Tony Stark is Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) . The question about what that really means though and what his identity really is haunts Stark. After the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark finds himself questioning everything. He is a man driven by fear, projecting fearlessness. He is holding on tightly to what he loves and is scared to death of losing that… mainly Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). When the Mandarin comes along and hurts someone close to Stark, it becomes personal and his ego overcomes his fear. He soon finds himself in outright war with not only the Mandarin, but also his own demons. Iron Man 3 continues right where The Avengers left off.
Picture & Sound:
Iron Man 3 looks and sounds fantastic. I’m always happy when I can watch a movie and not get distracted by the effects. In Iron Man 3, the effects were done fantastically and they looked great on the HD screen. There weren’t any moments of “oh, that’s clearly digital.” In fact, at one point during the special features we saw a scene that WAS digital that we didn’t realize had been digitized and all in the room exclaimed, “that was digital!?” The audio was equally well done. It transported me into the world of Iron Man. The surround sound was awesome and the dialogue was always easy to hear and understand. These are two musts in my book.
Bonus Features:
There were several bonus features included with Iron Man 3 and they were quite enjoyable to watch. It’s always a good sign when you finish the bonus features and are surprised they are already over… especially when there is a healthy compliment of features. Here is what is offered:
- Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter
- Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Look Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World”
- Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Unmasked
- Deconstructing The Scene: Attack On Air Force One
- Gag Reel
- Deleted/Extended Scenes
- Audio Commentary With Drew Pearce & Shane Black
Over all, I enjoyed all of these bonus features (even the gag reel! I know… shocking). It was a strong compliment of bonus features that is definitely worth watching.
Final Thoughts:
Iron Man 3 is a wonderful follow up to The Avengers. It made sense to delve into the after effects of Tony Stark seeing what no human being has ever seen or experienced before. It added a level of realism to Stark’s character and reminded us all that while he does have an awesome suit, he is still a guy that has to deal with the consequences of his actions just like everyone else. He just happens to also be a genius who is willing to risk his life to protect those he loves and pursue the truth and his version of justice.
The cast of characters that surround Stark are an absolute joy to watch and Ben Kingsley was fantastic to watch. Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and Jon Favreau deserve honorable mentions as well. Recognition should also go to Paul Bettany as Jarvis because really, what would Iron Man be without Jarvis?
The movie might be a tad bit long but… I wouldn’t change it. It’s definitely worth adding to your library if you are a Marvel or super hero fan. It’s part of the bigger story of this particular group of Marvel characters. I personally can’t wait to see where the Marvel team takes all of the Avengers in the future. I love seeing the big story come together with a bunch of “little” stories in these movies. I definitely give a hat tip to Iron Man 3 on Blu-Ray. I hope you enjoy it!
