Any fan of the source material is sure to find “Ultimate Avengers” an enjoyable film that sticks close to the source material while making some interesting changes along the way.
First off let me just say that I am a HUGE fan of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s “The Ultimates”. I’ve never really been a big fan of The Avengers, sure I like Iron Man, Hulk, Cap and Thor as individuals, but I was just never really keen on them as a group. A few years back I was at my local comic shop and I came across a book titled “The Ultimates” (#1)...instantly I was impressed by the artwork and decided to shell out the $2.50 to buy it. After reading the first issue I was immediately hooked on the story telling, artwork and overall feel of the book. Mark Millar is a master story teller, and Bryan Hitch’s artwork is second to none. I felt like I was reading a movie (if that makes sense) by the epic feel the book had, and by how detailed the artwork was...not to mention certain similarities the characters bare to actors and actresses.
Fast forward a few years. I now own every single issue of “The Ultimates”, Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch are now among my favorite writers/artists, and I am frantically awaiting the release of “Ultimate Avengers: The Movie”. I initially heard about this film at last year’s Comic Con when they were releasing the first tidbits about Marvel’s venture into the world of direct to DVD animated films. Now I’ll admit, when I heard that it was LOOSELY based on “The Ultimates” I was a bit disappointed because I had hoped for the book to be translated into animation...hey I can dream right? after I saw some brief clips from some early footage my disappointments were put to rest...well actually they were shifted from the actual film, to the release date of the film: Feb 21st 2006. I can remember thinking “dammit that’s like 7 months away!”
Here it is Feb. 22nd, I’ve just sat thru “Ultimate Avengers” for the second time, and all I can say is “wow”. Despite taking some liberties with the storyline, “Ultimate Avengers” has enough of the source material in it to please any fan.
I’m not going to go into the the plot for the film because honestly, I think you should purchase the DVD (or at least wait for it to air on CN in March), however I will go into what I personally liked/disliked about the film.