The Ultimate Avengers

Mark (Kick Arse) Miller's  Ultimates, upon which this animated movie is based, was a retelling of The Avengers storyline in a much more mature way than was usual for the title, but it's just a shame that this movie didn't manage to  retain the same tone. It does aim for a adult audience though and it is a little too serious for younger children, but it just doesn't manage to hold it together in the way DC's animated movies do. Marvel may currently rule the live action super hero movie, but they just don't some close to DC in the animated stakes. I think with some of the better DC animations you are sucked into the story to such an extent that it seems to become a live action experience, but not once while watching The Avengers did I forget that I was watching an animated adventure. There were parts that were very cartoonish.



"It's too violent for younger viewers, but not mature enough for older ones. It's a movie trapped in between target audiences." Film Critic, David Cornelius

The film starts off during World War II and we discover that Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America has been frozen. We then jump forward to the present day when Cap is found and thawed out to face a baffling new world.  Then we have Nick Fury trying to form the Avengers in order to thwart an alien invasion, which the team eventually do but then find themselves having to battle the Hulk and it is in these scenes that the movie really comes alive. As with the Avengers live action movie, the Hulk is the star of the show. Iron Man comes across as a little bland which is not the case with the live action movies and out of the Avengers it is Captain America and The Black Widow who are the most interesting characters.

Now I don't consider myself to be a hardcore comic book geek, but I have known these characters since I was a kid and have read many many comic books, and I found this movie to be good but ultimately disappointing next to the animated DC movies I've seen of late. Maybe if I hadn't been aware of the heights DC were hitting with their animated films, then I would have though better of this one.But there we have it - it is a good film and the final battle with the Hulk is paced well and full of humour.

The film is currently available as a triple set along with The Ultimate Avengers 2 and the Next Avengers, and at  the budget price it is truly a bargain, and provides big entertainment for a small amount of cash.