Ultimate Avengers 2

Ultimate Avengers 2 picks right up where the first movie left off. Again, It's simply a brilliant rendition of Marvel's (and Earth's) Mightiest Heroes. What surprised me is the fact that this second film establishes the characters better and has substantial character development. I know that sounds strange when describing a cartoon but these characters really shine this time around.

Like with the first film, I've read different reactions and I've heard from both sides of the adaptation debate. Some serious Ultimates fans wanted this movie to be an exact reenactment of the comic book. Marvel instead made a conscious decision to infuse the old school Avengers in to the Ultimates mix. It's still a good call and a masterful decision. The combination works very well. Gone are the overblown and, quite frankly, juvenile elements of the Ultimates. Having a horny Hulk or an outrageously abusive Henry Pym may work to capture the teenage comic crowd (which is exactly why the Ultimate Universe was created) but it doesn't play with main stream audiences. The ONLY reason the Ultimates succeeded as a book is because of the incredible artwork of Bryan Hitch (which is on ample display in the Ultimates bonus featurette). The characters that made the Ultimates possible in the first place shines through. Captain America is still perfect. You can really see why Marvel is lining up to give him his own live action movie. The introduction of the Black Panther is perfect as well. Iron Man steals the show and his shift to War Machine armor will have long time fans grinning from ear to ear. My only two problems were with the treatment of Henry Pym and the lack of substantial Hulk action (Hulk does smash but not near enough) but those are just minor quibbles. Overall, this is a wonderful movie.

PS- I can't wait for the Iron Man solo movie they previewed on the DVD. The jury is still out on Dr. Strange, however.

I walked away from the first Ultimate Avengers movie somewhat underwhelmed, I felt it lacked depth and a decent antagonist.

Though this suffers from many of the same issues I consider it an improvement. Although there is little story to speak of its direct continuation gives it an additional star from me.

Telling the story of the Chitauri returning to attack Africa and the Black Panther joining the Avengers to fend them off. Pretty standard stuff, but its been done relatively well.

I'm just not keen on the "Ultimate" stuff, I like consistency not alternative dimensions and timelines. Because of this there are bits here and there that bothered me more than they really should.

A harmless effort for fans of Marvel anime but don't expect much.

The Good:

Improvement on the first

Great antagonist

Direct sequel

The Bad:

Some characters look weird

Panther powers, really?

The animation is superb! This movie is a sequel to the first Ultimate Avengers movie and maybe even a better one! They paid more attention to developing characters,but it could have been much more.Because that is what makes these superheroes special! There were nice little surprises in this movie and I don't know if this is based on actual story lines in the marvel comics. It is nice to see a mature approach of things,just like in the comics. For me "UM2" is an example of what can be achieved if they take the myths created by Marvel Comics seriously!. I can't get enough of this! Bring it on,make more of these kind of movies! Although Bruce Banner also starred in this movie,the Hulk didn't appear very long. Too bad,because it is always nice to see Hulk smash things. Next time more Hulk, or even an animated movie of Hulk!

Earth's mightiest heroes are back (already!) for another home video run following the success of the previous Avengers movie. The movie seems to pick up not-too-long after the first, with the heroes separated and doing their own thing. Bruce Banner/the Incredible Hulk is locked up for the tantrum he through in the first movie. Steve Rogers/Captain America is slowly becoming a loner, preferring to work missions alone. The Pyms, Hank and Janet, are experiencing some marital problems, and Thor has completely dropped off the radar. The heroes are reunited when the Chitauri return, led by Herr Kleiser, who was thought to have been killed by Captain America near the end of World War II. This time the Chitauri have their eyes set on the isolated African nation of Wakanda, ruled by T'Challa/the Black Panther.

This is the second movie in Marvel's animated line, and they have managed to make minor improvements over the previous. Unfortunately, they haven't made any attempts to improve on the animation style at all. So, the closer you see a character, the more hiccups and stiffness you see in the animation. Of course, the action scenes still look awesome, and we get some great battles out of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Seeing as how the Hulk is restrained for the majority of the movie, we don't get the same raw power out of him that was exhibited in Avengers I.

The Black Panther was an excellent addition to the movie and made for an entertaining enough story. I have been interested in the Black Panther storyline since I first started reading up on him so it was nice to see him included in the latest Avengers installment. While the first movie's story was thin, this time around we are treated to more history and slightly more character development. My only major complaint with the story in Avengers II was the Chitauri...I think it's time to move on. There are plenty of villains/angry alien races out there. The only thought to cross my mind when I saw the Chitauri in this movie was: "Again?". I'm hoping that they try something fresh next time.

And, of course, its nice to see that Marvel didn't sugarcoat this movie down to a PG or G rating in an effort to appeal to the grade school crowd. They included enough action (even included a little brutality) to earn the movie a PG-13. All in all, this movie is better than the first, but not by leaps and bounds. Although, if the pattern continues, I think we can expect some real gems out of Marvel's animated line-up in the future.

That is not to say at all that I disliked the first Ultimate Avengers or anything. Actually I did enjoy it, even if I didn't love it. Ultimate Avengers 2 is not quite perfect either, the Hulk is underused and Giant Man's death for me was a little forced. On the other hand, the animation is great, the character designs are much less jerky and more focused here and the colours and backgrounds are detailed and coloured beautifully. The score is full of drive and again has a haunting undercurrent, the writing is sharp and the action is grittier and is exciting. The characters apart from Hulk are interesting, Black Panther is a great addition and Thor is much better written than he was in the first one. The pace is much more even, the first half-hour doesn't feel all that dragged out and the ending is not as rushed. There is much more story here as a result, and it is compelling stuff indeed. The voice acting is solid across as the board with nobody coming across as a thorn in the side. All in all, a very good film and better than the first in my view. 8/10 Bethany Cox