Title: Marvel The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Vol. 1 & 2
Producer: Walt Disney Studios
Starring: Phil LaMarr, Dawn Olivieri, Lance Henriksen, Kari Wuhrer, Clancy Brown, Mark Hamill, Wally Wingert, and Frank Welker
Rated G, Vol 1: 161 minutes; Vol 2: 137 minutes; Standard DVD format only
S.H.I.E.L.D. and its director Nick Fury has collected a band of heroes consisting of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Wasp, Ms Marvel, The Vision and Mockingbird in order to take down the villainous organization known as HYDRA as well as the established supervillains like Loki, Red Skull, Kang and the Frost Giants, including some new villains.
I grew up watching action cartoons like X-Men and Thundercats, and watching these two DVD’s kind of took me back to my childhood. The celebrity voices were fun when recognized and the writing was playful. Some jokes got a few chuckles out of me. I consider myself a fan of Marvel comics and even though some liberties were taken with the storylines, they were close enough not to cause uproar among the more militant fans. Some of it is fairly cheesy, but not so bad that adults won’t want to watch them with their kids, or be afraid to allow their kids to watch them on their own.
The special features are of producer Joshua Fine and story editor Christopher Yost’s introduction to new characters, costumes, and reintroduction to old characters with a deeper look into their background and personalities. These two are major comic book fans in every sense and possibly stereotype; but they’re admirable because they’re so passionate about their love of the characters and the series.
Total Rating: B
Reviewed by JM Willis
