Iron Man: Ultimate 2 - Disc Edition Blu-ray Disc Set Review

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Title: Iron Man: Ultimate 2 – Disc Edition

Media: Blu-ray Disc

Region: A

Genre: Superhero Action

Stars: Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, and Gwyneth Paltrow

Writers: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway

Director: John Favreau

Feature length: 125 minutes

Extras: Hall Of Armor, BD-Live: Iron Man I.Q., The Invincible Iron Man, Deleted And Extended Scenes, I Am Iron Man Documentary, Wired: The Visual Effects Of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test, The Actor’s Process, Still Galleries

Languages: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound and French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and French, Spanish, and Portuguese Language Subtitles

Packaging: 2-Disc Single Size Blue BD Case

Sound: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2008/Blu-ray Disc Release: 2008

Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

Iron Man was the summer of 2008’s first genuine hit and a surprise one at that because the initial teaser trailers that began running in what seemed like almost a year before the film actually opened, did not look particularly exciting unless of course you were a fan of the comic. So many recent superhero films were disappointing and in most cases it was not the debut films for a character that was bad so much was it a clumsy third film in a trilogy where the first two films really got me jazzed about what would happen in the third. To make things worse, in most cases it was big screen live action trilogies featuring Marvel comics’ characters that lost it in the third act. Spider-Man 3 was for me a huge disappointment after the first two entries of the film series. X-Men 3: The Last Stand is another example of a poor conclusion to a feature film trilogy, but the worst offender was Blade Trinity. The short-lived SPIKE TV summer series was better than the ill conceived vampire hunter flick. Then of course you can add to that the films Electra, Man-Thing, The Punisher, and the D.C. Comics flicks Superman Returns and Catwoman and I think it is easy to see why I began to lose faith in most live action comic book films.

Then Marvel Entertainment began to produce their films in-house with the studios serving more as distributors and the result is the first films to be released from Marvel’s new studio were surprise commercial successes and genuinely more faithful to the spirit of the characters if only because now the people behind the scenes are true fans making movies for true fans and as Paramount’s first Marvel Entertainment collaboration or property to be released on the big screen, it is without a doubt a truly auspicious debut for both with great promise not only for Iron Man, but also for The Incredible Hulk as Marvel takes hold of the franchises and brings them toward the inevitable direction of Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers, which are both set to be released in 2011. In addition to a special cameo that helps set things in a forward motion toward this direction after the closing credits of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. reprised his role from Iron Man as Tony Stark for a similar moment at the end of The Incredible Hulk, that helps to create a larger tapestry for the live action feature film Marvel Universe that Warner Brothers has yet to accomplish in a live action theatrical release with any of the D.C. Comics characters and there one would think it would be easier since Warner is a parent company for D.C. as well.

Ironically in many ways Iron Man is similar to Batman Begins if you remove the gloss and look at it simply from a character and story structure standpoint. Both Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark are wealthy men who use technology as a means toward becoming genuine superheroes. Both characters go through respective crucibles in the first act. Wayne trains under Ducard in his formative stage of becoming what he needs inside to eventually be Batman until he is faced with a choice that will ultimately determine his fate for the rest of the film. Stark is faced with an ultimate choice on whether using his knowledge of the Stark Industries missile platform or use his genius to create the prototype Iron Man. In both cases the heroes go through a trial by fire and are reborn as a result. While not as prevalent in Batman Begins as it is in Iron Man, both films feature corporate villains attempting to usurp the Kingdom from beneath the rightful heirs’ throne as can be seen in Jeff Bridges Obadiah Stane and Rutger Hauer’s William Earle. Of course there are cosmetic differences and one can argue that all comic book origin films are essentially the same, but I disagree and think in hindsight that the two most critically acclaimed as well as financially successful films based on superheroes this past summer, Iron Man and The Dark Knight, reached these goals by no coincidence, but rather good collaboration between a group of storytellers that knew what they wanted and what was needed to get there.

Paramount Home Entertainment’s Iron Man: Ultimate 2 – Disc Edition on Blu-ray Disc is a knockout must-own hi-def set for anyone’s BD library. The (2.40:1) 1080p widescreen presentation is a homerun with fine color saturation and great detail. The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is absolutely breathtaking and intricate and is widely considered to be one of the finest soundtracks on Blu-ray Disc available. French and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks and English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as French, Spanish, and Portuguese Language Subtitles encoded as options.

The bonus features on both discs are also in high definition and include two feature length documentaries, one focusing on the character of Iron Man and the other focusing on the making of the film. There’s also an effects featurette, eleven deleted scenes, interactive examinations of the three Iron Man suits seen in the film as well as the Iron Monger suit, a still gallery and Robert Downey Jr.’s screen test, which is a highlight to watch. Two domestic and one international trailer are also included. A BD Live Iron Man IQ feature with multiple-choice questions and scenes from the film wrap up the extra value materials found on this two-disc set.

Iron Man: Ultimate 2 – Disc Edition is an excellent addition to just about anyone’s Blu-ray Disc collection and is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

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