more clarity that what Paramount's transfer affords. It's nothing short of breathtaking, and the film is packed with similarly striking details. Colors are a match for the high level of detail, with the picture's assorted and vibrant palette pleasantly and accurately displayed, from the brightest hues to the darkest and most ordinarily-colored robots seen near film's end. This transfer features superb black levels that never waver and flesh tones that might look just a bit rosy but otherwise generally appear as accurate. A handsome layer of film grain is retained over the image, and the print is meticulously clean and free of any distracting hairs, scratches, or pops. Additionally, there is no evidence of unwanted digital manipulation such as edge enhancement or noise reduction. It may lose half a point for a couple of nit-picky observations, but make no mistake about it: Iron Man 2's Blu-ray transfer means business, and it faithfully reproduces that sought-after cinematic texture about as well as any other transfer out there.
Iron Man 2 blasts the senses with an exhilarating DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The audio immediately does its best to shred the soundstage and send all but the most stalwart of listeners begging for mercy; this is one tough soundtrack that's unafraid of loud explosions, precision sound effects, and a bonanza of surround sound information, all stimulating the aural senses while retaining a clarity and ease of delivery that's practically impossible to top. Whether a scene featuring Stark delivering a speech to an enthusiastic crowd where his words and the audiences' applause both perfectly reverberate through the soundstage and effectively place the listener in the room or the roar of Iron Man's engines that deliver a thunderous low end as he zips about the listening area, the track features no shortage of interesting, powerful, and seamless elements that bring the movie to life. There are many highlights throughout the movie that demonstrate the track's incredible accuracy, clean but potent low end, perfect dialogue reproduction, and active surround channels. Parmaount's DTS track captures even the most subtle of background nuances during a Senate hearing where camera shutters and the "oohs" and "aahs" of the gathered press and observers seem to spill from every speaker. Chapter six features a racetrack action sequence that not only springs to life through the seamless presentation of roaring engines and squealing tires, but through the following action scenes that all but devastate the listening area as cars explode and are sliced in half, all the while the general chaos of a burning raceway, frightened fans, and blasting energy weapons do nothing less than shower listeners with an incredible array of pitch-perfect sound. The track is at its best when it features weapons fire and explosions; the final action sequence has "demo" written all over it as automatic weapons spit out bullets with deadly sonic precision and explosions rock the soundstage without mercy. This is one of the most active, clear, and entertaining tracks to come along this year; supported by seamless dialogue reproduction, it's perfection in every way from the heaviest of explosions to the slightest of ambient nuances. This is the definition of Action movie audio on Blu-ray.
Iron Man 2 spreads its extras out over three discs, two of which are of the Blu-ray variety and one serving double duty as home to DVD and
digital copies
of
the film. Disc one begins with an audio commentary track with Director Jon Favreau. He delivers an enthusiastic commentary that fans should enjoy.
The director begins with by sharing the details of an ultimately unrealized opening scene and continues on to discuss the picture's structure, the basic
elements of
the
story, the actors' contributions to the picture, shooting locales, the picture's balance, its humor, and much more. He occasionally does little
more than discuss the on-screen action, but he frames his recounting of the plot by setting a foundation for more pertinent information.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Data Vault (1080p) allows viewers to "explore S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data on the people, weapons, and technology surrounding Tony
Stark."
Users may choose to view the information from one of two modes: Footage Scan Mode shows information in support of several scenes,
appearing
over the movie as it plays; The Vault displays the information separate from the movie. The Vault
features that same material as Footage Scan Mode -- selectable from a scrolling menu of scenes -- and also contains a plethora of additional
points-of-interest, such as Project: Iron
Man,
Project: New Mexico, Avengers Initiative, Super Soldier Initiative, and Missing: Bruce Banner. Each contains a
wealth
of clickable information that reveals character bios, secrets, field reports, and much more. In other words, it's a Marvel fan's hub for all things
superhero.
Disc one also features Previsualization and Animatics (1080p), a pop-up secondary video window that plays over the movie and shows
storyboards, animatics, and live action test footage as they relate to key scenes.
Disc two begins with Ultimate Iron Man: The Making of 'Iron Man 2' (1080p), a four-part documentary that covers several film-critical
elements in greater detail. First is Rebuilding the Suit (29:14), a piece that features cast and crew speaking on the rebirth of the series for
this second
installment. The piece follows the beginnings of the filmmaking process, the assemblage of the all-star cast, following up on the success of the first
picture, designing new characters, the use of animated previsualization, prop and costume design, wardrobe selection, stunt work, and the actors'
physical training. A Return to Action (17:22) is something of a piecemeal supplement that looks at Robert Downey, Jr.'s performance, Sam
Rockwell's and Gary Shandling's contributions to the movie, the work of Director Jon Favreau, shooting the picture's dingy Moscow opening, filming at
Edwards Air
Force Base, the weapons seen in the film, and filming one of the picture's critical fight scenes. Expanding the Universe (18:56) further looks
at prop and
costume design, shooting in Monaco, filming the raceway action sequence, choreographing Scarlett Johansson's fight scenes, and the use of both
practical and
computer-generated effects in the movie. Finally, Building a Legacy (20:11) is perhaps the best segment of the four, examining the
post-production
processes of editing and scoring the picture and adding the finishing touches to make a complete movie.
Following the four-part documentary is a
collection of six self-explanatory featurettes (1080p): Creating Stark Expo (6:44), Practical Meets Digital (8:37), Illustrated
Origin: Nick Fury (6:07), Illustrated Origin: Black Widow (3:06), Illustrated Origin: War Machine (3:52), and Working with DJ
AM (2:02). Next up is a series of 11 Concept Art Galleries: Hammer Drones, Feebles, Russia, Mark IV, Sets, Stark Expo 2010, Stark Mansion,
Mark V, War Machine, Whiplash Exo-Skeleton, and Whiplash Mark II. Also included on disc two is a collection of eight deleted scenes --
including the alternate opening Favreau discusses in his commentary -- with optional Jon Favreau commentary (1080p, 16:50). The disc concludes
with a trio of Iron Man 2 trailers (1080p, 2:33, 2:34, &
1:14), a trailer for Sega's Iron Man 2 video game (1080p, 1:47), the Iron Man 2 video game prologue (1080p, 2:45), a trailer for
Avengers Animated (1080p, 1:51), and the music video Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC (1080p, 5:37). Finally, disc three houses both DVD
and digital copies of the film. The latter, sampled on an iPhone 4, features audio that plays as somewhat crunchy and
severely lacking in clarity and definition, the shortcomings readily evident even through the two-channel headphone presentation. On the flip side,
the
video appears stable and accurate, with strong colors and adequate details, all without much in the way of excessively intrusive compression artifacts.
Iron Man 2 delivers pretty much everything anyone could want out of both a sequel and a Summer blockbuster. It's loud, fast-paced, exciting, and crammed with seamless special effects, but it's also structurally sound and backed by a fairly generic but nevertheless workable plot that manages to exist within the confines of the real world, accentuated only by those elements that make the movie a fantastical escape from the daily grind. As any good sequel accomplishes, Iron Man 2 further develops its characters, delivers action scenes that are the equal of or superior to anything seen in the original, and works towards the construction of additional installments. Director Jon Favreau has both Iron Man and the Superhero genre down pat; outside of Christopher Nolan, he's probably the best the genre currently has to offer behind the camera. Paramount's three-disc Iron Man 2 Blu-ray delivers a pristine 1080p transfer, a faultless lossless soundtrack, and hours of extra content. Here's another disc that's in the running to be remembered as one of 2010's best. Very highly recommended.
2010
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2011
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