Birth of the MCU – review of DVD releases of films from the “Iron Man” series from the Marvel Collection

Before the revolution

While this statement may sound a bit exaggerated, I believe it’s Iron Manis one of the most important pictures in the history of entertainment cinema. It was he who started the MCU, which brought the experience of watching movies closer to reading comics, which turned out to be an excellent idea for the long-term creation of a franchise. To get a better understanding of this, take a look at the Marvel and DC comic book adaptations from before 2008. Yes, they existed and often came out at least as good as in the case of some movies devoted to Spider-Man, Superman, Batman or Blade. All these productions, however, suffered from significant limitations in the construction of the world. The creators used only a handful of characters most associated with the main characters, while their comic versions were often found in spectacular crossovers or through guest appearances.

This problem was solved by Kevin Feige, choosing an extremely ambitious and risky project, which was then the MCU. Following the example of comic book series, we were to receive solo films devoted to given characters, but taking place in the same world. Every few years, however, there was to be the equivalent of an event in which characters known from previous productions join forces to jointly overcome a greater threat, which was accompanied by a change in the status quo of the universe. And so, after a series of several originals and the Iron Man sequel, we got a big climax in the form of the Avengers. The excellent financial results of the crossover confirmed the validity of this strategy and set a model for the followers who have not managed to repeat the success to this day. However, it all started with the history of the transformation of a billionaire …

Heart of iron

On May 2, 2008, Iron Man hit theaters . The production was a commercial success, grossing nearly $ 600 million worldwide. In the context of today’s results, this amount may not seem very impressive, but it should be remembered that we were dealing with a new series then, and the comic book Tony Stark was not a hero as recognizable as Peter Parker or mutants from X-Men for the mass audience . Moreover, while the film received an age rating of PG-13, it was not necessarily as friendly to the younger audience as recent Marvel Studios films.

After all, the main plot of the story was about the arms trade and terrorism. After all, we get to know the movie Stark at the moment when he tries to sell the latest tools of death to the American army. The deal, however, fails and Stark is abducted by terrorists. Everyone knows the rest of the story – although the billionaire escapes relatively safely, he significantly changes his point of view to a more noble and pacifist one, and also has to deal with the threat he has caused himself.

Let’s be honest, the main plot of Iron Manit is not too thrilling, and even eleven years ago it used a very well-known pattern. Oh, another story about a self-centered rich man who has to face the consequences of his life so far, understand his mistakes and become a better person. Nothing special, but the basics are solid and versatile enough to have the potential to contain distinctive characters. This, on the other hand, has certainly succeeded. The main three actors – Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Jon Favreau – created great creations, which she also proved in subsequent films. Paradoxically, the most famous cast member, Jeff Bridges, fared the worst. It must be admitted, however, that he didn’t have much to play there. The initial Marvel movies had very big problems with creating antagonists and we got a stereotypical villain, who is angry because he is. However, the soundtrack composed by Ramin Djawadi, known today of course from the music created for the series, made a very positive impression.Game of Thrones .

Repeat Success?

Marvel decided to forge the iron while it is hot and even before the Avengers crossover, viewers could see the continuation of Tony Stark’s fate. Iron Man 2 hit theaters in 2010 . Unfortunately, the rush turned out to be a bad advisor, and in my opinion, one of the MCU’s least successful films has been released. What didn’t really work? First of all, the script, and especially the development of the main character. After the events of the first installment, Stark consolidated his status as a world celebrity, no longer being associated with the arms trade, but rather with the feats of Iron Man armor. Therefore, a quite interesting theme was chosen, in which the rush of fame confuses our protagonist in his head, so that he, in turn, does not notice the coming threat.

This does not sound bad, but it is worse in practice. This is one of the weakest plots of moral decay I have ever seen. Stark turned from an arrogant but brilliant entrepreneur to a hero stripped of his intellect and downright embarrassing. Many situations that are supposed to be funny evoke a smile of pity, the prime example of which is the smashing of armor. Watching Iron Man 2comes with some sympathy for the cast who must have starred from such a poor script. What’s worse, just like in the first film, the antagonists do not perform well (because this time there were two of them). Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) and Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) joined forces to take revenge on Stark. Both men lack any natural motivation and most of the time act absurdly, creating almost caricatured outfits.

However, this does not mean that everything in Iron Man 2 is broken. The shortcomings are mainly scripted and the viewers could still enjoy a very well-played and spectacular entertainment. Important steps have also been taken to build a great universe. In the film, SHIELD agents Black Widow and Nick Fury played quite important roles, heralding the Avengers a bit . Even then, the viewer could guess that it is a powerful organization that influences not only the characters from one film.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

Fortunately, Tony Stark recovered from inferior production and then came back in glory twice. First, in 2012 – in the first Avengers, fans got back the hero they had come to love in the original movie. A year later it was shown that the solo adventures of the Iron Man can still be a really positive surprise. Iron Man 3 became the most profitable part of the series, grossing over $ 1.2 billion worldwide. Certainly, a lot of credit goes to the aforementioned crossover, which attracted new fans. However, it should not be underestimated what tasty piece of action cinema saw the light of day.

Iron Man 3 is by far the most original movie in the series. Shane Black was responsible for the directing and script, a man known from the scenarios of classic actionmen like Lethal Weapon , The Hero of the Last Action or The Long Kiss Goodnight . In fact, from the very beginning you can feel the hand of a man specializing in unpretentious entertainment. It happens a lot and often against logic, but in great style. More importantly, after all, the transformation of the main character makes sense. During the AvengersTony Stark first met with beings from outside our world, which changed the worldview of the billionaire. For the first time he is in doubt. A successful maneuver is a fragment in which Stark is cut off from all technology by enemies and must overcome both tangible difficulties and somehow fight an internal struggle with his weaknesses to find within himself what really defines him as Iron Man.

The icing on the Iron Man 3 cake is the controversial use of the alleged Mandarin character portrayed by Ben Kingsley. I realize that this decision raised mixed feelings, but it definitely broke the tradition of stencil villains. It was also the first time the folks at Marvel Studios had entertained themselves with fan expectations.

A bit about the release

Since I admitted above that at least two of the above films are worth paying attention to, the question remains whether it is worth getting acquainted with them thanks to the new series – Marvel Collection? Well, I think so, especially if we care about the aesthetics on the shelf. Until now, many Marvel Studios films have differed in the placement of graphics on the spine of the box. Here, however, each film has been additionally packed in a cardboard jacket that guarantees a uniform style, and what’s more – very attractive. Inside, of course, we find a standard DVD or Blu-ray box with an old cover. It should also be mentioned that the suggested price for these editions is much lower than the original run, so the discounts will be even more attractive with upcoming promotions.

When it comes to technical issues, Polish viewers in the films Iron Man and Iron Man 2 can choose from a Polish voiceover or an original soundtrack with Polish subtitles. In Iron Man 3 , the voiceover was abandoned in favor of dubbing. It is also worth mentioning that all productions contain a number of other sound and text tracks, but the publisher forgot to mention on the box.

Thanks to the Galapagos company, I had the opportunity to get acquainted with the DVD releases of the Iron Man series . Unfortunately, compared to Blu-ray editing, they are characterized not only by worse image quality, but also more modest additional materials. This does not mean, however, that they were completely absent. In the first Iron Man, we can see really many unused or extended scenes. There is also a short trailer for the Iron Man: Armored Adventures cartoon. On the CD with the sequel, however, we will find a director’s commentary by Jon Favreau. I was especially pleased with this addition, because I like to watch the movie again with the creator’s comments, even when I didn’t like it very much. This gives a chance for a broader look at the whole and confronting the vision with your own thoughts. In Iron Man 3 , on the other hand, there is a short material from the set of the film Thor: The Dark World and a report on the implementation of a spectacular scene with the participation of Air Force One. The latter addition is especially noteworthy as it shows how impressive the practical effects have been used there.

It’s worth knowing

Iron Man productions may not be my favorites, but it cannot be denied that they formed the basis of one of the largest film franchises in history. For this reason, every MCU fan should stock up on their physical releases (well, maybe except for the second part). The Marvel collection, on the other hand, offers the perfect opportunity for those who are just starting to collect films from this series.