An Iron Man film has been in development since 1990 when the rights were bought by Universal Studios. Through the years the film has jumped studios and had everyone from actor Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise and even big time directors like Quentin Tarantino and Joss Wheaton expressing interest in the project. In 2004, Marvel Studios reacquired the film rights. Who knew in the end, the reins to the only major Marvel Comic hero without a live action film, would go to actor, director and fanboy Jon Favreau. Better known for his comedic performances in Swingers or The Break Up, Favreau proved to be a perfect choice and in turn they have created a fantastic realistic version of the Iron Man character.

Iron Man is a story about billionaire, inventor, playboy, and Howard Hughes type, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). The CEO of Stark Industries, a weapons manufacturing company who supplies to the military, Stark's eyes are opened after his military convoy is attacked in Afghanistan. Stark is captured but is injured in the attack. Stark is kept alive by an electromagnet attached to his chest that is powered by a car battery. Its chief’s function is to keep the shrapnel from going to his heart and in turn killing him. Stark is only kept alive in order to build his latest weapon. But instead, Stark spends the next three months, first creating a miniature arc reactor that not only replaces the electromagnet keeping him alive and allows him to be mobile, but is an energy source of endless power. With that creation, Stark is now able to build his first iron suit and in turn escape from his captors. Back safe and sound, Stark has a new outlook in life and wants to rectify the evil his weapons have created in the world. So begins our story of Stark’s redemption.

After opening this past summer to both critical and commercial success, Iron Man is now available on DVD and Blu-ray formats. Along with the feature, there are a ton of bonus material including some exclusive to blu-ray.

The bonus material available here is massive and has everything one could hope for, except for perhaps a commentary track, which would have been a nice added addition. Still, there are hours of material all in HD to keep you busy.

First up are documentaries on the visual effects and a 7-part making of, that takes you from the pre-production all the way to the premiere. These documentaries are a wealth of information and make you appreciate the film even more.

As with many DVD’s these days, deleted and extended scenes are included. But in addition there is a six-minute Robert Downey Jr. screen test and even footage of Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges working on a scene. All of this helps to give the fan even more information on the process and some of the ideas that never made it in the final cut. The only bad thing I would say, it is unfortunate they did not complete the special effects with the deleted scenes. It would have been nice to see the final product of what could have been and does take you away from the scene.

The blu-ray exclusives include the “Hall of Armor,” where the viewer can view all the various suits in all possible angles and BD-Live: Iron Man IQ if your player is Profile 2.0 compliant (which mine is not).

These are just a few of the bonus material that is available to you. As I said, it’s a wealth of material and is more than enough to keep you busy and engrossed in the world that is Iron Man.

Iron Man is the first of what will be at least a trilogy. Iron Man is a smart, fun and intelligent take on the comic book hero. So pick up a copy today and hold on for a fun filled ride.

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