Review - Ultimate Avengers DVD

The first in a line of direct-to-video movies that Marvel Comics will make with Lion Gate Films, Ultimate Avengers is a nice introduction to Marvel's heavy hitting team.

Nick Fury of SHIELD, a special branch of the US military, fearing a resurgence of an alien force that America fought off during WWII with the help of Captain America, gathers together a team of super heroes including Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, Giant (Ant) Man, and rather reluctantly, The Hulk.

The storyline is rather simplistic, but the interaction of the team and the fight scenes are worth the rental price. The final battle includes a fight between The Hulk and Thor that is classic. Why is The Hulk fighting Thor? You will have to watch to find out.

The script of Ultimate Avengers relies heavily on Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Ultimates series of comic books. If you have not read his series and you are looking for some quality superhero reading check out the trades. Though the movie lacks the fullness of Millar's humor and extreme attitude, the movie is a nice Saturday morning retelling.

The animation is a mix of classic and CGI that blends pretty seamlessly throughout. Unless you are a huge Avengers fan I would not recommend running out and buying this one, but it is a cool rental.

No Blasters rating: 3 of 5 stars