Ultimate Avengers DVD
Rating: PG-13
Supervising Director: Bob Richardson
Animation Director: Tae-Ho Han
Directors: Curt Geda & Steven E. Gordon
Screenplay: Greg Johnson
Featuring the Voices of: Justin Gross, Grey Delisle, Michael Massee, Marc Worden, Olivia D’Abo, Nan McNamara, Nolan North, Andre Ware, Dave Boat, Fred Tatasciore, and James K. Ward
Distributors: Lions Gate Films and Marvel Animated Features
Price: Variable
, if you pay less than $20.
, if you pay more.Ultimate Avengers is the first original animated DVD produced under the new "Marvel Animated Features" company. The 71 minute movie is based on the first 12 issues of The Ultimates. Captain America is revived after 60 years frozen in ice. He’s chosen by General Nick Fury to lead a team of superhumans called “Project: Avengers.” Shapeshifting aliens are planning to conquer Earth, and this team of uncontrollable hotheads is our only hope. But there’s another threat within the team. Bruce Banner sees Cap and his super soldier serum as the means to control his transformations into the Hulk. And he’ll do anything to get it.
Here’s the short version: This didn’t suck much. In fact, it’s pretty good in that B-movie way. This felt like the pilot for an animated series that was considered too violent for television. I’m happy the animation is in the traditional American style rather than the pseudo-anime of Justice League. And the hand-drawn animation blends well with the CGI. The final battle against the aliens and the Hulk is the kind of balls-out, no-holds-barred, “I can’t believe they did THAT," action sequence that The Ultimates is famous for.
What it lacks is the characterization and adult themes found in the comic. For a PG-13 movie, they could have made Jarvis gay, Fury harder, Hank Pym more abusive, and Stark more arrogant. There’s little beyond the typical action movie standard roles of “team jerk,” “deadly femme,” “tough but caring general,” and “wholesome hero.” Bruce Banner steals the show; Rather than acting like a haunted man, as he does in the Marvel U and the old TV show, he’s more like an addict trying to justify and control his sickness.
This should be a hit with its target audience: young males. I watched it with other airmen, some of whom used to read comics, and none who read The Ultimates. They loved the fighting and Black Widow’s cleavage, and had no trouble learning who the characters were. (They did complain that Captain America never saluted the higher-ranking General Fury.) So this movie can be enjoyed by non-comics readers who just want an hour+ of action.
As for the special features, there’s little to speak of. “Avengers Assemble” is meant to be about the history of the Avengers comic. Its turns into Kurt Buseik and George Perez talking about their work on Avengers Vol. 3, Quesada discussing the end of the series and New Avengers almost completely in business terms, and Mark Millar getting about a minute’s worth of time. You can watch the film with a trivia track listing the characters’ powers, changes made from The Ultimates, and what networks wouldn’t allow. You can play a question game that determines what Avenger you most resemble. (Apparently, I’m most like War Machine.) The highlight is the hilariously embarrassing collection of videos sent in through the Ultimate Voice Talent Search. Fans read from the comic as their favorite hero. The most memorable ones include the guy in a Captain America mask, the man reading Thor as various celebrities, and the guy auditioning for the role of Janet Van Dyne. Scary.
Fans of The Ultimates will see this DVD as a watered-down version of the comic. This definitely lacks the edge and darkness of the series. For me, that’s a good thing. I never liked the series! Making the Avengers modern doesn’t mean making them crazy. Long-time Avengers fans will enjoy this movie featuring their favorite heroes at their fighting best. It’s not worth paying a lot of money, but it’s worth the time you’ll take to watch it.
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