Invincible Iron Man Explodes Onto DVD Shelves

Do the clothes make the man? Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark's new DVD begs to differ.

The Invincible Iron Man was released on DVD today amid new casting announcements from New Line Cinema regarding Iron Man's Big screen debut next spring. Gwyneth Paltrow was recently added to a cast of Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard as Iron Man and Jim Rhodes, respectively.

While fans of the franchise eagerly await the release of the film, they will be pleasantly surprised by the artwork and storytelling of its 2-D counterpart.

When raising an ancient Chinese city, Stark Industries unleashes five evil spirits which are charged with the task of collecting Mandarin's rings to awaken his undead spirit. Stark not only unveils several different suits, but also many shades of his character. Iron Man's character development proved to audiences that there exists great depth beneath his impenetrable armor.

The writing team took small, but significant liberties with Tony Stark's origin story. The changes were acceptable as it was clear that the story was slightly altered to meet time constraints. What should not have been removed from the reel however, was the alternate opening sequence. Not only did the scene add all-important backstory to the plot, but it was probably the second most gripping scene on the disc. The most breathtaking moment also turned out to be a special feature. Lionsgate gave us a first look at the Dr. Strange movie which will also hit DVD shelves this August. If the movie in its entirety is half as exciting as its opening sequence, then the 'sorcerer supreme' should easily overshadow both Iron Man and the Ultimate Avengers in its DTV.

Overall, Tony Stark's first solo film was a success because it proved that the Invincible Iron Man can hold an audience without the help of the Avengers. Furthermore, it showed us that Marvel's direct-to-video movies are getting better with each release. If this DVD serves as a litmus test for next year's live-action film, then Marvel's first in-house production could prove to be the best comic book movie yet.

Mohad Ali
1/23/2007
Source: Toonado