Ultimate Avengers: The Movie

This animated flick based on the first series of The Ultimates comic books makes some changes to the main plot (why is it always aliens?) and leaves out some of the character's more disturbing flaws (Giant Man is a wife beater, Iron Man is a fall down drunk and Bruce Banner is violently jealous of Betty Ross' love interests), but the idea behind it is still there and intact. Nick Fury wants to create a team of superheroes to defend the country against a pending alien invasion, so he gathers Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man, Wasp, Bruce Banner/Hulk and Black Widow together to make up the Avengers, but it turns out that the greatest threat they have to face comes from within their own ranks. It's fast paced, animated extremely well (although it looks like some cheap flash animation was used now and then) and the battles are pretty cool, but the some of the voice acting doesn't mesh well (Captain America sounds like an 18 year old and Bruce Banner sounds like he smokes 40 packs a day) and it's way too short. It’s fun, but it could have been more.

2 out of 5


*written 2/26/06