IRON MAN 2 Blu-ray Review

"Iron Man 2" Sells More Than 1 Million DVDs in One Day.

Judging purely the film itself, “Iron Man 2” is a disappointment, a reasonably-entertaining slice of superhero escapism that still falls a bit short of its predecessor and fails to capitalize on what worked about that film. But this is not solely a film review and the Blu-ray is a stunner; a perfectly-transferred film with excellent special features. It’s a complete package even if the film may not be.

The HD video and audio on “Iron Man 2” are among the best released this year. Not only has the picture been perfectly mixed for HD but the sound will blow you away. It’s the kind of audio mix that they use to sell stereos and “Iron Man 2” is the kind of film that simply works better when it pops off the screen and allows its excellent sound design to marvel.

As for the movie, “Iron Man 2” could best be described as an encore to the killer first set. It’s too-minor a variation on what worked about the hit 2008 film that also incorporates the missteps of the original. Rather than try and expand the universe of “Iron Man,” director Jon Favreau and writer Justin Theroux seem to be doing everything not to anger fans of the original mega-hit. So, while “Iron Man 2” works, no one can claim that it takes enough risks to truly distinguish itself. It’s the same bucket of popcorn entertainment, only now its a little staler and more covered in CGI butter.

“Iron Man 2” picks up immediately after the brilliant ending of the first film. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has revealed his alter ego to the world as we are introduced to Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a Russian inventor who happens to be watching the press conference while he works on technology similar to the one that saved Tony’s life and made him a crimson superhero.

The film will get back to Vanko, but first our hero needs another crisis of conscience. He’s sold to the world that his very existence is the greatest instrument of peace. No one is going to f**k with anyone with Iron Man on patrol. Of course, that’s not going to last.

Both Vanko and rival weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer (an effective Sam Rockwell) are working on their own Iron Man technology. After a very impressive action sequence at the Grand Prix in Monaco in which Vanko unleashes his technical expertise on the world, Stark is forced to face the fact that just being Iron Man has not brought peace to a planet his father’s company helped to arm.