Are you issuing trash cans to the whole team or just him?
Even in 2010, a decade or so into the phenomenal cinematic rebirth of the Superhero mystique
and their larger-than-life adventures on the big screen, films like Ultimate Avengers and
its aptly-titled sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2, are still best realized in the animated
realms. The assemblage of a collection of headlining heroes -- The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and
Captain America -- not to mention some lesser but no less beloved characters in Nick Fury, The
Black Widow, The Black Panther, Giant Man, and Wasp, would prove at minimum a gargantuan
filmed production and probably cost more to do right than most any other film in history, from
special effects to casting and everything in between. Fortunately, the task is more easily-realized
in the animated realms, and doubly fortunate is the fact that the makers behind these two
Ultimate Avengers films didn't settle for simply placing a hodgepodge of epic characters
on the screen and calling it a day. Building cohesive stories and delivering plenty of entertaining
action and throwing in an alien invasion of Earth with its roots in World War II for good measure,
this pair of animated adventures prove a welcome and delightful entry into the annals of
superhero lore and excellent supplemental films to the pre-existing Marvel feature-length films
and the upcoming big-screen adventures of characters like Captain America and Thor.
Ultimate Avengers
Rating: 4/5
Near the end of World War II, the Allies are leading an invasion of a secret Nazi compound to
thwart the imminent launch of a nuclear missile -- a technology the Nazis developed in
conjunction with an alien race known as the Chitauri. The assault is led by Captain America
(voiced by Justin Gross), a genetically-engineered super-soldier of extraordinary powers. He
prevents the missile launch but is thought lost in the aftermath, his body plummeting to the
depths of the ocean floor. Decades later, Captain America's body is recovered by a team led by
Nick Fury (voiced by Andre Ware) and much to the interest of Bruce Banner (voiced by Michael
Massee) who is hoping to come to understand the serum that made Captain America a superior
soldier in hopes of using it to control his alter ego, the powerful and deadly Hulk. In the
meantime, as Captain America is revived and works to accept his place in a new-to-him and now
highly-advanced
world, it is revealed that the Chitauri still pose a threat to Earth. Nick Fury diligently works to
assemble a team of superheroes -- including Captain America, The Black Widow (voiced by Olivia
d'Abo), The Wasp (voiced by Grey DeLisle), Giant Man (voiced by Nolan North), Iron Man (voiced
by Marc Worden), and Thor (voiced by David Boat) -- to once again save Earth from an
extraterrestrial threat, all the while the specter of the Hulk and his awesomely destructive powers
looms over the mission.
Ultimate Avengers 2
Rating: 3.5/5
Beginning soon after the events of Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2 once
again sees the return of the Chitauri who are this time targeting the small African Kingdom of
Wakanda that sits atop a crash site of a meteor that contains large amounts of a powerful
element known as "Vibranium" that the aliens use to make virtually unstoppable weapons and
impenetrable defenses. When Prince T'Challa's (voiced by Jeffrey D. Sams) father is killed by a
shapeshifting Chitauri agent known as Herr Kleiser (voiced by Jim Ward) -- who has also sparred
with Captain America in the past -- T'Challa assumes the identity of the Black Panther and seeks
the assistance of Captain America in stopping yet another Chitauri invasion. The Black Panther
manages to convince Captain America -- who is suffering from flashbacks from his service in the
Second World War -- and Nick Fury of the urgency of preventing the pending attack. Fury
again assembles the Avengers -- Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Black Widow, Giant Man,
and Wasp -- to save the planet one more time. Meanwhile, Bruce Banner finds himself
imprisoned for
the safety of others after another deadly rampage as the Hulk, though the disheveled and
regretful Banner may hold the secret to stopping the Chitauri once and for all.
These two Ultimate Avengers films represent what good animated filmmaking is all
about. The stories are easy to digest, packed with action, offer diverse characters with unique
skill sets, and feature a deadly and dangerous enemy that only through teamwork and dedication
can the Avengers defeat. There's drama, too, particularly in the Bruce Banner segments, and
while his part is important to both stories, it's rather generic in presentation and feel, giving the
same old spin on a character arc that, admittedly, doesn't have very much room for
maneuverability within established context. Still, these movies are all about fun; the stories work
well enough to allow for rather expansive and loud action sequences, and both films utilize each
hero's strengths to full effect while ensuring that there's also some countermanding weakness to
add more weight and urgency to the stories. Indeed, character development is sound considering
each picture's relatively short runtime and the need to introduce and build more than half a
dozen superheroes to an acceptable level where their powers, friendships, allegiances, histories,
and even intimate relationships are made known to the point that both the drama and action can
reasonably work for relative newcomers to the superhero scene with minimal knowledge of each
character.
The first picture's necessary focus on plot- and character-building is never a hindrance to the
experience; the opening World War II battle sequence sets a fantastic tone that cleverly
introduces Captain America and subsequently Nick Fury, and the entwined stories of the
Captain's resurrection and Fury's attempts at building the team add both drama and weight to
the picture that's all the more intense considering the film's excellent tone-setting opening action
segment. The action never relents through either film, every major battle a work of art and
completely exhilarating, the films making splendid use of both locations and each superhero's
powers to add several layers of dimension and interest to the combat. Although the sequel
proves just a bit less engrossing, the continuation of the story from the end of the first and the
integration of a new character while the team -- and Bruce Banner in particular -- struggles with
all that transpired at the conclusion of Ultimate Avengers still allows the sequel to work
very well, particularly considering the extensive action and broader context in which it is framed.
Finally, both pictures feature exceptional voice work, every actor seamlessly integrating into the
roles and, for these two pictures, anyway, defining the characters from a vocal perspective.
Particularly effective is Andre Ware as Nick Fury; his is the most seamless voice of them all, the
actor adding depth to the character and capturing plenty of nuances along the way that
make his performance the best of the bunch.
Despite its antiquated MPEG-2 encoding, Ultimate Avengers Collection looks fairly good
on
Blu-ray at-a-glance, but does feature a few bugaboos that keep this disc from entering the
upper-echelons of
the format. On the plus side, the first film delivers fantastic color reproduction; hues are
vibrant, particularly character details such as Captain America's red, white, and blue outfit; Iron
Man's rust-colored and yellow suit; and the Black Widow's flowing and bright red hair. Even more
dim
and monochromatic backgrounds, particularly colder shades of blue and gray, look rather good in
context. Additionally, black levels are true and deep throughout. The animation isn't particularly
choppy; the characters flowing nicely, even in the more hectic action scenes. Detailing, too, is
solid,
the artist's painstaking work and nuanced detail standing out nicely on Blu-ray. Unfortunately,
lines
are not always smooth, some appearing downright jagged and harsh, while banding is a constant
and troubling companion in both films. Ultimate Avengers 2 also looks far softer and
generally hazier than its counterpart, with some scenes looking downright smeared and
undefined.
Ultimate Avengers looks reasonably good despite a couple of problem areas, but
Ultimate Avengers 2 makes for a rather disheartening disappointment.
The video may be problematic, but Lionsgate's PCM 7.1 uncompressed soundtracks for both films
in
the Ultimate Avengers Collection are nothing short of breathtaking. The opening action
sequence in the first film -- a World War II-era raid -- sets an incredible sonic tone that neither
film ever tops but rather consistently matches; the action takes a loud, aggressive, but clear and
precise posture. Machine gun fire rattles about the listening area and emerges from every corner
as bullets clank off scattered metal surfaces, while artillery shells zip through every speaker and
the subsequent explosions positively devastate the soundstage with deep, rattling, and tight bass.
Such is the rule throughout both films, every action scene a veritable delight of sonic goodness
that truly engulfs the listener into the mayhem and makes for a series of delightful and
immersive activity. Ambience is solid, too, with the entire soundstage springing to life in several
scenes, either with nuanced environmental support or dialogue that bounces off the cold, metallic
walls of the Nazi research facility as seen at the beginning of the first film. Indeed, both tracks
create seamless senses of space and with a natural tone that proves just as spectacular as the
more prodigious action scenes. Music swells with superior clarity and delivers a room-filling
presentation through both movies, with the tribal beats of the second film's opening title
sequence in particular making for a stunning achievement in high definition audio. Also featuring
pinpoint and crisp dialogue reproduction, the Ultimate Avengers films prove sonic
marvels and both tracks represent two of the best that accompany animated films.
All special features in the Ultimate Avengers Collection are accessible from either film's
menu screen. 'The Ultiamtes' Featurette (1080i, 23:47) offers a collection of comic
writers
and artists sharing a history of The Ultimates series, including the beginnings of the
project,
the assemblage of the heroes to be included, the appeal of the stories, the origins of the
characters,
the various story lines throughout history, redesigning the characters for modern audiences, the
challenge of putting together Ultimates 2, and the production of the animated
films. The Ultimate Voice Talent Search (1080i, 5:22) features a collection of Marvel
fans
auditioning for a voice acting part for the film. The Ultimate Gag Reel (1080i, 3:46) is a
fun
little play on several scenes from both films. Avenger Trivia Track is a pop-up trivia track
that offers viewers insights into the world of the Avengers, the text presented in a comic
book-style
typeface. Avengers Assemble! (1080i, 23:16) is yet another piece that focuses on the
history of the comics. Also included are First Look at Doctor Strange (1080i, 7:02) and a
trailer for The
Invincible Iron Man (1080p, 1:24).
A splendid pair of animated adventures, Ultimate Avengers Collection delivers the goods in
spades, both films offering excellent characterization, exciting action sequences, well-conceived
stories, and strong voice acting. Additionally, the animation is excellent and the characters look
great, both pictures doing an exceptional job of creating an entire world -- and in this case, even,
elements from another world and even another era in human history -- to pitch-perfect effect. Fun
and engaging, both Marvel fans and animation aficionados should find plenty to love about each
Ultimate Avenger picture. Lionsgate has bundled both films on one disc, and the results
are mixed. Sporting a flawed but watchable 1080p picture quality, two stellar lossless
soundtracks, and a few
good supplements, this Blu-ray release of the Ultimate Avengers
Collection is easily worth a rental and perhaps even a purchase for dedicated Marvel animation
fans at the right price.
Blu-ray bundles with Ultimate Avengers Collection (2 bundles)
Ultimate Avengers Collection Blu-ray, News and Updates
In April, shortly before the May 4th theatrical release date of The Avengers, Lionsgate Home Entertainment will bring the Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection and the Marvel Animated Features set to Blu-ray. Taken together, these packages bundle together six animated ...
