Review of Ultimate Avengers

Introduction

I was really looking forward to watching this movie. I like Marvel comics more than I should, having been raised (for a short time) in the USA and having consumed more than my fair share. My interest has been revived of late with the arrival of the `collected comics on CD` concept, which, coincidentally, encouraged me to revisit the sixties / seventies Avengers tales again.
I`d also read good things about this straight to DVD movie, claiming that they really bring the comics to life, remaining faithful to the concept and artwork.

So it saddens me to say that I was actually very disappointed. Which is the trouble with great expectations.
The movie kicks off in 1945 with humanity about to be wiped out by the Nazi`s. When a nuclear missile is fired at Washington, the all-time war hero Captain America risks all to detonate it in the upper atmosphere. When it blows he`s thrown into the icy waters below, where he remains frozen in ice for some sixty years. Now the world faces the same evil (in alien form) and the discovery of Captain America`s frozen form couldn`t be more timely!

This 75-minute movie is based on `The Ultimates`, which, for those who follow such things, seems an unlikely choice as it is full of unremitting violence, highly unsuitable for a child audience. So I assume that the plan was to appeal to the teen and older market; those most likely to slavishly buy the comics. That said, it`s had to leave out about as much as its left in (including leaving out Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch), a kind of `Readers Digest` version, which may well irritate the purists most likely to be attracted to this release.

All that bitching aside, there`s no shortage of super-heroes here. Despite it`s slow and ponderous start it soon descends into non-stop scrapping action (with The Avengers taking on The Hulk…it`s a long story!).

Iron Man, The Mighty Thor, Wasp and boyfriend Giantman and Captain America all work together against their greatest foe, `The Hulk` who, having helped destroy the alien invaders, then turns on his co-fighters.

Video

The animation is a bit 2D, as you might expect from a comic adaptation. Think manga to anime Marvel style. The image quality is very good though.

Audio

No shortage of surround sound mayhem here. This one gives your speakers a work out and then some with crashes, bangs and cracks emitting from every which way. Not for the light hearted!

Features

None on this review disc though proper release rumoured to have a few worthwhile additions.

Conclusion

I guess hardcore Marvel fans may enjoy this relatively faithful (artwork-wise) transfer to the moving screen. What they may like less is the brevity of the piece which takes huge liberties in trimming down the original storyline (`The Ultimates`). The storyline is a little disjointed as a consequence and the action, which attempts to make up for it, is all a bit predictable.
Personally I found this extremely difficult to enjoy though this may have been in large part down to the highly offensive eye-level burnt-in-time code throughout, and the occasional mixing up of a half-screen full of text claiming that the disc was `Property of…` etc making it all but impossible to watch this review copy. It was just like having someone stand up in the cinema seat in front of you for the entire movie. Frankly, I did my best but I wouldn`t attempt to review a disc in this way again.

The bottom-line here is that this was a perfectly entertaining 70 minutes, but far from special. Certainly worth a rent though I wouldn`t recommend a purchase when there are so many superior animated treats available for the discerning buyer.