With a story inspired by the best-selling Marvel Comics book “The Ultimates,” the new Ultimate Avengers: The Movie manages to bring the hit characters to life, and deliver some of the classic action that you would expect to see from characters such as The Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.
At the same time, the movie fails to live up to some of the more gritty aspects that made the comic such a great read, and the animation is sometimes less than stellar. Key elements of the book’s story were changed to fit into a bit more “kid friendly” type story (such as the cause of the Hulk going nuts) and some of the violence was cleaned up for a more Saturday morning feel (even though the movie carries a PG-13 rating).
The movie basically focuses on the first two story arcs of “The Ultimates” and follows the story of Steve Rogers/Captain America as he is frozen in ice during War World II, and then thawed out 60 years later. Rogers finds that he is needed to lead a new team of heroes (the classic Marvel comic The Avengers) that will be responsible for tackling an alien threat to the world.
The team, which is under the supervision of Nick Fury and SHIELD, consist of Captain America, Giant Man, The Wasp, Black Widow, Iron Man, and a reluctant Thor. They also have the help of Dr. Bruce Banner (who also happens to be the Hulk) – but he is anything but right in the head, and secretly has his own agenda.
Ultimate Avengers features some of Marvel’s icons
Although the movie fails to live up to some of the action aspects that make the comic great, it does manage to nail the inner conflicts of the team (such as the ego clashing between Giant Man and Banner), and the emotional pain that Rogers faces in a world where most of his friends are now elderly or dead. His “man out of time” storyline is something that the writers of The Ultimates and even Captain America constantly use in the comics, and it was a good plot to add to the movie.
While the movie takes time to add some “human” aspects to the heroes, the plot also makes sure the audience gets enough of what made The Avengers a good read since the ‘60s.
The heroes are barely assembled before they come face to face with the alien threat, and the action does kick into overdrive towards the ending of the film. The first mission is a complete failure (mostly due to the fact egos couldn’t be put aside), but the team has no time to regroup before the aliens attack in full force.
With their backs against the wall, the group quickly falls into place, and work together to stop the attack. They are aided by a savage Hulk (Banner changes to show he can control the beast and be a part of the team), but have no time to celebrate once the aliens have been stomped into the dust.
Even though they look to be winning the day, the Hulk is more than a little upset that Captain America and the other heroes felt the need to step in, and decides that the group needs to have a “discussion” about getting involved – and by discussion I mean he pretty much tries to rip them apart. This turns into a GREAT fight scene between some of Marvel’s icon heroes, and is good enough to make every comic fanboy drool. This fight leads to the team truly being formed, and also sets us up for the sequel that is scheduled to come out this summer.
The movie has the big battles you expect from these superheroes
Although the movie has enough story and action in it to make comic fans happy, it also cuts some of the really great moments from the book. The battle scenes between the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers are fun to watch, but some comic fans may feel a little ripped off that Captain America wasn’t as tough as he is in the comic. An example of how the two are different is the fact he doesn’t give Banner a few extra hits after he switches back from the Hulk.
Also, the alien battle is rushed towards the end, and the payoff isn’t as great considering the “threat” has been building throughout the whole movie. The Hulk battle seems thrown in because it was such a big part of the first story arc in The Ultimates, but isn’t really needed – even if it the most entertaining part of the movie to watch.
The movie’s pace also drags, and it seems like they didn’t know how much time to devote to all the characters. A lot of time is spent on the Steve Rogers story, but hardly any time goes into Tony Stark/Iron Man or the problems between The Wasp and Giant Man (which is a big part of The Ultimates first story arc). Thor is another character that doesn’t get much screen time. After he refuses to join the team at the beginning, he shows up to help battle the aliens. Then he tells Captain America that he was sorry he got there late – which doesn’t make much sense because no one was expecting him in the first place.
While these problems may hurt the movie a bit for comic fans familiar with the history of The Avengers or diehard fans of The Ultimates, the average movie fan or kids won’t pick up on them. The movie does manage to entertain and deliver the high scale action adventure that you would expect from a superhero cartoon.
The DVD comes loaded with some great special features including “Avengers Assemble” featurette; an Avengers Trivia Track; the Ultimate Voice Talent Search; a DVD Rom game – What Avenger Are You?; and a first look at the upcoming Ultimate Avengers II.
Some characters, like Thor, don’t get enough screen time
The Avengers Assemble featurette has interviews with several of the writers, artist, and editors that have worked on the comic since its beginning. They discuss what makes The Avengers great, how the team works, the different heroes involved in the story, and why fans continue to follow the book after all these years. Oddly, there is not an interview with Stan Lee (the man who created many of Marvel’s classic heroes).
The Ultimate Voice Talent Search has clips from the open casting call that Marvel and the film’s producers held before the movie was made. This features clips of comic fans reading lines from the movie hoping to get a part – no one was hired. The Trivia Track is a feature you can click on to learn more about The Avengers while you are watching the movie.
Although the film fails to live up to the greatness of the book that inspired it, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is a fun ride, and it manages to leave you wanting to see where they go with the sequel. As a comic fan, I enjoyed the movie, and look forward to seeing more animated Marvel features. The animation isn’t as great as some of the work we have seen in DC Comic series, such as Batman or Justice League, but it holds its own. I would recommend the movie to anyone who is a fan of comics or just enjoys some good superhero big scale action. The movie has some icons in it, and it is great to see them together in one film – something I doubt would ever happen in a live action movie.
Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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