Iron
Man & Hulk - Heroes United
(2013/Marvel/Disney Blu-ray w/DVD + Digital Copy)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B Extras: D Film: D
As may
have been stated in the past, animated Superhero films on home video
used to be a rarity. Sure, fans were treated to the occasional
compilation VHS or TMNT or
Batman: The Animated Series;
but not very often did we see specially made Superhero features for
the sole purpose of home video. Today in 2013, however, it is more
than common place. This trend has come with both good and bad
releases (mostly mediocre); but has given artists/writers freedom to
express their take on the Superhero mythos without being buckled down
by continuity or prescribed stylings.
Iron
Man & Hulk: Heroes United is a new
straight to home video animated feature by Disney/Buena Vista
Entertainment. The film overall leans more toward the poor to
mediocre side when it comes to content; though the animation/imagery
is very well done.
The 71
minute animated film is the first in a (supposed) series of superhero
mash-ups from the Disney/Marvel Catalog. After the success of The
Avengers, the studio became privy to the fact
that (if done right) 2,3, or 6 superheroes are better than one. In
this adventure we have the common Marvel mash-up formula for
superhero crossovers; at first each of our heroes are dealing with
(seemingly) separate issues only to discover they have a common
rival. From there we host a misunderstanding between heroes, where
they battle it out; only to discover (of course) that two heroes
working together is better than one alone. This is something that
nearly every superhero crossover has employed; mostly for the sole
reason of seeing who would win in a fight;
though we never truly get closure on those questions.
In Iron
Man & Hulk: Heroes United, the heroes
draw a common enemy when after some sparring with his old foe,
Abomination, The Hulk is subjected to an experiment at Hydra; which
in turn creates a energy consuming
being called Zzzax. Hulk and Iron Man join forces to take down Zzzax
before it can suck up all of the world's energy.
And
that, my readers, is the storyline. There is a lot of
long-windedness to this film that stretches over the 71 minutes. The
representations of Hulk and Iron Man are not in line with The
Avengers film; which isn't bad, but is
certainly NOT good. As I mentioned above, I like that these straight
to Blu-ray films give artists freedom to spread their wings; but when
they produce dribble like presented here, I find myself eating my
words. Hulk is a cross between smart Hulk
and SMASH Hulk; that
is to say he is like an angst ridden teen whose emotions are
flailing. He is self aware and makes conscious decisions, but then
suddenly has unbridled rage and is back to SMASH Hulk; negating what
was previously established. Tony Stark (iron Man) is his normally
arrogant, snarky self; but the poor writing makes him unlikeable and
fails to achieve the loveable snarky hero Robert Downey Jr. has
created.
I love
taking a look at these films, but can't say this was one of the
better ones.
The
technical features on this Blu-ray, however, are awesome. The
picture is 1080p 1.78 X 1 widescreen that boasts of beautiful colors,
inky framing blacks, and a pristine clarity. Nearly perfect, I would
say my main gripe was quality of animation; whereas stunning for what
it is, I would say it is far off from say a Pixar/Disney feature
film. The sound is not as impressive as it fails to fully immerse
the viewer, but the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless mix does get the
job done in a clean, balanced manner.
The DVD
is merely a downgraded inclusion meant to give every viewing
opportunity.
Extras
are limited only including the following:
- Michael P.
Dougherty II
