Marvel Brings Ultimate Avengers to DVD
Plenty of Action from the Ultimate Universe

The "Ultimate Universe" in Marvel Comics lingo is not the same world in which the rest of the comic book stories take place. It is a similar world to the Marvel Universe inhabited by Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, but it is different. Things are a little tougher, more extreme, and more deadly. In short, everything is a little darker. In the Ultimate Universe, no super hero group defines that change better than the Avengers. The heroes from the Marvel Universe that I grew up with (including Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor) have been given an extreme makeover.

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
Black Widow (Olivia d'Abo), Captain America (Justin Gross), and General Nick Fury (Andre Ware) unite the Avengers to stand against and an alien invasion. (Lions Gate Films, 2006)
Directed by: Curt Geda and Steven E. Gordon
Written by: Greg Johnson (screenplay)
Starring: Justin Gross, Andre Ware, Marc Worden, David Boat, Olivia d'Abo, Grey DeLisle, Michael Massee, and Nolan North

Rated PG-13(for action violence.)
Running time: 72 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 7 out of 10.

The history of the Avengers begins in 1945, at the end of World War II. Leading an Allied assault against a lone remaining Nazi stronghold, Captain America (voiced by Justin Gross) discovers shape-shifting aliens that are attempting to launch a nuclear missile at the USA. Captain America manages to destroy the missile, only to fall miles into the icy depths of the North Atlantic, where he remains lost.

Fast forward to the year 2005. The defense of our country is in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate) headed by General Nick Fury (Andre Ware). With America in crisis because of the still existant aliens, SHIELD is trying to revive the Super Soldier formula that created Captain America. Fury goes searching for the legendary hero's body (which he has reason to believe might be intact). What SHIELD does not expect is that the World War II veteran has survived being frozen for sixty years.

As Captain America acclimates to a world that has moved on without him, Fury tries to put together a team of super heroes to be the first wave of defense against the alien threat. Iron Man (Marc Worden), Thor (David Boat), Giant Man (Nolan North) and Wasp (Grey DeLisle) are recruited. Captain America is asked to lead the team, but the volatile mix of personalities suggests that they may have trouble working together. What the Avengers can't suspect is that the greatest threat may come from Dr. Bruce Banner (Michael Massee), a researcher working on the Super Soldier formula for SHIELD.

The animation in Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is above average. This is not the normal Saturday morning variety of animation, but it's not exactly Walt Disney, either. It's much better than any previous Marvel animated production, beating the socks off the likes of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends or The Fantastic Four.

While The Ultimates (the comic book on which Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is based) takes place in a darker world, the only thing that separates these Avengers from the mainstream Marvel Universe is the characters. Replacing Nick Fury with a Samuel L. Jackson look-alike or making Janet Pym into an Asian-American does not make this an Ultimate Universe story. The Ultimates takes an adult approach to the Avengers concept and (to be honest) it is often too dark for me. I expected a film that would be equally dark, only to discover a weaker version of a powerful story.

The tone of this film is for kids. Gone is Captain America's disillusionment of his once great country. The problems between Giant Man and Wasp are watered-down to typical marital bickering. The acrimony between Dr. Banner and Betty Ross is replaced by stereotypical angst. To do The Ultimates justice, the film should have had the guts to address the adult issues in the comic. For example, in the comic one of the keys to the Hulk's rage was his obsessive jealousy of Betty. In the film, Dr. Banner's transformation into the Hulk is a noble, if misguided, attempt to help.

I enjoyed Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, but I had to ask myself why this was set in the Ultimate Universe. The heroism and optimism would have been more appropriate in a story set in the mainstream Marvel Universe. For my money, I would have preferred a story set in the Marvel Universe, with the trappings (Jarvis, the Avengers Mansion, quinjets, roster changes, etc.) that Avengers fans know and love.

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie is the first ever animated motion picture from Marvel. The DVD includes: an Avengers Assemble featurette, Voice Talent Search featurette, a first look at Ultimate Avengers 2, an Avengers trivia track, and "What Avenger Are You?" DVD game.