Review: Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther (2006)

Directed by: Curt Geda, Steven E. Gordon | 76 minutes | action, animation, adventure, science fiction | Actors: Justin Gross, Gray DeLisle, Michael Massee, Olivia d’Abo, Marc Worden, Nan McNamara, Nolan North, Andre Ware

Large in America, unknown in the Netherlands. The history of The Avengers in a nutshell. The American comic book heroes were released in our country in a distant past under the title ‘De Vergelders’, but nowadays you will have to do without the comic characters in the newsstands. Anyway, fortunately there is the medium DVD, so that as that hard fan you don’t have to go through life completely ‘cold turkey’. Enter ‘Ultimate Avengers 2’.

After the events of ‘Ultimate Avengers’, the team around Captain America has split up. The members each go their own way and Thor makes it completely different, by entrenching himself in an area where there is no living soul to be seen. Hank and Jan Pym bicker all day long and Iron Man has become quite arrogant and does everything to stay in the picture. Bruce Banner aka the Hulk is locked in an impenetrable cell and Captain America… Well, Captain America. The hero tries to leave his turbulent past behind and drowns himself in his work. When the African mini-state of Wakanda is besieged by an alien race, the Chitauri, the Avengers are called together. With fresh reluctance, the king of Wakanda, The Black Panther, decides to accept the help of the superhero team.

You don’t have to expect realism or logic in ‘Ultimate Avengers 2’. However, if you’re looking for a movie that features Nazi aliens, a primitive country that effortlessly makes weapons of mass destruction to order, and where bizarre characters with the most outrageous powers rule, then this ADHD action-packed cartoon is the right place for you. The full 76 minutes of this cartoon is filled with action and spectacle. The laser beams and missiles are flying around your ears.

In between fights, brief attention is paid to the personal worries of the characters. Hank and Jan Pym have relationship problems, Captain America is lonely, and Bruce Banner is treated like a criminal. Although not too much time is spent in trouble, it has been worked out fascinatingly. The short storylines around the individual Avengers keep the non-stop action just that little bit more engaging, because you really start to care about the characters. Okay, you don’t have to expect a complex character study, but you understand the adolescent attitude of Captain America just a little better. It is also nice that the problems that were discussed in the first part are further elaborated. The problems between Wasp and Giant Man, for example. The action itself looks fine again and is fired at you full speed.

Is there anything else to criticize about ‘Ultimate Avengers 2’? Certainly. Why a dated character like The Black Panther should show up remains a mystery. The king of the seemingly primitive African state is outdated. The African population walks around in old tribal clothing, while the country has the most modern weaponry. The panther was probably taken from the stable to give the film a multicultural character. After all, there are not many black superheroes in the Avengers universe. But still, the fictional Wakanda could be depicted in a more modern way. Fortunately, the Black Panther costume has been overhauled, so that the superhero looks at least a lot hipper than in the comics. Besides Wakanda, the aliens are also quite dated. More flamboyant villains would have spiced up the film. After that, the bad guys remain somewhat flat, because they are so anonymous and have no personality. Unfortunately. Fans of the Avengers will certainly have a blast with this energetic cartoon, but the layman will probably scratch their heads after seeing so much ultimate nonsense.