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Category:    Home > Reviews > Superhero > Action > Adventure > Comedy > Animation > Stan Lee's Mighty 7: Beginnings (2014/Cinedigm Blu-ray w/DVD)

Stan Lee's Mighty 7: Beginnings (2014/Cinedigm Blu-ray w/DVD)

Picture: B/B- Sound: B/B- Extras: C Film: C+



Stan Lee is a living legend; crafting some of the most memorable comic characters ever created. Characters that will live long beyond his time here this earth;and furthermore, way beyond anyone living today. I wish the same could be said for Stan Lee's latest venture of Stan Lee's Mighty 7, but quite frankly it is weak and formulaic. In the end, the feature film is lacking the ingenuity of his past creations.

Originally premiering in print and digital comic form in 2012; Stan Lee's Mighty 7 showed promise. It featured a group of aliens arriving (crashing in the dessert) on earth only to meet up with Stan Lee. Stan Lee goes on to mentor them; honing their power and ultimately becoming superheroes. The aliens are being chased by Mr. Cross (voiced by Jim Belushi) the head of a UFO research military group. The alien's enemies also have them battling the evil reptilian Taegons who look to destroy planets. The voices for our heroes features a host of creative and talented actors; including Armie Hammer as Strong Arm, Terri Hatcher as Silver Skylark, Sean Astin Kid Kinergy, Darren Criss as Micro, Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) as Roller Man, Mayim Bialik as Lady Lightening, and Christian Slater as Lazer Lord. The problem is the 90 minute feature is a bit silly and recycled, watered down versions of existing heroes. It also feels like Stan Lee is the focus of the series; as he grandfather of comics making one long cameo. Sure it is cute to see Stan pop up in every Marvel film for 10 seconds, but a feature length animated film in which he trains superheroes…not so much.

The animation is very stylized and seeming was all computer generated; with a certain cel shading design. The animation isn't bad, but far from inspiring. The voice acting is admirable as it has a solid line up and a ton of energy. The plot is simple and is merely establishing the characters, plot, and getting its toes wet for future ventures. This is said to be the pilot movie for future movies or an animated series, but I don't see much excitement here.

The technical features are nice. The picture is a solid 1080p 1.78 X 1 high definition that boasts of brilliant colors, somewhat inky blacks, and no grit or grime. The lines are smooth and crisp without distortion; but with a very styled animation infusing cel shading and a degree of anime. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 sound mix is a well done with a solid bass track and good use of surrounds for the high action series. Dialogue comes through crisp, clean and clear. Not the best audio track as panning is a bit weak and prioritization could use some work. The DVD is a downgrade of the nice Blu-ray from its weak anamorphically enhanced image to its lossy Dolby Digital sound.

Extras are short and to the point and include the following:

  • Extended Scenes

  • Composer's Favorite Music Cues

  • Production Sketches

  • Stan Lee Trivia Game

  • Script to Screen Featurette



- Michael P. Dougherty II


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