DVD Review: The Invincible Iron Man Blu-Ray

Movie Info:
Writer: Avi Arad, Greg Johnson, Craig Kyle, Stan Lee, Larry Lieber
Director: Patrick Archibald, Jay Oliva
Cast: Marc Worden, Gwendoline Yeo, Fred Tatasciore, Rodney Saulsberry, Elisa Gabrielli, John McCook
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Lionsgate

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 2, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $

I am not sure whether or not the right time to offer The Invincible Iron Man was after the blockbuster smash, live-action hit Iron Man. The movie was amazing, but naturally this is going to bring some fans to compare the two in storyline if nothing else. Naturally, not too many comparisons can be generated as this film is animated and the screen release was live action, but you can compare the plot and the integrity of the characters.

Having the films released so close together (the release for Iron Man is also this month) may have spelled disaster when it comes to hardcore comic fans and The Invincible Iron Man. I like comics, but I am able to separate the similarities here. The main thing I was looking at, was to see if they did Stan Lee’s character justice.

This is a teen and older oriented animated feature. That being said, I am sure that teenagers will enjoy this for the most part. If you look at only surface value there isn’t too much to complain about. There are plenty of entertaining moments. The voice actors are competent and for an animated movie I have definitely seen worse. It’s not rock solid, but I find that many animated features lack solidity.

The The Invincible Iron Man Plot
The basic story deals with a desolate stretch of land in China. The area was once the home of the Mandarin Empire. According to legend, the city has been buried for three thousand years, but should it ever rise to the top, the Mandarin will once again attack the world with violent and premeditated force. At this point, all rocket scientists know what is going to happen, but I will try not to give it away.

The Jade Dragons are sent in to try and stop Stark Enterprises from excavating the city. When that doesn’t work, a whole new approach has to occur as the city is finally uncovered. When Tony Stark (Marc Worden) finally rolls into town, his convoy is ambushed. Stark is attacked and beaten within an inch of his life. It is now up to Stark to find a way back to the city, regardless of his current medical state.

Stark doesn’t listen and instead builds that infamous tin suit that fans know and love. Now it’s up to Stark to not only evade his captors, but also to get away from SHIELD, a group that is chasing him for arms violations. Oh and there’s also the issues with those Mandarin guys leaving their tombs. When they do wake up, if they manage to find five mystic gold bands they will be able to wake their Master. If that happens you can guarantee there will be some trouble!

Parents do not have to worry about things like violence overkill or sex. While the idea of sexuality is present, it’s not looked at full force. It’s a weak attempt that was added and left in, but it never seemed to go anywhere. In terms of violence, it should be understood that there are some pretty graphic kills going on, but kids would need to use their imaginations because the majority are not done on screen. These areas are definitely tame and while I wouldn’t give it a G rating or let a small child watch it, I am sure your average tween would get by just fine.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Looking solely at Blu-Ray quality, this animated feature is what the upgrade from DVD is all about. There is no way that quality like this could have been represented on a standard definition disc. The colors are dark and at times brooding, but the blues and other colors will just jump out and attack your senses with vibrancy. When placed in the 1080p environment this film just cannot be touched visually. I did not spot one visual error and while I am sure there might be one, it would take some serious looking to find it.

Again, the audio here is killer. Using as many as eight channels, The Invincible Iron Man offers audio in DTS HD 7.1. The audio is so dynamic here that some might say that it sounds better than a lot of traditional movies. Regardless of what you might think of The Invincible Iron Man as a movie, the sound and visual qualities really do stand out. There is also a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, but considering the circumstances I did not listen to that. Subtitles are offered in English and Spanish.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There are a few special features here that fans of the movie might enjoy. Rather than offering an alternative ending, the special features get rolling with an alternative beginning. The animation is rougher and choppier here and it becomes clear why this is the alternative opening scene and not the one they chose. While interesting to watch, they picked the right beginning to be in the film.

Next up is a 12 minute featurette that discusses “The Origin of Iron Man.” This combines interviews from the various people that worked together to make this film. It seemed that the goal was to really try and distance this animated feature from the movie. There is also a lot of back patting going on. They talk a lot about the additions of technology vs. mysticism. I guess if they are proud of these elements then it’s good, but they certainly were not the highlight of the feature for me.

The art department is represented in “The Hall of Iron Man Armor”, which details a lot of interesting facts about the various Iron Man suits that have been created over the years. There is also a clip of conceptual art that includes storyboards and character designs. Things come to an end with some previews and first looks for other Marvel comics. These include Hulk vs. Thor, Ultimate Avengers 2, Next Avengers, and Dr. Strange.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
The Invincible Iron Man might make a good story for the teen or tween looking to get into Iron Man that hasn’t seen the live action film. It also works if you’re stuck at home and have nothing better to do. It’s not a bad animated film in the worst sense of the way, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it like I do my favorite movies. If it’s on that’s fine and I would probably watch some of it, but I am not going to pop it in my Blu-Ray on a regular basis. I’d rent this one to see if it’s worth your time.

Overall Rating:

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