Ultimate Avengers

I just read a review that declares Ultimate Avengers the "Best Animated Superhero Movie of All-Time!" I'll go one better. It's the best animated action movie of all-time, beating big boys like Titan AE, Transformers and The Iron Giant. Most sane people agree that it certainly beats any single episode of Justice League, X-Men Evolution, Batman or Spider-Man. Some want to compare it to these TV series and their entire run but that's apples and oranges. If Ultimate Avengers spins off in to a series, then there can be discussion.

As it stands now, Marvel's first animation effort set the bar quite high, not only for its future endeavors but for other companies and other studios. Ultimate Avengers proves that animated features don't have to talk down to a presumably child audience. You can set up characters and develop a story just like a live action film. The bonus being that once it's time for action, animation offers no limits. Ultimate Avengers proved this in spades. The alien battle and Hulk brawl were intense and spectacular. Setting them up, though, was what elevates this film past the other movies mentioned above. Marvel's live action movie experience bringing the likes of Spider-Man, X-Men and even Daredevil to the screen must have given them the edge. They've brought a remarkable animated world to life with Ultimate Avengers.

What a strange beast this is. Clearly - and explicitly - based on the brilliant Millar and Hitch comic 'The Ultimates', this cartoon refuses to shake off its mainstream Marvel heritage.

The Ultimate Universe has been the best thing to happen to Marvel for many a year, being a fresh imprint re-imagining all their characters back to 'day one' to hook new readers who might have been put off by the encyclopedic background knowledge needed to keep up to speed with events in the original comics.

The Ultimates were the new incarnation of The Avengers, Marvel's mightiest superhero group since the 1960s. Mark Millar took a much tougher, more 'realistic' and mature approach to the idea of a team of supersoldiers - treating them as 'weapons of mass destruction' - rather than just masked crimefighters and alien invader repellents.

The Ultimate Avengers movie - which could have been mind-blowing done live action in the style of Spider-Man or The X-Men - is a strange mix of the two universes, dumbing down Millar's story and making it more child friendly, but still keeping the characters of new Ultimate universe, with their cocky natures, bickering and inter-party feuds... although The Hulk doesn't get to eat anyone, which is a shame! The animation is pretty good, but not a patch on Bryan Hitch's artwork, which again gives the cartoon a very run-of-the-mill, sub-anime feel in the wake of its high calibre source material. The story and dialogue are also above-average for American cartoons, but could have been so much better ... the problem arises from trying to turn an adult comic back into a kiddy cartoon.

That being said, it still makes good viewing - even if it runs the risk of leaving both Avengers and Ultimates fans cold and disappointed - and a sequel is due out in July, taking the Ultimate Avengers to Wakanda, the home of The Black Panther.

As a fan of comics and of the Avengers I would say that this was a great first effort. The folks at Marvel ensured that the story and the characters stayed true and the Lions Gate people did an excellent job with the production. Although the runtime was short, all 71 minutes was very entertaining. A nice job of team introduction. The animation was "good" but I would like to see it improve some in future efforts. The extras were scarce, but they were interesting to watch. There is a nice preview of the upcoming Ultimate Avengers 2 as well as a DVD-ROM extra. Overall, I would give this effort an 8 out of 10. I see continued success with this co-venture. Nuff Said!

Being a fan of the original Comic Book, I was waiting pretty impatiently for this movie. The result is not bad at all, The drama is still there (see the cemetery scene, Banner fighting his inner-beast, the flash-back). The action is really good and the animation well done.

I just wish the movie was longer. The realistic violence and the drama of the original comic book is far from the movie. Marvel probably wanted the movie to be a family feature but I still hope to get a more adult version... maybe a live movie?

The plot starts really nicely with the disapearence of Cap America during the War. I wish Red Skull would have made an appearance. The Alien story was not the best way to go but it is just an excuse to throw a twist we all were waiting for... The most dangerous ennemy was inside the group.

The characters are all interesting except from Thor (I never liked him anyway but he is just a guest as a Beer drinker lol). Cap America is lost in this new world he discovers. Nostalgia and flashback: He is the most interesting hero in this story.

Watch closely for some character's habits. -Tony Stark is still running after women and still dinking. The armor looks good. - Giant man is a smart ass and still jealous. - Nick Fury still looks like Samuel Jackson (too bad Samuel didn't play the voice). - Black Widow doesn't do much but She is still very Sexy. - Thor is useless... - Hulk/Banner is very interesting as He is very ambiguous in his motives. We never know what he truly looks for...

Well, not bad for a first one, What's next? If the live movie gets made, I'm up for a part!!!!!

francois90210@yahoo.com

Excellent movie here. For newbies, Ultimate Avengers is based off of The Ultimates, arguably the best Ultimate Marvel book out right now. This movie does a good job of adapting the comic to movie form. The transition isn't perfect, but it's still an outstanding film.

The movie has taken liberties with the comic story in order to suit it into movie form. Most people, like myself, won't mind, but a few die-hard Ultimates readers might be irked. In the movie, many of the characters are influenced more by their 616 versions than their Ultimate counterparts. The greatest liberty was taken with Iron Man. In the Ultimates, he willingly joined the Ultimates and his identity is public knowledge. In Ultimate Avengers, he is much more like 616 Iron Man.

Story wise, this movie combines the first and second arcs of the comic and does so in the perfect manner.

As far as voice acting goes, it's top-notch. All the characters sound as they should, although I still would've liked Sam Jackson to have voiced Fury. The best voice by far is Black Widow. She sounds excellent and is probably the best voiced of all the characters.

Overall, this movie does a great job of blending two major comic arcs into one story. The story will throw off people that were expecting a perfect comic-to-film transition, but people with an open mind will enjoy and appreciate the changes. Animation wise, this movie is like a cross between anime, and cartoon. I can honestly say that the animation looks as close as Brian Hitch's work as you're gonna get, which is a very good thing.

Final Verdict: I'm just gonna say it, this is a very good animated movie. It does the comic justice without straying too far from the source material. Fans and non-fans alike will find something to love with this movie. The animation is spot on, and readers of the comic will find many scenes to be almost ripped from the comic. All the characters are likable, and the voice acting is excellent. Unfortunately, fans of the comic will be unhappy with the more 616 than Ultimate aspects of the film. Nevertheless, it's a solid film and a very good sign of things to come by Marvel.

Score: 9/10