The Man in the Iron Mask: 20th Anniversary Edition - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Man in the Iron Mask: 20th Anniversary Edition

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie

Leonardo DiCaprio has had an interesting career. Much like Ben Affleck, the man has had a sort of “split” career, with his younger years focused on being the up and coming pretty boy actor, only to stagnate and then reinvent themselves as a serious actor. Back in the 1990s DiCaprio was still riding the way of being America’s male heart throb, and the baby faced actor was raking in role after role (especially after Titanic, where he became a literal superstar). His acting was only so so, but ever girl in America was twitterpeted with the long haired boy, while most males ground their teeth at his acting. It wasn’t until years later that DiCaprio would lose the pretty boy look, take control of his acting career and literally transform himself from the “gorgeous boy who could act only so-so” into one of the most highly respect dramatic actors of the last 15 years.

A box office sensation, The Man in the Iron Mask was riding the wave of Titanic and studios were eager to garner another smash hit. Released in March when there was no competition in the form of any major motion pictures, The Man in the Iron Mask (despite some nervous twitterings from press screenings) opened up with a HUGE $17 million opening week, and continued to rake in a WHOPPING $183 million (based off of a $35 million estimated budget) with every girl giggling her heart out along the way. Looking back, the film was NOT that great of a movie, and actually has been considered one of the more wince worthy period piece costume epics of the late 90s. From a purely objective standpoint it’s a bit sloppy in the direction, the dialog is atrocious, and the action not nearly as copious as one would have hoped. Still, I have to admit that I love the film a lot more than many modern critics, and consider it a fun action romp that is so deliciously cheesy at times that you can almost see the actors winking and nodding at the camera.

The one thing that stands out the most to me is how much The Man in the Iron Mask resembles Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds in that it is a “what if?” fantasy about historical events. Set in France during the rise of Louis the XIV’s reign, it adapts another Alexander Dumas story involving the Musketeers and a plot for power. Louis (DiCaprio) is not the benevolent (at least according to novels) kind that his predecessor is, content to bully the populace and the dilly dally in meaningless affairs with lovely young women. D’Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne) is now captain of the King’s Musketeers, while Athos (John Malkovich), Porthos (Gerard Depardieu) and Aramis (Jeremy Irons) have all gone their own ways. However, that comes to an end when Aramis calls the famed four for a secret meeting. King Louis has gotten out of hand, and the retired Musketeer has a way to serve the people still. Unbeknownst to the general populace, there is a doppelganger to the king locked up in the dungeons, whose face is covered in an iron mask. This man is actually the King’s brother and has been locked away so as to never be a threat to the throne. Aramis’s proposal is simple. Break into the tower, release the king’s brother Phillippe (also DiCaprio), and swap the king out with his brother, bringing much needed peace and kindness to the French people.

The Man in the Iron Mask is one of those giant epic films that made a TOOON of money (ala Avatar), but in retrospect was a pretty mediocre film on most fronts (again, ala Avatar) if you look at it critically. The opening scene with Louis and D’Artagnan at the party is wine worthy with stilted dialog, DiCaprio over acting and hamming it up, and a lavish set that was was set up against some OBVIOUS matte painting backdrops. Still, the movie is gloriously fun, with a dip back into the world of the Three Musketeers, with the saving grace of having John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons using their myriad of acting skills to great use. DiCaprio (as both Phillippe and Louis) is obnoxiously ham fisted, but I can KIND of forgive him since this was before he reinvented himself a few years later as a serious actor. Gabriel Byrne is restrained and serious as ever, but sadly he’s hampered by the hammy dialog that makes his empathetic character of the torn D’Artagnan seem almost cheesy when you watch him deliver lines that no actor should ever be forced to deliver.

All negatives aside, The Man in the Iron Mask is a fun guilty pleasure. The action is well done, Jeremy Irons, Gerard Depardieu and John Malkovich are gleefully fun, and the costume epic is a fun jaunt. Kind of like The Musketeer it’s all fluff and pomp regarding Louis’s “what if” coup, but the movie coasts along at over 2 hours and 12 minutes while feeling like a much shorter film. It’s not going to win movie of the year by any stretch of the imagination, but Shout Factory has given the action/drama the respect it deserves in this new 20th anniversary edition, and I for one enjoy watching it each and every time.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and some sensuality/nudity




Video:

Shout Factory has gone back to the original camera negatives for this release and given The Man in the Iron Mask a full 4K remaster from the ground up that results in some serious improvements over the MGM Blu-ray. The MGM disc was always a very weak transfer, with overblown and over saturated colors (ESPECIALLY reds, the entire film looked overly burnished and like it was glowing almost), and poor detail loves due to being slightly pasty looking and smooth. The new 4K transfer really does breathe new life into the film, and does a lot more good than I was expecting. The film isn’t going to be one of those jaw droppers, but the new touch ups and clean up does wonders in comparison to how it is. The colors are more tamed this go around, and the reds look much more natural. Look at the red coat on Louis’s chest and you can see those cherry reds pop off the screen without looking stupidly hot for once! Detail levels are excellent, and you can see tons of intimate clothing bits that you could never see before, but there is still a mild bit of softness that plagues the film. I can’t be sure if it was something inherent to the negatives, or whether it was stylized so intentionally, but the disc still is a great improvement even with that softness employed.







Audio:

The Man in the Iron Mask appears to be using the same 5.1 mix that was on the MGM disc some years back, and after A/B ing the two discs I’m certain of it. The mix is solid, with a good amount of aggression and heavy LFE to supplement the action scenes, but tends to be rather front loaded most of the time. Dialog and the majority of the activity are pushed to the front of the room, and surround usage is generally minimal. There’s still the sound of echoey footsteps down a stone hallway, or the clopping of horses hooves coming up from the rear to liven up the back of the sound stage, but the bulk of the track is in the front and the subs to be honest. The subs get a hefty amount of work, with the sounds of blades clashing, horses thundering and the rumbling crash of iron doors slamming shut to give the mix a weighty feel. It’s a solid track, and while it isn’t AS beefy as others in the same genre, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is more than good enough.







Extras:

• BRAND NEW 4K REMASTER STRUCK FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• NEW Interview with producer Paul Hitchcock
• NEW interview with production designer Anthony Pratt
• Audio commentary by writer/director Randall Wallace
• "Myth and The Musketeers" featurette
• "Director's Take" featurette
• Original behind-the-scenes featurette
• Alternate mask prototypes
• Theatrical trailer

Final Score: ​

The Man in the Iron Mask is something I’m not ashamed of liking way more than other critics. It’s kind of a guilty pleasure, but a fun pleasure nonetheless. Leonardo DiCaprio is a blast to watch on screen, and the aging Musketeers make for a fun French Revolution era romp. Is it a brilliant film that will stand the test of time? Oh goodness gracious no, but It has very little pretense at being anything other than a fun action/drama romp in period piece clothing. I toss on some popcorn, grab a couple beers and watch the (4) Musketeers pull off a period piece heist film. Shout Factory has done a great job with the restoration, giving the film a much needed kick in the pants in terms of video quality. The extra special features are well worth digging into as well, and if you’ve ever been disappointed with how the early MGM disc was so mediocre, you’ll be pleased with this upgrade. Definitely worth a fun watch.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gabriel Byrne, Gerard Depardieu, Anne Parillaud
Directed by: Randall Wallace
Written by: Randall Wallace (Screenplay), Alexander Dumas (Novel)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 132 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 9th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I have no memory of seeing this one. Will have to see if it is available on amazon prime/netflix.