Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow - The Next Generation of Heroes
Written: May 07 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Entertaining movie with decent characters.
Cons: Short. Doesn't follow any of the comic books.
The Bottom Line: Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow is an entertaining movie worth watching for fans of Marvel characters.
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| dragonfire88's Full Review: Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow |
Marvel comic books have been very popular for a long time. A few years ago, Marvel started to make animated movies about some of their characters. I've been picking up those movies and enjoying them. I just watched Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow.
The Avengers successfully fought threats to the world for years. Then they faced Ultron, an indestructible robot. Tony Stark/Iron Man managed to escape with the young children of the Avengers, taking them to a secret location to keep them safe.
Several years later, Tony and the children - James, Azari, Torunn, and Pym are still living in hiding. Tony has told them some things about their parents, but he has kept other things from them. Tony has trained the kids, who are now teenagers, but his main priority is keeping them safe. The teens discover things that show that Tony kept some things from them and that ultimately allows Ultron to find them and Tony. He is focused on getting the teens to safety, but they have different ideas and decide that they are going to fight Ultron. They are joined by Hawkeye, the teenager son of the original Hawkeye. They develop a plan to face Ultron that involves finding the Hulk.
Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow is sort of based on some popular Marvel characters. Tony, a very well known character, is shown as an older man with grey hair, which is a very different look for him. Tony being responsible for children is also different, but I think that works overall. Hulk, another well known character, is also around briefly in an older form, complete with grey hair which is kind of odd to see. The teenagers are the other main characters and they were created specifically for this movie and have never been in any of the comic books. I do think they fit in the Marvel world. This movie is the fifth animated Marvel movie. It has no connection to the previous movies other than the main characters being the children of the Avengers. Nothing that happened in the Ultimate Avenger animated movies carries into this one or is even mentioned.
The original Avengers had already faced Ultron and were defeated when Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow begins. Tony is heard telling a story to the children during the opening credits that explains what happens. The movie is set several years after the Avengers faced Ultron when the children that Tony saved have become teenagers. What happened to the original Avengers is important to the plot since Ultron is still a threat to the world and the teenagers. Nothing else about the past of the teenagers is shared. At one point, Tony does explain a few things, but even then there aren't many details on how he raised the children and created the home that kept them safe for so long.
I think the plot for Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow is interesting and entertaining. Things aren't that complicated, but they aren't that simple either. There are a few different things going on and that helps to keep things interesting and keep the pace moving. The teenagers, especially James and Torunn, already have some issues they are trying to deal with when the movie gets started. Their issues do get a bit more complicated when Ultron is added to the mix. A few things happened that I didn't expect, but there really isn't much in the way of suspense in the movie. The movie is mostly predictable, but it is still enjoyable and entertaining. Some serious moments turn up, mostly with James and Torunn and how they come to grips with certain things. Just the fact that the parents of the main characters were killed makes the plot a bit dark, but it isn't depressing. Every so often, a bit of humor is added in, frequently through something that Pym says or does.
Several scenes in Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow include action which helps to keep the pace moving. The first bit of action happens when Azari and Pym are playing a game that is actually a form of training for them. Torunn gets pulled into that, using her sword. Most of the action is provided by the various fights the different characters end up in. The fights also include some violence that really isn't graphic. This movie is rated PG, making it more family friendly than the previous Marvel animated movies.
The animation for Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow is done well and looks fine, though it isn't anything spectacular. I'm not sure, but I think at least some of the animation was created with computers. The animation is on the same level as what was done for the other Marvel animated releases. The backgrounds are very detailed in most of the scenes, though there isn't as much movement in some of them.
Only three of the original Avengers are in this movie. Tony is older, but he still uses computers and technology. He has put a lot into keeping the teenagers hidden and safe over the years and that is his main concern when Ultron finally tracks them down. It is a bit different to see Tony, who had been a playboy, acting as a parent, but it manages to work. He does briefly appear as Iron Man as well. Tom Kane did fine with the voice of the character. The Vision is a robot that has evaded Ultron for years and reported to Tony on what was going on. Thor makes a very short appearance in one scene late in the movie.
Ultron is the powerful robot that defeated the Avengers. Ultron seems to be indestructible, and he's been spreading his control around the world. I've never heard of Ultron before, so I don't know if he has been in the comic books too or if he is another of the new characters just for this movie. Tome Kane also does the voice of Ultron. Bruce/Hulk also turns up, though he isn't in much of the movie. Bruce seems to have mostly found a way to control his anger, though Hulk does come out. An older Betty Ross is in a few scenes as well.
James, the son of Captain America and Black Widow, seems to be the leader of the teenagers, a position he struggles with at times. He has trouble with doing nothing. He uses some kind of energy based shield for much of the movie before going on to use an actual shield like his father. He seems to have a lot of agility and he can fight, though I'm not sure if he has any actual super power or not. Torunn is the daughter of Thor. She keeps hoping that Thor will come for her and take her back to Asgard since he is still alive there. The movie doesn't say who her mother is and I did wonder about that. Torunn uses a powerful sword and tries to act more like a god from Asgard, hoping that will get her father to come for her.
Azari is the son of the Black Panther. His mother is only called the Queen in the movie. I think she is supposed to be Storm since she and Black Panther got married in the comic books, but I'm not sure. Azari has the black panther spirit like his father, though he sometimes has trouble controlling it. He also has some sort of electric charges which seem to sort of be like what Storm could do with lightening. Azari can use his two abilities together, creating a panther out of the electrical energy he generates. Pym is the son of Giant Man and Wasp. Most of the time he is shown shrinking down to the size of an insect and flying around like his mother, but he can also grow bigger like his father. Francis Barton goes by the name Hawkeye like his father. He uses different types of arrows, including some that are explosive. He flirts with Torunn frequently.
Voice Talent
Michael Adamthwaite - Thor
Noah Crawford - James Rogers
Aidan Drummond - Pym
Tom Kane - Tony/Iron Man/Ultron
Ken Kramer - Bruce Banner
Shawn MacDonald - The Vision
Brenna O'Brien - Torunn
Nicole Oliver - Betty Ross
Dempsey Pappion - Azari
Adrian Petriw - Hawkeye
Fred Tatasciore - Hulk
Jay Oliva - Director
DVD Information
Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 2, 2008. The movie was originally going to have the title Teen Avengers and then Avengers Reborn. A preview for the movie was included on the Doctor Strange animated movie DVD with the Avengers Reborn title at that point.
Legacy: The Making of Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow features the people involved in making the movie talking about the process. Some of the character sketches are shown. Those sketches have the first name of the movie on them. Some of what was in this was part of the preview on the Doctor Strange DVD. Kid Power : Next-Gen Marvel talks about some of the younger Marvel characters. There are also previews for Hulk Vs. Wolverine and Hulk Vs. Thor.
Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow is another entertaining animated movie from Marvel. It is a bit different since it features mostly new characters created specifically for this movie, but it is still entertaining and worth watching.
I would have gone with three and a half stars if I had the option. Since I don't, I decided to round up to four.
This review is part of elvisdo's 2009 Funny Pages Write-Off.
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Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD
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