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Iron Man: Extremis
R1 - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (26th May 2011). |
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The Film
 Iron Man, as a character, has been around since the 50's, but it took Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark in “Iron Man” (2008) to bring him acclaim from the masses. Since then, he’s become a hot ticket – one of the most popular superheroes of today. So, naturally, Marvel is going to do whatever they can to keep him on store shelves while they work on putting together another movie. Rather than go through to task of commissioning a new, fully animated film, they’ve jumped on the bandwagon of motion comics. For those not familiar with the concept, allow me to explain. Panels of a comic book, in this case the “Extremis” story arc (2005-2006) of “Iron Man”, are brought to life using computer trickery to make the images move on screen. The resulting appearance looks exactly like a comic book, only with slight movement. With this new approach, not only can new comics be created to be read on the printed page and viewed at home, but comic publishers can also breathe life into old series by giving them their very own “film”. It’s an interesting idea, one that I’m not sure I like, but it appears to have gained a foothold in the comics industry right now, with many titles moving forward. The “Extremis” story takes a radical new look at Tony Stark’s origins. Rather than an arms dealer, Stark is more like a radical test pilot. He lives out of his Coney Island workshop, struggling to get out of bed and face himself in the mirror each day. A prominent doctor commits suicide after learning that one of his experimental drugs, Extremis, has gotten out. The sample was injected into a local militant, Mallen, and the effects of the drug have given him unimaginable power. Stark suits up to take on this new menace, but he quickly learns that he’s no match when Mallen leaves him critically wounded. Facing death, Stark accepts an injection of Extremis to save his life, in the process it gives him the power necessary to match Mallen’s. He flies to Washington D.C., where his enraged foe is making his way to the capital, for a final confrontation. I liked the artwork of Adi Granov for this series. Rather than appearing flashy and vibrant, the aesthetic of choice for both “Iron Man” films, Granov’s world is gritty, dark and harsh. The threats Iron Man was facing seemed to hold more weight than they did in the films, though that’s probably because we all know he’s not going to die in the movies. It’s not as likely here, either, but it’s not unheard of to see a comic arc kill off the man behind the mask. I’ll admit that I’ve grown accustomed to the flash-and-pomp of Stark in the films, so this more grounded, realistic approach to his origins didn’t work as well for me. But I also have an appreciation for writers and artists who try to do something outside the box, and the new origin story, courtesy of Warren Ellis, and Granov’s fantastic artwork did just that. Since this motion comic enjoyed life as a series before this, fans of the “Iron Man” comics should have a good idea of whether or not this is something they’ll enjoy. If I take issue with anything, it’s the execution of the motion comics. I first got a glimpse into what these were all about when “Watchmen” was released as a series of motion comics back around the release of that feature film. I found the idea interesting, but having read the graphic novel I felt like there was something being lost in the translation. Something is to be said about reading a printed page, scrolling through each panel and taking the time to absorb what the writers and illustrators have conceived for your pleasure. The motion comics eschew much of the nuances in that regard, slapping it all across the screen in marginally-animated frames while voiceover actors do a moderate job of conveying emotion through their lines. It’s ironic that a comic book brought to life in this fashion feels so lifeless – as though the very soul of it had been removed. Part of me resents the fact that they’d do this, taking away one of the few reading activities most kids might still enjoy. Now, I’m not foolish enough to think that one or two films means the end of the printed comic, but it’s a start. How long will it be before some comic studio decides to forego printing issues, opting instead to animate their drawings and release them like this? Trust me, it’s on the horizon. This DVD contains 6 episodes, but they can all be viewed together by selecting “play”. The length of each varies, but the total running time is around 81 minutes. I’m not familiar with the original run, but I’d gather that these 6 episodes are made up of 6 individual issues within the series. Since the running time is so short, I don’t see any reason to not just watch them all in one go.
Video
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image looks excellent, almost nearing high definition quality. Animation is one of the final forms of entertainment that can still produce a rock solid image on DVD, and this is a shining example of how good it can look. Animation lines are deep & black, surrounding each image with a sharply defined edge. Granov’s animation is gritty and textured, with a light sheen of grain that gives the image a more film-like appearance. The dominant color scheme hews toward darker, um… hues, leaving vibrant shades out of the picture for the most part. It might not be the ideal way to see a comic, as I’m sure the series’ panels are quite lovely, but this looks about as good as a comic-book-come-to-life can.
Audio
The only audio option is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. Keep in mind you’re watching a comic book that’s been adapted to the small screen, so dynamic sounds aren’t to be expected. The bulk of the track is spoken words, and I thought the voiceover work sounded too artificial, or something like that. You ever have an instance where you’re watching something animated and you feel like you’re just listening to some guy emotionlessly recording his lines in a booth somewhere? Yea, I had that feeling throughout this film. I don’t think the actors really put forth enough emotion for me to forget about the guy in the booth, so that was a little distracting. I also found the score to be slightly overwhelming; it blared from my speakers with a noticeably higher level than the dialogue.
Extras
There’s a lot of material listed under the Special Features menu, but most of it is a bit of a wash. We get a few interview featurettes, some behind-the-scenes footage, a music video, trailers. The spoof-y “What The--?!” segment is easily the highlight of the disc, featuring some funny moments with our favorite action figure superheroes. Otherwise, it’s mostly filler to make the disc look more attractive. But, hey, I give Shout Factory! credit for bothering to include much of anything at all. At least they try to make it worth your while. “A Conversation with Adi Granov” featurette runs for 58 seconds. This brief interview has the artist sharing his thoughts on Iron Man and this series he worked on. A few “Behind the Scenes” featurettes are included for the following: - “Edge Studios” runs for 3 minutes and 3 seconds. Spend some time with the voice of Tony Stark in the ADR booth, recording his lines and talking about his work on the project. - “Magnetic Dreams” runs for 5 minutes and 38 seconds. Employees of the animation house in charge of bringing the comic to life talk about their approach to adapting the book. - “Marvel.com” runs for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. The title of this segment doesn’t apply, as it’s really just a few interviews with some of the other voice actors who have roles in this production. A music video for “Ready to Go” – the Iron Man: Extremis theme, performed by David Ari Leon & Guy Erez featuring Glen Phillips runs for 3 minutes and 8 seconds. “History of the Character” is a slideshow that presents the various incarnations of Stark’s Iron Man armor throughout the years. “Adi Granov Artist Gallery” gallery contains 11 panels of images as created by the artist. “Marvel Super Heroes: What The--?! – Starring Iron Man” featurette runs for 3 minutes and 5 seconds. This was actually pretty damn funny. An action figure of Iron Man hosts a “Hollywood Squares”-type game show, posing questions to both real people and fellow Avengers action figures. It’s the kind of thing I’d expect the guys over at “Robot Chicken” (2005-present) to do. “Iron Man: Extremis” trailer runs for 2 minutes and 29 seconds. There are also bonus trailers included for the following: - “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted” runs for 1 minute and 50 seconds. - “Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D.” runs for 49 seconds. - “Black Panther” runs for 2 minutes and 7 seconds.
Packaging
The DVD comes housed in a slim digi-pack that opens like a book. There is Iron Man artwork adorning all panels of package.
Overall
I’m still not sold on the idea of motion comics, but they are an interesting watch. Fans of Iron Man, and the “Extremis” series in particular, will likely want to snatch this up. It makes for a nice supplement to your comic book collection, breathing some life into one of Stark’s miniseries. It still looks a bit odd watching 2D panels of a comic attempting to inject some life into their art, but I’ve certainly seen worse animation for things designed to be animated.
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