Ultimate Avengers DVD, page 1

***Warning the following may contain spoilers to the movie***
(Although I won’t reveal much and it shouldn’t really affect your experience watching this movie.)

The Ultimate Avengers movie is based on the Marvel comic “The Ultimates.” If you are new to comics this may need a little bit of an explanation.

In 1963, comic gods Stan Lee and Jack Kirby put together a comic called “The Avengers.” The Avengers was a group of “Earth’s mightiest heroes” that included Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man (who later became Giant-Man), Wasp, and the Hulk. Later came the most important addition, Captain America.
As the book and its characters are over 40 years old they have become bogged down with a lengthily history that is difficult for some readers to keep up with. Marvel comics then came up with the idea to make what is called the “Ultimate Universe.” They launched several “Ultimate” books. Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate-X-Men, and the Ultimate version of the Avengers “The Ultimates.”
The Ultimate comics take these well known characters and gives them a new beginning, a fresh start with out the 40 plus years of history.
“The Ultimates” first issue was released in 2002. The book was written by Mark Miller and penciled by Bryan Hitch.

With that out of the way let’s get into the animated feature. To my knowledge the Ultimate Avengers movie follows closely with the Ultimates comic book. I haven’t read volume one of the Ultimates so I can’t compare the two. It seems that they have taken the story of the Ultimates and changed it a bit so it will seem familiar to those who already know the Avengers. Hence the name “Ultimate Avengers”.

The movie opens up in “The North Atlantic” 1945. Hitler is dead but the Nazis still have a “super weapon” so Allied forces are sending in their super weapon, Captain America.
The events of the battle send Captain America into the ocean where he is frozen until he is later found some 60 later by Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.
Captain America is now in a time where he doesn’t really belong and he finds comfort by continuing to serve his country.
Earth is now faced with a new threat and Nick Fury must assemble a group of heroes to protect the Earth. He recruits Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man, Wasp, and Giant-Man to be lead by Captain America to battle this new threat.

The animation in this film is not bad.
If Saturday morning ‘toons is a 1 and Japanese animation such as “Ghost in the Shell” is a 10, I would give the animation in this movie a 7.
The animation was functional but not fancy. It didn’t make me go “wow.”

The characters are likeable for the most part. Mark Miller and Bryan Hitch modeled Nick Fury after Samuel Jackson so I was kind of expecting his voice to be coming out of Fury’s mouth. When I read Fury in the Ultimate books I imaging Jackson’s voice.
I didn’t really like the look of Thor. Mainly because he looks like “Ultimate Thor” but with out the facial hair. The movie makes up for that when Iron Man and Giant-Man confuse Thor for a girl.
Giant-Man: “Who’s the chick with the Hammer?”
Iron Man: “Whoever she is I’m glad she is on our side.”
That is the best line in the movie.
Also Iron Man looks way better in the movie than he does in the poster above.

I didn’t really get into the movie until the battle between the Avengers and the Hulk. It was short and almost felt like a teaser for the next Ultimate Avengers Movie. The final fight is as funny as it is brutal and really made the movie worth getting for me.
I look forward to seeing the next one.

I give this movie 7.5 Shields out of 10.