Iron Man: Extremis Reivew

In preparation of Iron Man 3, here is my review for the comic book story Extremis. 

 

Thoughts: Extremis is an Iron Man comic book story arc, which the upcoming Iron Man 3 is loosely based on, and it is often credited for reinventing Iron Man for the modern era. Because Iron Man 3 is based on this comic book, the plot details will be kept to a minim as to not spoil plot points for the film.

Extremis' influence can be clearly seen in first Iron Man film in various aspects of the film. For example, Afghan terrorists take Tony hostage just like the film, however there are many other differences. Warren Ellis wrote a fresh new take on Iron Man's character, redefining the status quo and telling a more modern origin, through a series of flashbacks, as well as giving him the new Extremis armor. This review is for the Extremis motion comic, not the actual comic book, because that is the version I found easiest, although they are basically the same in terms of content. The main villain, Mallen, does have a solid character arc, but is there to pose a significant threat to Tony than anything else. *Possible Iron Man 3 Spoiler* In Iron Man 3 the villain is an amalgam of the characters Dr. Aldrich Killian and Mallen. *End Spoilers* The story is darker and more realistic tech-thriller than the most Iron Man stories, yet does not seem too far outside the previously established universe.  

For first time readers of the comics, Tony Stark's character is slightly different than that of Robert Downey Jr.'s in that he is more serious and Pepper Potts actually married "Happy" Hogan (Stark's security guy) in the comics, not Tony.

Plot: 9.2/10- As stated above, Ellis revitalized Iron Man for modern era and told a unique story.

Art: 8.5/10- Adi Granov's art style is unique and almost odd at first, however the combination of realistic and cell shaded art worked well as a whole.

Voice Acting: 7.9/10- Jason Griffith as Tony Stark is decent, not as good as some of the voice actors for animated series, but still solid. The rest of cast is solid for the most part, but not up to the quality of an animated feature.

Motion Comic: 8./10- There are different views on motion comics, I view them as the audio-book equivalent of comic books, where some look down upon them as a lesser form of the medium, I view them as an expansion of said medium. As for the motion comic itself, Extemis is one of better I have seen. Granov's art lends itself well to motion unlike most other motion comics, easily the best I have thus far in terms of quality.

 Overall: 8.5/10- Overall Extremis' is an excellent comic book story, even though it does not work as an animated film by any means, it is a well told Iron Man story that fans of the character should definitely check out. 

Closing Comments: Although I do recommend watching the motion comic for Iron Man fans, it would probably be best to watch it after watching Iron Man 3 as to not spoil any plot points.

Click here to watch the motion comic free on Hulu.

Warning: The motion comic contains one instance of strong swearing and graphic animated violence and it requires a Hulu account to view it, however I am not 100% certain it is free because I watched on YouTube when they had it uploaded.

 

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