Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (DVD, 2006)

This animated feature is flush with heroes and excitement, as Captain America rises from oblivion to save the world once more from self-destruction. Aiding him is a team of diverse heroes of near-unstoppable power, including the Hulk, Wasp, Giant Man, Thor, and Iron Man.

I was worried about the aspect of a cartoon feature film based on, “The Ultimates.” The comic is violent, touches on difficult issues, and over the top in many areas. No matter where you stand on the issue of having all the top talent pumped into “remakes” of our favorite comics, “The Ultimates,” is still a very well told story with tons of great action.

On first glance, the first thing that struck me was the rating. With a PG-13 you can bet this won’t be your average Saturday morning cartoon. Luckily, it isn’t.

The quality of the art is good, on par with many of the other cartoons out there. It isn’t amazing in the sense that some anime has become known for, but it is pretty good.

Storywise, the Ultimate Avengers DVD is not on par with the comic book it is based on. The Ultimate Avengers DVD is more of a boiled down version of, “The Ultimates,” leaving out such characters as Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch as well as some of the main story elements. The biggest thing lacking for me was the pace of the movie. I thought it had a slow start, but in the end it had a great finale with the big battle between The Avengers, the aliens, and The Incredible Hulk.

First and foremost, people have to remember this is ULTIMATE Avengers....so what does that mean? It means it's based on the newer version of the Marvel characters. Now you're asking, so what does that mean? It means that the newer versions are slightly different from the originals in various ways. The most noticeable differences might be costumes, but THE most noticeable difference is the fact that Nick Fury is black. Some people seem to strike a negative to this movie based on that fact and that's just wrong. This movie is good for various reasons, such as the animation. It's a very well drawn feature length movie and it's definitely not a child's movie either. There is some violence involved, so it does appeal to the older fans of Marvel. I find that this movie tends to circulate around Captain America more than it does the entire team. There are times when the attention is focused on the fact that the team has problems coexisting due to differences in personalities, but all-in-all, I feel this was a platform for Captain America. Although Captain America seems to be the center of the storyline, this is still a great movie and has a lot of action. The fight scenes with the Hulk are excellent too. I think this Marvel animated feature is setting the bar for a new series in the Marvel universe. If they continue to release different characters and different stories following the same model they used with the Avengers, they will find success. Anyone - whether a long time fan or a new comer - will enjoy this film.

I grew up reading Jack Kirby's "Avengers" and I must say that I just loved this animated DVD. Why? For one thing is the glorious return of Captain America as told in the Avengers # 4 comic book. His flashbacks to World War Two are great!
Next. The Black Widow is very true to form and I just love Iron Man.
I realize that the modern version of the Avengers is what the writers had in mind and I was even ok with Nick Fury being African American. He still has the eye patch though.
This Dvd is non stop action and soon you will stop seeing this as an animated cartoon an start becoming deeply involved first with the characters personalities and then with the plot. You can watch this a few times and not get bored.
Get the sequel!!!!

In truth i did not expect alot with this DVD, but as a die hard Marvel Zombie i had to pick it up. I must say i was 100% wrong on this one.

Ultimate Avengers is based on the Marvel Comics Series "The Ultimates". Written by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. It is based on the creations of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The dvd release for the most part stays true to the Comic series. The biggest differance is the mature themes being toned down from Its comic counterpart. An Example being the domestic violence of Henry Pym towards the Wasp.

The DVD contains numerous extra features, including interviews with the comic book creators of the Ultimate Avengers comic book, exploration of the creation of the animated film, a video game and previews for the future film.