Iron Man 4K UHD [Blu-Ray] [Region Free] (English audio)

This is how it all began. Iron Man was the first movie based on a Marvel superhero actually produced by Marvel, and as such was the first instalment of the rapidly expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man was perhaps a strange choice as outside comic book geekdom he probably wasn’t the best known superhero – certainly not universally known like Superman, Batman and Spider-Man – but that didn’t stop director Jon Favreau forging a brilliant movie that catapulted the character to international fame and set Marvel’s ball well and truly rolling. Iron Man is by no means a perfect film (I would have preferred to see more set pieces with the Mark III armour, and it does end with a fairly predictable mano-a-mano bash-up between Stark and his nemesis), but the flaws are outweighed by all the good stuff. The decision to cast Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark was inspired; his charismatic, witty performance is a joy to watch and he really makes you believe that he could invent all this implausible technology. The scenes showing Stark developing the suits are brilliant and often hilarious. The supporting cast is also superb; the banter between Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow is marvellous, and Jeff Bridges is a seriously imposing presence as Stark’s father figure-cum-opponent. Terrence Howard is also fine as James Rhodes though I prefer the Don Cheadle interpretation of the character in later movies. However the real stars of the show are the brilliantly realised suits. Stan Winston’s team did a truly remarkable job creating beautiful, practical suits, which are supplemented by almost flawless visual effects work. A few more scenes with Iron Man in action and a more inventive finale would have made this a five-star classic, but it’s still damn good fun. Technically the blu ray release is superb: picture quality is almost flawless, though as often seems to be the case with Paramount releases I found myself having to turn the volume up more than usual. If you’re going to get this movie on BD you have to seek out the 2-disc Ultimate Edition. Sadly this is no longer being made so you’ll have to look on eBay or find a private seller on Amazon, but the difference between it and the 1-disc version currently available is like night and day. On disc 1 you get a 40-minute history of Iron Man, deleted scenes and the rather pointless interactive ‘Hall of Armour’, while disc 2 features a brilliant in-depth ‘making of’, a VFX documentary, Downey’s screentests, storyboards and galleries. Although I’d give the movie itself 4 stars, the extent and quality of the bonus features easily bump this set up to the full five.

Iron Man is one of the best adaptations of comic book entertainment to the world of film. In my view only the Christian Bale Batman is as excellent a story and production as the tale of the Iron Man. Robert Downey Jnr is fantastically cast as Tony Stark, playboy industrialist and genious. As a weapons manufacturer and womaniser, Stark is set up as a character without morals and with only his own quest for pleasure able to match his inquisitive desire to build bigger and better weapons. It all goes wrong within moments of the opening credits though as on a trip to Afghanistan (and trust me it really does look like Afghanistan) his convoy is attacked and he is taken prisoner. From there, Stark builds the foundation of his Iron Man. It is the first part of the film that is truly awesome. Downey Jnr's own decadent lifestyle plays so well into the character of Stark and the arrogance that accompanies a genious who knows his position is delicious. His winning way with people and the awe with which the squaddies look up to him in the moment before his convoy is hit are moments of cinematic greatness. The part of the film where robots are fighting each other is less fun. I'm not a fan of the Transformers film and I didn't like the same robot action here. The process that turns Stark into the Iron Man both in the cave and then when perfecting the suit in California are what makes this film work so excellently. There are plot holes just as there are in any blockbuster. The sentimentality of the reporting on a refugee crisis is cringeworthy. The deliberate attempt to de-Arabise the terrorist group is pointless as those who fail to see the difference still won't while those who do will not be convinced. Despite all that this is still a great film. Jeff Bridges is a great presence and his bald pate and beard make his character really stand out. Bridges carries a sophistication in his characterisation that makes him a believable Chief Executive weighing up every situation to his own best advantage. Even Gwyneth Paltrow puts in a decent turn helped by an excellent mop of hair. The DVD extras are really extensive. The making of documentary is seriously comprehensive and covers a lot of the behind the scenes issues - a genuine glimpse into the role of the director as Jon Favreau takes the production from concepts with the comic book guys through the model making, casting, until post-production. The lengthy discussions with comic book guys is probably more for those with a natural affinity to comics though I noted with some amusement the complete writing out of Barry Windsor-Smith from Iron Man history - knowing the guy personally it doesn't surprise me.

I grew up surrounded by stacks of Marvel Comics and the recent spate of movies based on them has been a real treat and despite Iron Man's character being re-invented several times over the years he still remains a man tortured by past deeds. Moving his origin tale to Afghanistan gives it a solid modern base but in every aspect it stays true to Stan Lee's original storyline. Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges are excellent choices for the main protagonists. They are both great character actors and give gravitas to what could have been just another action movie, instead we have a film with real heart as one man, Tony Stark, battles against his past deeds and the other, Obadiah Stane, fights for their company to continue as a major arms dealer. There are some excellent set-pieces including the first appearance of Iron Man, in armour based on the original comic book, Downey learning how to walk whilst wearing boots with repulsor rays before taking his initial flight, Iron Man's first battle in a village under attack by bandits and the final fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger. There's good support from 2 other Iron Man favourites Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes and Gwyneth Paltrow as "Pepper" Potts. The movie itself is stunning and will be watched time and time again. The second disc moves this package up another notch, there's an impressive "making of" documentary covering almost every aspect of the movie. The special effects section features an appearance by the late, great FX master Stan Winston; it also features mention of the Crimson Dynamo, albeit in error. There's a 40 minute history of Iron Man's comic appearances with several Marvel greats including his creator Stan Lee, who has a cameo in the movie as a Hugh Hefner style figure, it also features Gerry Conway, Gene Colan, John Romita Jr. and the wonderfully eccentric Warren Ellis amongst others. Once again Marvelites will pick up on tributes to Iron Man's rich history, from the theme tune to the 1966 cartoon series which is played several times during the movie and the more famous "I am Iron Man" theme kicking in as the end credits roll. Stark's bodyguard/driver "Happy" Hogan appears played by director Jon Favreau himself, it features a more prominent role for the new S.H.I.E.L.D. organisation and the final scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson is a precursor for the proposed Avengers movie due in 2011. The terrorist organisation here is called the Ten Rings, a nod towards Iron Man's nemesis the Mandarin who was mooted as a main villain but, wisely, by-passed. There is also a very brief view of what appears to be a circular red, white and blue shield in Stark's workshop and Stark's computer JARVIS is a name familiar to Avengers fans.

First and best film of the saga, this Iron Man is truly a refreshing new piece in the world of marvel films. Maybe due to the background of the director as a comedian and to the presence itself of Robert Downey, this film has a certain brilliant side that reminds a lot of screwball comedies, that surprisingly naturally cohabits with the action side. The result is a curious and smart mix of genres and an interesting visual look, that switches from classic 50ies style to almost live action and documentarian moments (the first scene when the Iron man reveals coming out of the cave in the desert) to videogame-hitech scenes. The duet between Downey and Paltrow is brilliantly conducted and focuses on a constant romantic and sexual unresolved tension (as in the best Wilder and Hawks old comedies), while Jeff Bridges is quite believable in the role of the villain. The blu ray is definitely good. Surely one of the best comis heroes based films

This is a fantastic adaptation of the original comic book character, given a very well executed updating. Here we have a character, Tony Stark, that at the start of the movie, lives and works in the shady and sometimes morally questionable world of arms development and supply; and he has reaped the benefits, being an extremely wealthy, playboy type of man. Then he has, literally, a life changing experience both physically and mentally and in the process learns of the 'dark side' of his own companys' products, he discovers that his weapons are being used against american soldiers. He literally has an epiphany and is disgusted at what he's learnt. He has been captured by enemy forces and is being forced to re-create one of his companys' latest missiles, so with the help of another captive he constructs an exoskeleton 'battle suit'; by using this he is able to fight his way out of the prison caves and camp, destroying stockpiles of weapons his company has created and then escaping into the desert where he is found by an american search party. On his return home he shocks everyone by announcing that his company will no longer be producing weapons; this causes anger and resentment from someone close to him in the company. Stark secretly begins to construct a new 'battle suit', hugely technologically advanced, with various types of weapons and supersonic flying capability. He wants to hunt down and destroy all Stark weapons in enemy hands, wherever they are, he wants revenge! Without giving anything further away, I just want to say that this is a BRILLIANT film! Jon Favreau has done a fantastic job with the casting and direction, Robert Downey Jr is simply awesome as Stark, as usual Jeff Bridges is excellent and the usually irritating Gwyneth Paltrow is actually very good. The Special Effects are amazing, as usual ILM prove they are THE best! Oh yes, try to keep watching the film after the final credits, I won't say why but it coincides with the end of The Incredible Hulk! I can't wait for Iron Man 2 next year!

This is one of those movies that snuck up on me; don't know what I was doing at the time to avoid all the marketing campaigns going on! But absolutely loved it! Robert Downey JR was the perfect choice and embodies all the aspects of what you would expect from Tony Stark in this movie and he nails it to a tee. Jeff Bridges was also perfect in his role, don't want to spoil it too much but he's great in every way as you would expect from an actor of his calibre and gives real intensity to every scene! Intro story was perfectly done and you just want to keep on seeing more and more as time going by, never wanted this movie to end. Superb. Stunning visuals and sound packs a punch too. Lots of special features which I found really interesting involving how to take the suit from the comic book and into reality, how to make it look real, fascinating. A must have for any collection!

After decades as a comic book, and after many others such as Batman and Superman nad more recently X-Men and Fantasic Four to name a few have all had many movies adapted with various degrees of success here finally is a film adaptation of a less familiar hero but one that potentially could be a massive success if we ever had convincing mean to recreate the hero. Now with CGI computer graphics, IRON MAN can be realised faithfully and it is a very cool, very amazing movie that sits right alongside Tim Burton's Batman, and Batman Returns, Superman and the X-Men films as a very excellent adaptation. There are some parts of the film that could have been rearranged, directed better, but ultimately the IORN MAN effects are simply amazingly jawdropping. This is a huge, stunning hollywood popcorn action film, with laughs, amazing effects like nothing much else, good story and very good cast of actors who bring it all to together as a superb superhero film.

With fabulous actors doing this movie and the story is marvellous with that, How the world can you go wrong. I found this to be very interesting and different and something that makes you wonder can this really happen. When my earlier years I could buy the comic books of superman, Phantom and all the others but never had the interest until just the last few years that has had me sit up and take notice. The impossible is still impossible but you never know what's around the corner do we. Captured and using his only talent as a genius to escape, he builds a suit of armour and becomes our hero. I have missed out on a few things but I'm taking a short cut as I have more reviews to do, I rated this an A grade plus for full on action and adventure that has you marvelling at what he can do and we can't. Hurry now as you wont want to miss out on this as it will have you glued to the chair, relaxing with your popcorn in one hand and a drink in the other don't forget to put your feet up. Enjoy!