Starting today we’ll be having Blueray Mondays. We’ll be reviewing Bluray titles that are available locally. To kick things off let’s pay tribute to the smashing box office success of the God of Thunder by reviewing a Marvel title related to the upcoming Avengers story arc – Iron Man 2.
Synopsis
The story of IronMan 2 pits Tony Stark (Robert Downy Jr.) against his own mortality as he desperately seeks an alternative power source that doesn’t poison him. New threats emerged as well in the form of the then-B villain, Whiplash (Mickey Rourke )and corporate rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) – who wants nothing more than to outperform Stark in his Stark’s Expo.
Another brilliantly conceived movie from director Jon Favreau. It may not be as “epicly” depicted as the first movie, but the script was more balanced now giving enough screen time and script to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Lt. Rhodey Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Col. Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson), and S.H.I.E.L.D. Super-Spy Natalie Rushman/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). It’s also noticeable that S.H.I.E.L.D. played more parts. Note that Iron Man 2 ends with one S.H.I.E.L.D. agent leaving for New Mexico which eventually becomes the setting for Thor.
The bluray version is packed with all sorts of wicked extras, but even if you just want to enjoy the film on its own, the bluray format gives it the proper treatment it rightfully deserves.
IMAGE/PICTURE QUALITY – 5/5
The transfer is amazingly clear and crisp! I simply love it when directors take into consideration bluray formats when they produce these films. It makes the transfer much smoother than those relatively older movies. In any case, the color balance, grain texture and clarity of Iron Man 2 does not disappoint.
SOUND – 5/5
In a visual feast like this, sound plays a huge part in really giving you that glorious cinema experience. In the case of Iron Man 2, the sound pans out perfectly. The 5.1 channels work their magic well and, here’s the good bit: it’s not just contained in the movie itself but stretches all the way to the extras and bonuses. Yup, you can watch behind the scenes in 5.1 sound epicness! How’s that for clarity!
EXTRAS & BONUSES – 4/5
I really appreciate it when studios release bonus contents on HD format. It doesn’t give that backward jump that some of the much older films do (i.e. the bonus contents are in DVD format only). With Iron Man 2, this film is generously spewing out extras and bonus contents! The total of which is an additional 3 hours of footage. From behind the scene specials, where you can see the inception of the project and what really happens behind the camera lenses, to illustrated histories of each of Marvel’s beloved characters, and to deleted scenes with additional commentaries It’s clear that Paramount does not want to hold out on its audience with their Bluray releases.
If you’re a close follower of the Avengers story arc then Iron Man 2 should definitely be part of your bluray collection. Even if you’re not a huge Marvel fan, as a stand-alone movie and bluray disc, Iron Man 2 will leave you with hours of repulsor-ray blasting High Definition entertainement.
Iron Man (Php 1550.00) & Iron Man 2 (Php 1850.00) Blurays available in AstroPlus/ AstroVisions nationwide.
