Plot: What’s it about?
Even the world’s greatest heroes sometimes fall, as when the Avengers clashed with Ultron and many in their ranks perished in the epic clash. Tony Stark took the children of the Avengers to a remote compound in the Arctic, where they would be safe from harm while they developed their unique powers. At the compound, the children discover robotic versions of their parents, or the Iron Avengers, and accidentally launch the robots. This launch reveals their location to Ultron, who then takes control over the Iron Avengers and kidnaps Stark. The children are now alone and with nowhere else to turn, they learn that the Hulk is still alive and seek out his help. But even with the massive strength of the Hulk, can a simple group of children, even super powered ones, defeat an enemy as lethal as Ultron?
Marvel’s take on the Teen Titans concept has arrived with Next Avengers, which follows the children of some of Marvel’s best & brightest as they try to follow in their parents’ footsteps. The deaths of the Avengers seems like a dark place to start this series, but it is handled in mature, yet kid safe fashion. This is a children’s show after all, so the tone is lighter than in most comics, but great care is taken to retain Marvel’s overall style. So both children and adults will find Next Avengers to be a fun concept, with bold visuals and well developed characters. I wasn’t too keen on the concept, but I was quickly won over and the characters, both in design and persona, are well executed. This was a great introduction to the Next Avengers concept and I hope future installments can maintain this level of entertainment.
Video: How does it look?
Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This looks quite good, with a clean, bright overall visual presence. This is a brand new release, so there is no damage or other woes, just a sharp and pleasant look. The colors are bright and natural, while contrast is spot on. I saw no errors in either of those areas, so that is good news. As far as detail, the image is as sharp as this animation style allows. I can’t say that I was floored by this visual effort, but I’d assume this is about as good as the movie can look on DVD.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is a solid, but not overly dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 option. The battle scenes have some decent spark, but the sound design here isn’t that impressive. Even so, there is some power when it is needed, so that means the more intense scenes do stand out, as they should. The music also adds some presence, so this not a dull, lifeless soundtrack. All the vocals come through well to boot, so while not memorable, this is a good track. This disc also includes a Spanish language track, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes two brief featurettes, as well as previews of other Marvel animated features.
