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The Iron Lady Blu-ray Review

Meryl Streep carries the mediocre “The Iron Lady.”

Tired of biopics? Well then you’re not going to be eager to see the biopic about Margaret Thatcher titled “The Iron Lady.” The film (which mostly glosses over her life) flashes back and forth in time as it covers her parents, rise to power, marriage and kids, achievements, her flaws, and her unpopularity with people. Oh, and there’s a subplot involving Margaret being haunted by her dead husband (don’t ask). If you’re looking to get insight into politics, you’ll be sadly disappointed. The film spends more time on milk and shoe discussions than politics (that was a slight exaggeration, but not by much).

For those looking for an in-depth look at Margaret Thatcher, you should probably look elsewhere. This is a very rushed, poorly structured, watered down biopic that only scratches the surface of who she was. Thankfully, the movie is made watchable by Meryl Streep. Streep may be overexposed, but we all know she can act and she knocks it out of the park as Thatcher. This is the type of performance that makes you forget Streep is playing someone. She is truly that good here and she carries the film on her back.

Summary: If you want to see why Streep won best actress, give “The Iron Lady” a rent. Otherwise, skip it.

Video/Audio:

The film, which is presented in 2.35:1 1080p, isn’t the most pleasant film to look at in hi-def. It’s fairly grainy and dark, but I believe this was a stylistic choice.

The 5.1 DTS-HD audio track is a tad soft for my taste.

Extras:
* DVD Copy and Digital Copy.
* Weinstein, Anchor Bay, and “Iron Lady” soundtrack trailers.
* “Costume Design: Pearls And Power Suits”- A short featurette on the importance of Thatcher’s costumes in the film.
* “Recreating The Young Margaret Thatcher”- A featurette on actress Alexandra Roach (who plays the young Margaret Thatcher) and her makeup/costumes. Harry Lloyd (who portrays a young Denis Thatcher) is also talked about.
* “Battle In The House Of Commons”- A bonus feature about the house sequences.
* “Denis: The Man Behind The Woman”- A short extra that mainly talks about Jim Broadbent (who portrays the elder Denis Thatcher).
* “History Goes To The Cinema: Featuring My Week With Marilyn, W.E., Coriolanus, the Iron Lady, And The Artist”- Basically, this is a series of ads for other Weinstein productions.

*”Making The Iron Lady” contains the usual set footage, cast/crew interviews, discussions about the material and real-life people, etc.

April 16, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady Blu-ray Review