Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Cheese Hoven For some unknown reason, Marvel have never been able to match the success of DC when it comes to animation. The Avengers is arguably their best work but falls well short of, say, the Justice League, a comparable series in many ways. Maybe it is because the DC series is more loosely related to the comics than Marvel; Marvel does seem to have a slavish devotion to reworking various classic comic book stories into their animated series, almost invariably weakening the original. And here the homage stretches to the naming of the episodes after well known stories, although the episodes have very little in common with the comic books of the same name.Each series consists of two overarching story arcs, both related to each other although divided into many differing stories. The main invasion strand of season 2 is strongly foreshadowed in season 1 and the Asgardian War is season 1 is continued in season 2. These story arcs are very impressively handled, in fact, I can think of no more successful handling of complex narrative over such a span even in supposedly more mature programmes.Not everything is so successful however. The dialogue is generally banal with everyone constantly being told to "stand down" all the time. Characterization is variable. Whilst I enjoyed the pacifistic interpretation of Henry Pym, the Hulk seemed rather too knowing. I prefer him as an innocent savage. Other characters are (intentionally?) annoying. Iron Man/Hawkeye/ Human Torch/Wasp among others have an interchangeable line in glib one-liners that quickly wears thin and it is a relief when the occasional serious person, such as The Black Panther, speaks.In fact, a certain facetiousness of tone undermines any sense of real danger. The general plan is: bad guy shows up, heroes make some glib comment, someone is told to "stand down", then there's a fight. Or some variation.For some reason WWII has been altered to remove any mention of the Nazis or Germany, instead having the allies fighting against Hydra. What is the reason for this? German sales? The animation itself ranges from great to bad. Some imaginative animation early on but this tends to decline as the series progresses. Thor's hammer Mjolnir is depicted as comically oversized, one of several things which, I guess, is meant to appeal to children although it must be said that the Black Widow's derriere is lovingly animated throughout for some reason.During the second season, each episode has a short prelude consisting of what appear to be rather randomly selected clips from the first season. I found them more confusing (I watched the second season first) than enlightening since they rarely have any relevance to what follows.

TheLittleSongbird Animation and superheroes are a perfect mix, and on the most part The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is a perfect example of why. The animation, apart from Iron Man's faceplate and on occasions the inconsistent character designs of Hawkeye and Wasp, is simple but still quite detailed and colourful. The music is intense, beautiful and atmospheric, and I personally found both intros catchy. The writing is smart and intelligent with some nicely judged humour, and the story lines while again simple are compelling with strong character arcs. In regard to the latter Season 1 is very consistent. Season 2 not so much, though The Winter Soldier episode was outstanding. The characters are great, I love Thor's nobility(his redesigned armour in Season 2 is also awesome), Hulk's broodiness and Captain America's heroism, while the antagonists especially Loki and Ant Man(more in Season 1 than in Season 2), whose motivations are quite refreshing for an animated show, are equally strong. The voice acting is very good, those of Loki, Hulk and Iron Man are the standouts.Season 2 however is a let-down in comparison. It is still more than watchable, but is lacking something. It certainly has its good points, Ms Marvel is a worthy addition, she is strong, never loses her femininity and her character is refreshing. Spiderman and Wolverine's cameos are also delightful. The best character in this season is Captain America, he shows that he is a great leader and is heroic yet his quite dark story lines indicate a sense of torment. That is part of the reason why The Winter Soldier was so good. The cosmic theme is also interesting. What lets it down though is that some of the story lines are on the repetitive side, for instance the climax of the episode introducing Vision feels too similar to the arc shown in the Skull story. Some of the character designs are also inconsistent, while Thor's relationship with Jane is too briefly introduced and doesn't go anywhere and Ant-Man's motivations are not as well thought out.Overall, mostly it is a great show, though Season 2 could have been more. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Jimmy L. "THE AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES" serves to introduce viewers to the expansive world of Marvel Comics heroes and villains. It blends very well the established comic book universe with aspects of the recent Marvel films (IRON MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, IRON MAN 2, THOR, CAPTAIN_AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER). A portion of the show's audience will not be comics readers and will be unfamiliar with the characters beyond the blockbuster movies, so this cartoon makes sure not to confuse anyone. And by reconciling the two universes, the show is able to expand the familiar movie setup into bigger and better things that can only really be brought to life in cartoons. The cartoon is free to indulge in the greater Marvel mythology. More superheroes, more supervillains, bigger organizations, better technology, more colorful costumes. The live action films try to stay grounded in semi-reality, while this cartoon show can tap into all the fantasy and science fiction that makes the Marvel universe so much fun.Each episode introduces new characters and builds up the Marvel world. The show brings together heroes Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant Man, and Wasp (and later Captain America) to form the superteam The Avengers. This is a great way to bring these superheroes to life for a new generation (Marvel produced several separate animated series in the 1990s, some more successful than others) and it also builds up to the all-star superhero blockbuster Avengers movie set for release in 2012. THE AVENGERS will unite the stars of the separate Marvel films against a common threat, and this show allows viewers to see the different heroes in action together and sets up their relationship with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. (It also introduces Maria Hill, a character not yet established in the movieverse.) The show should raise excitement for the upcoming movie, especially among viewers who were unaware that the live action team-up was in the works.I'm not an avid comics reader myself, but it seems like the cartoon is styled after the mainstream Marvel comic universe, with a few added touches from the movies (which were inspired, in part, by the alternative "Ultimate" comic universe). The Avengers lineup is like the original in the comics, and the character designs are faithful to the classic comics. (Nick Fury looks more like the original comics version, but is a black man like in the movies/Ultimate comics.) So I think the show strikes a good balance of bringing the comic book universe to life and keeping things compatible with the movies.Needless to say "THE AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES" is action- packed. It should be a good time for superhero fans, particularly young ones hungry for all things Marvel. (Rival DC Comics had a comparable show, highlighting the various characters in its expansive stable: "JUSTICE LEAGUE".) It's a solid superhero cartoon, and faithful to the comics. It's not stylized beyond recognition or twisted from its inspiration. Marvel stays true to itself. And you get all of the heroes and villains populating the same world. (Except the X-Men and Spider-Man, maybe, but the Fantastic Four do make an appearance.) It is nice to see the comic book characters brought to life, in all their glory. This is shaping up to be a definitive Marvel Comics animated series. I'm just not sure I'm sold on the voice cast.

urbansamurai1970-879-334061 I have watched the pilot episode of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and I was entertained. I found the story to be well written and the fight scene to be excellent! The use of the original Avengers line up from the comics was commendable. I also was impressed with the use of a lesser known villain such as Graviton, as the main antagonist for this episode. I always felt that with his powers, he wasn't given his proper due. However, I was less than impressed with the character design for some of the characters (Wasp especially) and equally less than impressed with the overall animation. While I appreciate that they may have been going for an amalgam of retro and modern designs, with some things I feel they should have rethought it a bit. I would've preferred that the animation was a bit more detailed, and imaginative. This animation showed me nothing more than any of the other animated series produced by marvel over the past 15 to 20 years. Despite this, I do recommend this series to any comic fan, as it's sure to be a hit!