STUDIO: Paramount | DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau | CAST: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johanson
RELEASE DATE: 9/28/2010 | PRICE: single DVD$29.99, two-DVD
$39.99, Blu-ray
$39.99
BONUSES: featurettes, making-of documentary, picture-in-picture, art gallery, commentary, deleted scenes
SPECS: PG-13 | 124 min. | action science-fiction | 2.35:1 aspect ratio | DTS-HD audio | English, Spanish, French subtitlesRATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie
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If Paramount hadn’t released Iron Man 2 with more special features than a super hero has enemies, we’d still praise this Blu-ray disc for one thing: The menu comes up first, no trailers, no ads for new BD-Live interactivity, just the chance to go straight to the movie. Thanks, Paramount; we love you for that!
But there’s also a lot more to love about the Iron Man 2 Blu-ray release. The movie, of course, looks great. The blacks are deep and Gwyneth Paltrow’s lips shine in red. The sound effects are fine too, from the swoosh of Iron Man flying by, to the explosions, and more.
The movie itself — if you weren’t one of the many who contributed to Iron Man 2‘s $312 million at the box office — isn’t as good as the first in the series, but it’s still a very entertaining comic book film. This time, Iron Man must fight a Russian inventor seeking revenge (Mickey Rourke) as well as figure out how to stop his glowing chest plate from killing him.
But on the Blu-ray, fans of the movie will love all the special features. Paramount’s Blu-ray version is a three-disc, with two Blu-ray discs featuring the film and special features, and a DVD playable on non-high-definition players and including a downloadable digital copy of Iron Man 2.
On the first Blu-ray disc, fans can watch the movie by itself or with picture-in-picture pre-visualization and animatics, or with sections of the S.H.I.E.L.D Data Vault popping up. The S.H.I.E.L.D Data Vault offers up information on the film’s major players and can also be accessed manually without watching the movie. A number of slots of the S.H.I.E.L.D Data Vault are empty, suggesting that Paramount will add to them via Blu-ray’s Internet-connected BD-Live as the franchise continues.
On the second Blu-ray disc are eight deleted scenes, including an original opening with Tony Stark, dressed as Iron Man, throwing up into a toilet before he rockets off to the Stark Expo. It’s a fun scene, although it’s sans visual effects.
The four-part documentary “Ultimate Iron Man: The Making of Iron Man 2” is an interesting comprehensive look at the film’s production, with interviews from all the stars — Robert Downey Jr., Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson — interviews with director Jon Favreau, plus lots of others from behind the camera. There are loads of behind-the-scenes footage, even Johansson minus full airbrushed makeup as she trains for her fight scenes. But mostly, the cast and crew talk about their take on the continuation of the story of Tony Stark/Iron Man and the choices they made.
The Blu-ray also has a bunch of fun featurettes that look at parts of the story — “Creating Stark Expo” — as well as origins of characters Nick Fury and Black Widow and the new War Machine Iron Man suit.
Add to that a section with concept art, and the disc is a great set that fans will enjoy delving into.
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Buy or Rent Iron Man 2
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