Iron Man 3 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. I expected a big-budget flick like this to look great, and Iron Man 3 did.
Overall definition worked well. If any softness materialized, it escaped me, as I found an image with tight, accurate delineation.
I saw no shimmering or jagged edges. The image lacked edge haloes or print flaws.
Like many modern action flicks, Iron Man 3 opted for a fairly teal palette, though it also leaned toward an amber tone at times. I would’ve liked something that deviated from the norm, but I didn’t think the teal approached the obnoxious levels of something like A Good Day to Die Hard, so the hues seemed positive.
Blacks were deep and dark, while shadows showed nice clarity and smoothness. Across the board, the movie looked terrific.
I also felt consistently pleased with the excellent DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack of Iron Man 3. With tons of action, the soundscape used all the channels on a frequent basis. This led us to an exciting sonic experience from start to finish.
The various speakers provided lots of information that filled out the movie and blended together in a seamless manner. Bullets, explosions, vehicles – you name it and it blasted all around us. This formed a dynamic soundscape with a lot to offer.
In addition, audio quality seemed strong. Music was bold and full, and even with a lot of looped lines, dialogue remained crisp and natural.
Effects appeared lively and vivid, with clear highs and deep lows. I felt pleased with this impressive soundtrack.
The package included both 2D and 3D versions of Iron Man 3. The picture comments above reflected the movie’s 2D presentation – how did the 3D compare?
Sharpness took a minor hit, but in general, the two looked a lot alike. I saw no major variations in image quality.
Going into this disc, I’d heard that Iron Man 3 offered lackluster 3D imaging. I must disagree, for while I didn’t think it excelled, it seemed reasonably involving.
The movie offered pretty nice depth through most of the film, and action scenes brought better engagement. In particular, shots with flying elements added an appealing impression.
Again, none of this made the 3D version stellar. Nonetheless, I liked it and felt it became a fun way to watch the movie.
This meant I preferred the 3D Iron Man 3 to its Blu-ray 2D edition, but what about the 4K UHD version? Viewers with Atmos capabilities will want to go with it, since it became the only one to feature that mix.
In terms of visuals, the 4K offered the strongest presentation, but it didn’t blow away the Blu-ray. Honestly, it felt like a toss-up between the 4K and the 3D as my preferred version. Both worked well so viewers equipped with both can toss a coin to decide which to watch.
When we look at extras, we begin with an audio commentary from director Shane Black and screenwriter Drew Pearce. Both sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story/character/script areas, cast and performances, sets and locations, effects and action, editing and alternate sequences, and other areas.
Despite a few minor gaps, Black and Pearson deliver a highly entertaining and informative take on the film. As one might expect, story/character areas dominate, and those provide lots of good tidbits about various drafts of the script and different changes.
Heck, we even get a fascinating sidebar about how Die Hard connects to the Odysseus myth! Fun, illuminating and peppy, this becomes a strong commentary.
A continuation of a series found on other Avengers-related discs, Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter runs 15 minutes, 29 seconds and focuses on events connected to Captain America. Set after Cap’s disappearance, Hayley Atwell reprises her role as his girlfriend in this moderately fun little adventure.
Under “Featurettes”, we find three pieces. Iron Man 3 Unmasked lasts 10 minutes, 59 seconds and offers notes from Black, producer Kevin Feige, stunt coordinator Markos Rounthwaite, visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend, executive producers Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito and Victoria Alonso, production designer Bill Brzeski, associate producer Mitch Bell, stunt double Trevor Habberstad, and actors Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Don Cheadle, and Guy Pearce.
The piece covers the Iron Man suits and related elements, stunts and action, sets and locations, story/character areas, various effects, and other production challenges. Essentially it tries to run through the whole movie in 11 minutes, and it bites off much more than it go chew. While we find some good material, it flies by too quickly and leaves this as a somewhat unsatisfying show.
Deconstructing the Scene: Attack on Air Force One goes for eight minutes, 43 seconds and features Feige, D’Esposito, Broussard, Alonso, Townsend, stunt coordinator Jeff Habberstad, 2nd unit stunt coordinator Jim Churchman, production supervisor Jason Tamez, visual effects producer Mark Soper, senior animation supervisor Erik Gamache, and compositing supervisor Michael Maloney.
As expected, this show looks at the elements that went into one of the movie’s big action sequences. Though a little on the short side, it still delves into the subject matter pretty well as it lets us see the components required for the aerial scene.
Finally, we locate an Exclusive Behind the Scenes Look at Thor: The Dark World. In this one-minute, 53-second clip, we hear from Feige, director Alan Taylor, and actors Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Tom Hiddleston.
This is nothing more than an ad for the next Thor movie. Don’t expect to learn anything from it.
10 Deleted and Extended Scenes occupy a total of 16 minutes, 20 seconds. These include longer segments from the Bill Maher and Joan Rivers TV shows, and we also get a fair number of alternate lines/outtakes.
The most significant addition comes from material with the bully who pesters Tony’s young pal Harley, and those scenes provide an unused subplot with some action. While the bully segments have some meat to them, the rest of the footage is interesting but pretty insubstantial.
A Gag Reel fills five minutes, seven seconds. It shows the standard collection of goofs and giggles. I’ve seen better, but I’ve also seen worse.
The 2D disc opens with ads for Thor: The Dark World, Agents of SHIELD, the Lego Marvel Super Heroes game, The Lone Ranger and Iron Man/Hulk: Heroes United.
Under Sneak Peeks, we also get promos for Audi, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and Hulk and the Agents of SMASH. No trailer for Iron Man 3 appears here.
The 3D disc comes with a 3D preview for Thor: Dark World.
A third disc provides a DVD copy of Iron Man 3. It includes “Deconstructing the Scene” and the Dark World preview but it lacks all the other extras.
After the disappointing Iron Man 2, the franchise rebounds with the fun, exciting Iron Man 3. Buoyed by a higher level of drama and the addition of Ben Kingsley to the cast, 3 might be the best of the Iron Man films to date. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio along with bonus materials highlighted by a delightful audio commentary. Fans will be happy with this solid release, and the 3D version adds some verve to the proceedings.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of IRON MAN 3