BLU-RAY REVIEW

Ultimate Avengers II

Featured In Issue 121, June 2007

Picture4
SoundNR
WSR Score3
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
21331
(MPAA Rating):
PG13
(Rating Reason):
For intense action violence
(Retail Price):
$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
73
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
1
(Theatrical Year):
2006
(Theatrical Release):
No
(Direct-To-Video Release):
Yes
(Disc Release Date):
04/24/07
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Will Meugniot & Richard Sebast
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(Story):
(Music):
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(Academy Awards):
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(Disc Soundtrack):
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
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(French Language):
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(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
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Based on Marvel Comics' "The Ultimates" by Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch, the "Ultimate Avengers" superheroes join forces in Africa "II" stop an alien invasion. (Tricia Spears)

The high-definition special features are the same on both Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers II, which are on the same side of this Blu-ray Disc. They include optional menu effects, The Ultimates 24-minute featurette, a five-minute Voice Talent Search, a four-minute gag reel, a first look at Doctor Strange™, a trivia track, a trailer, a 23-minute Avengers Assemble! featurette, and up-front ads.

Both the Ultimate Avengers and the Ultimate Avengers II animated 1.78:1 Blu-ray Discs looks good, although the animation style is not really something that lends itself especially well to high-definition, as it looks like a now-typical Saturday morning cartoon. There isn't much in the way of fine detail, but colors are rendered well. Attempts are made to create some kind of depth by manipulating the focus of subjects on screen, with little success. (Danny Richelieu)

The uncompressed linear PCM 7.1-channel soundtracks for both movies are two of the first discrete 7.1-channel soundtracks to ever be released on a commercial prerecorded home video format. When comparing it to the Dolby® Digital Surround EX™ encoding that is also included on the disc, it seems they actually did mix discretely for 7.1 channels rather than encode a matrix-derived channel into two discrete center surround channels. The result is much more fluid surround envelopment, although imaging in the field is limited. Dialogue sounds good, and fidelity is pristine. The use of four discrete channels in the surround stage makes for a wonderful experience that should enthrall the target audience. (Danny Richelieu)