The home video release of the summer blockbuster Iron Man (Paramount Home Entertainment, $40 for the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray versions, $35 for the single-disc) comes packed with as many cool goodies as Tony Stark's armor. The movie, of course, is smashing entertainment, taking a not-so-popular comic-book and turning its characters into household names.

A huge part of Iron Man's success is due to the performance by Robert Downey Jr., who plays the billionaire-turned-crimefighter with an irresistible mix of irreverence and stoicism. It's a sign of how crucial Downey is to the movie that the DVD's producers have included the screen tests from his audition, as well as a snippet of rehearsal footage between him and Jeff Bridges. The material is fascinating, showing how Downey had a thorough grip on the character before he had even landed the part.

Running nearly two hours, the making-of documentary I Am Iron Man answers any conceivable question you might have about the production, from the excellent special effects work to Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee's requisite cameo. Comic-book fans in particular will savor the 45-minute featurette The Invincible Iron Man, which charts the character's origin on the printed page and includes appearances by many of the artists who have taken a turn drawing him over the years.

The DVD also includes 25 minutes' worth of deleted and extended scenes, a stand-alone look at the film's visual effects and a collection of the excellent theatrical trailers that managed to get audiences excited about a character who, until the movie, had never quite caught on the way Spider-Man or Batman did.

'FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL'

Like all the other movies Judd Apatow has had a hand in a lot of the dialogue in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Universal Home Entertainment, $35 DVD, $40 Blu-ray) was improvised on the set. The constant ad-libbing results in a wealth of outtakes and alternate footage to include on the DVD, which is why every movie that Apatow either produces or directs (The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad) arrives on home video in loaded special editions.

Apatow is credited only as a producer on the film, but the story -- about a composer (Jason Segel, who also wrote the script) who gets dumped by his famous TV-star girlfriend (Kristen Bell) -- has his touch all over it. Alternating between raunchy, full-monty hijinks and a bittersweet, melancholy attitude toward romantic relationships, the movie's easygoing pace plays better on home video than it did in theaters.

Bordering on overkill, both the Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray come loaded with extras, beginning with a jokey commentary track with Segel, director Nicholas Stoller and several cast members, nearly an hour of the aforementioned deleted and alternate footage, video diaries shot during the making of the film, and karaoke versions of the various songs in the film.

'TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE'

The winner of this year's Oscar for Best Documentary, Taxi to the Dark Side (ThinkFilm, $28) didn't make it to theaters around most of the country, but it is well worth seeking out on DVD. Director Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) uses the 2002 death of an Afghani taxi driver at the hands of American soldiers as the foundation for a far-reaching exploration of the Bush administration's increasingly questionable tactics in the war against terrorism after Sept. 11.

Unlike, say, a Michael Moore picture, the movie takes an even-handed, journalistic approach to its subject, including voices and opinions from both sides of the political spectrum. The DVD includes an informative commentary track from Gibney, some 25 minutes' worth of deleted scenes and an interview with Gibney's late father Frank, who formerly served as a Navy interrogator.

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