Well, watching the movies? Not necessarily a bad idea. Watching Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise Of The Panther (Well, kind of. See below), The Invincible Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Next Avengers and the Hulk Vs. movies in one sitting? One of the dumber ideas I've had in a long time. I love superheroes as much as the next man - even if the next man is Stan Lee himself - but I now believe that the human mind has a limit when it comes to this kind of thing. And that that limit is somewhere around four hours... Which, considering these DVDs average 70 minutes each, is a shame.

Ultimate Avengers: The Movie


On the one hand, I can understand why Marvel went with this for their first direct-to-DVD animated movie: It's pretty much a straight adaptation of the first volume of a critically-acclaimed reworking of the origins of a franchise featuring some of their biggest names. On the other, much of the reason for that critical acclaim had to do with the "mature" tone that's pretty much stripped away in this movie, leaving what really feels pretty much like a particularly grim, overlong episode of a generic superhero cartoon show. There's no real excitement here in the writing, performances or visuals; it's just... there. I have the feeling that, if I was fourteen and hated the world but still thought Captain America was awesome, it might be better, but as it is...? Not the greatest start to the viewing marathon.

Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise Of The Panther


And here's a bad sign for the rest of the movie marathon. Perhaps sensing how little I enjoyed Ultimate Avengers, the DVD Gods took pity on me: The review copy of this disc wouldn't play. But judging by the trailer, this is a weird mash-up of the Black Panther's first appearance in Fantastic Four and a retread of the Ultimates villains, which is... um... interesting, perhaps? I'm not feeling too bad for missing this.

The Invincible Iron Man


If nothing else, this movie makes you appreciate Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. just that little bit more by how clumsily it handles Tony Stark's origins at That Guy In The Robot Suit. Yes, bringing in the Mandarin gives the movie more visual impact, but almost everything else that they change - whether it's the "I'm under investigation by the FBI so I'll just hang out in the alley beside my work" scenes or the "I hate you, Dad! I hate you I hate you I've bought the company somehow and you can run it because I love you" plot - would bring you as close to nerdtears as it did me. It's at this point that I start to wonder how much Marvel Animation is/was being used as a testing ground for the live-action movies, and whether the Iron Man movie was so good because they looked at this and saw what didn't work. Meanwhile, visually, everyone still looks very generic. For a comic book company with such strong artists, it's really surprising that Marvel seemed to be happy with such dull visuals for their animated movies (Compare and contrast with any of the DC animated projects of, what, the last two decades? Or most of Cartoon Network's output, for that matter).

Doctor Strange: The Sorceror Supreme


Here's the first piece of magic about the Doctor Strange movie: It seemed like it would never end. Also, and maybe it's because I was struggling to pay attention at this point, I'm not sure that it really made sense. It's another origin story with additions to make it more like a movie and less like something Stan Lee and Steve Ditko came up with in a mix of inspiration and deadline sweat but, just like in Invincible Iron Man, the new stuff - like the addition of a magical super team that recruits Strange so that he can learn about magic - just serves to confuse and bog down the movie and fill it with non-descript characters it's hard to care about. Watching so many of these in a row, I've started to realize how bad the characterization has been in these movies so far - either it's pretty much non-existant (the super team here are cannon fodder, really) or done with no subtlety whatsoever (Strange's switch from asshole to good guy, complete with "What about the children?" dialogue). Fans of the crazy Steve Ditko designs of the original comic will want to stay away; this is another - and, thankfully, the last - of the visually boring movies, completely lacking the off-kilter plasticity of the comic at its best.

Next Avengers: Heroes Of Tomorrow


Is it so wrong to want to kiss a movie? Probably, particularly an animated movie full of kids. But, really; after the last four movies, Next Avengers seemed like the greatest thing in the world - Fast-moving, original (Well, as original as a mash-up of Young Avengers and Avengers Next could be, but not an adaptation, at least) and with some interesting character design? I'll take several, please. Yes, it theoretically skews younger than the other movies, but somehow felt like it was pandering less (And, really, starting a movie with "Oh, all your favorite superheroes? They're either dead, abandoning their offspring - Yeah, really, nice move Thor - or enslaved by the bad guy" shows that this isn't exactly the most comforting movie you can imagine for kids) and if skewing younger means more enjoyable, then I'd be happy if Marvel kept doing movies for young'uns. The first genuinely good movie of the bunch, although I may be grading on a curve and/or lost whatever critical faculties I've had by this point.

Hulk Vs.

Easily the best of the bunch, Hulk Vs. is a weird split-DVD, offering two 45-ish minute movies, Hulk Vs. Wolverine and Hulk Vs. Thor and both of them are better than... well, everything else I've watched so far, apart from maybe Next Avengers. Ignore the title, though, because in both cases, the Hulk is kind of a bystander/McGuffin for the guest-star to jump off've and shine, and of the two episodes, the Thor one is by far the best. With a plot straight out of a mid-1970s issue of Marvel Team-Up (Loki brings the Hulk to Asgard to fuck with Thor! And it all goes wrong!) and a couple of unexpected twists (The death of one of the title characters, for example) packed into its short running time, it offers the kind of fast-paced thrills and spills I'd been looking for all along. Hulk Vs. Wolverine, meanwhile, feels like an odd mix of the comic book and movie versions of the character's history, as the rest of Weapon X try and take Wolverine back "home" and the Hulk complicates matters. It's... interesting, I guess, but feels more like the middle chapter of something instead of a standalone story by itself. But, again, it's better-written and more enjoyable than the earlier movies, and both Thor and Wolverine edge ever closed to a distinct visual style that the movies have lacked up to this point. Of the six DVDs, it's the only one I'd really recommend to anyone other than a Marvel completist, or animation masochist.

Watching all six of the movies so close together, you can see their evolution and understandable growing pains, from adaptations to all-new stories with Next Avengers and Hulk Vs., and also visually and in terms of trying to work out how to tell their stories - Both Next and Hulk feel rooted more in fan-friendly continuity, but that also makes them less bogged down with the need to explain everything, making them more enjoyable to watch for new viewers, ironically. Even though the movies are clearly improving, there's still a reverence to the original comics that holds the cartoons back in a way that, say, Batman: The Animated Series or The Brave and The Bold don't share - The people involved seem too concerned with keeping the spirit of continuity alive, at times, instead of the spirit of the characters, and the result is writing that feels lifeless at times, even in Hulk Vs. Wolverine. As soon as they can work out how to replicate the live-action movies' ability to pick and choose what works, and as soon as the powers that be look for bolder ways to visualize those stories, then they'll be in good shape. For now, what's there is a public growth from awkward beginnings to... well, an only slightly less awkward present.

The Marvel Animation 6 Film Set is available now.

Next Avengers stars the son of Captain America and Black Widow (James), daughter of Thor (Torunn), son of the Black Panther (Azari) and the son of Wasp and Giant Man (Pym). They're hidden away and raised by none other than Tony Stark himself. But soon enough the kiddies grow up and are ready to avenge the deaths of their folks at the claws of Ultron.

Old man Tony has traded in his bachelor ways for teacher and father. Which is slightly jarring but sweet when you watch him care for each little kid. Another original Marvel character that makes an important cameo is The Hulk, who has also aged tremendously and now sports the receding hairline, goatee look, sort of like an aging grunge rocker. When the Next Avengers' home is discovered by Ultron, the teens are no longer protected and have to head out on their own in a brand new world governed by the evil Ultron and his robot minions. The teens head out picking up one Hawkeye Jr. along the way.

The animation is sharp and clean. Each the character looks both like a combination of their parents, but with a nice youthful glow.

But more importantly I really enjoyed getting to know the new characters of the Next Avengers because they acted like a pack of teens. Torunn (who probably has the most development) tries over and over to talk like the immortal god that she is, struggling to remember to use words like "hence" and "thee." But she still blushes like a young thing when next to a cute boy. James, the reluctant hero, is a complete brat until he's met with a challenge. And Pym, my personal favorite, nails the annoying little brother character to a tee. Pym gets all of the best lines in this little film, calling Azari's father the "cat dad." And after listening to a big motivational speech from James he quips, "I think that's the most words you've ever said in a row." He's an unintentional smart ass, and walks the line of totally endearing versus irritating in a remarkably realistic manner.

The DVD ends with the possibility for more from the Next Avengers, and frankly I'd be game. This would be a great thing to share for those of you looking for something to watch for kids, or just looking for new characters grown from you classic favs. It's interesting without being overly moral or too sanitized (i.e. they're not afraid to remind and practically show you that Ultron murdered their parents).

The movie centers around the teenaged children of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" having to come face-to-face with the supervillain responsible for the death of their parents, the robotic Ultron. Luckily enough for the kid heroes, they all happen to have the same superpowers as mom and dad, and their cuteness alone pretty much guarantees their survival - but we're hoping for a surprise last minute twist that happens to involve lots of carnage. We just can't help ourselves.

Next Avengers: Concept Gallery [Marvel.com]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Here are a couple of new stills from Star Wars: Clone Wars. Check out the sexy new look for Master Plo Koon. [IGN]

Iron Man 2 (and various other movies):

Samuel L. Jackson says he could be playing superspy Nick Fury in Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, plus any other Marvel movies that may come out in the next few years. (This could just be actorly wishful thinking.) [MTV]

Knowing:

And here are some new stills from Knowing, the Nicholas Cage movie about a guy who finds a decades-old time capsule that predicts future events — including an apocalypse at the end of the week. Whoa. [IGN again]

Push:

More details about the psychic-kids movie Push. Chris "Human Torch" Evans plays Nick Gant, a telekinetic "mover" and the son of another "mover." An evil government agency, the Division, aims to control people with abilities, and the Division killed Nick's dad in front of him when he was eight, because the dad's TK powers were too powerful. Nick is hiding out in Hong Kong, keeping to himself and not trusting anyone. He uses his TK power to cheat at dice. [Sci Fi Wire]

Star Trek:

Zachary Quinto says the Star Trek movie sees Spock on "a collision course with himself," and trying to remain separate but being pulled towards humanity. We see Spock "at a time when he is not as in control of his balance" (between his human and Vulcan sides, presumably) and this leads to heartbreak. [MTV Movies]

Heroes:

Quinto also said that in Heroes season three, it's not so much a question of Sylar turning good, as it is a matter of him possibly restraining his "instinctual desire to kill." Sylar will be more conflicted this year (between his monster and nice-guy sides, presumably). And he'll also be in a lot of fight scenes, getting thrown around and flying around a lot. [MTV again]

The superpowers that Mohinder displays at the end of the first episode are just the beginning of the story. Eventually, his superpowers will look more Spider-Man-esque. (Hence the pic of him hanging upside down?) [E! Online]

And here are some cool-looking stills. More at the link. [Heroes Spoilers]

Lost:

Wondering what's going to replace flash-forwards and flash-backs in Lost season five? Apparently, the new structure will be incredibly confusing, and somewhat similar to the structure of the Jin/Sun episode in season four. But the good news is, it'll allow all the characters to share adventures together even as the Oceanic Six are off the island and various others are still stuck there. [E! Online]

Battlestar Galactica:

Reading between the lines of this Sci Fi Wire article, I sort of gleaned that Lee Adama doesn't die in the end of BSG. Actor Jamie Bamber refers to the final episode as "an ending and a beginning" for Lee. [Sci Fi Wire]

The BSG crew and their new Cylon allies strand Three (Lucy Lawless) on the wrecked Earth when they haul ass away from there. [E! Online]

Doctor Who:

Because somebody demanded it, here's your daily Doctor Who spoiler. Apparently this year's Christmas special, a "Gothic Cyber-chiller," has a three-word title that is a "dead giveaway" as to the plot. But we don't know the title yet, similar to the way the title "The Stolen Earth" was kept under wraps for a long time. Oh, and wow. The "Proms" mini-episode really is totally insanely demented. Just completely mad. Might do a post about it later. [Blogtor Who]

The Middleman:

When I interviewed Middleman creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach the other day at Comic-Con, he actually thanked me for including his show in morning spoilers so often. (And yes, I'll post the interview soon.) I was surprised that he wasn't annoyed at the spoiler-mongering, and he said it's all in the execution. Around that same time, he posted two photos from upcoming episodes on his Middleblog. One is the inside of the android Ida's brain, from "The Clotharian Contamination Protocol." And the other is the evil alternate universe versions of Lacey and Noser, from "The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome." (I should point out that that title is not a palindrome.) [Middleblog]

And here are the plot descriptions for episodes 9 and 10:
"The Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown," August 11:

In 1969, The Middleman had an arch nemesis named The Candle. When the dastardly villain disappeared, the 1969 Middleman took a drastic step by cryogenically freezing himself with the strict instructions to be unfrozen when The Candle should ever return. Thirty-nine years later, The Middleman and Wendy stumble across a new case that seems eerily similar to The Candle’s M.O. While researching how to handle the old foe’s return, Ida drops the bomb on them about her instructions to unfreeze the 1969 Middleman (Kevin Sorbo). With a 40-year vendetta and a ‘60s mindset, will the old Middleman be able to work with The Middleman and Wendy to catch The Candle, or will their differences get in the way of justice? Meanwhile, worrying about her “perfect” relationship with Tyler and how her job may interfere with it, Wendy goes to 1969 Middleman for advice.

"The Vampiric Puppet Lamentation," August 18:

When artifacts from Vlad the Impaler go up for auction, Wendy and The Middleman prepare to acquire them all in effort to stop a possible vampire resurgence. But things go horribly awry when the last artifact, Vlad’s beloved ventriloquist puppet Vladdy, takes over the soul of the auctioneer and gets away. Now The Middleman and Wendy must stop Vladdy from reuniting with his puppet bride and bringing on an eternal night of blood. Things only go from bad to worse when the demonic puppet learns about The Middleman’s feelings for Lacey and uses her to force our hero to make a dangerous decision. Will Wendy be left on her own to face the unnatural wooden forces of evil or can The Middleman come up with a plan to save the world from vampire restoration and the woman he loves? Meanwhile, when Noser mysteriously disappears, Lacey joins forces with Pip to track down their missing friend, much to The Middleman’s chagrin.

[SpoilerTV]

Eureka:

Crazy science-town show Eureka returns to the Sci Fi Channel tonight. We're not sure when Henry Deacon will get out of jail. But when Jack's rebellious sister Lexxie shows up, she'll annoy Jack by instantly becoming friendly with everyone in the town, which is something that it's taken Jack two season to do. Meanwhile, Jack's daughter Zoe will become more independent and will get a job at Cafe Diem. She'll also have more of a voice in the town, thanks to Lexxie. Also, we'll find out what Jack looks like in a towel, and Jack and Allison will be naked together. We may learn more about Kevin's father due to Henry's meddling. We'll learn more about Deputy Jo Lupo's background, and she'll be the focus of an episode. Beverly the psychiatrist won't come back this year, but Jim Taggart will have a recurring role during the second half of the season.

And this season's big arc will involve newcomer Eva Thorne, a corporate shark who comes to Global Dynamics, and the secrets about Eureka that she uncovers. [TV Squad]

Chuck:

The same-sex kiss you might have heard is happening on spy-nerd show Chuck this season? The good news is, it involves Adam Baldwin. The bad news: it also involves star Zachary Levi. Meanwhile, it won't be all sunshine for Captain Awesome and Ellie, and it's not certain if they'll make it to the altar. Captain Awesome will turn to the "most and least likely person" for advice on Ellie. (Morgan, maybe?) [E! Online]

Smallville:

In addition to the rather low-fi Justice League that rescues Clark at the start of the season, we'll meet more future Leaguers later in the season. Green Arrow will have a new love interest, but will also still continue his romantic tension with Lois. And we'll see a ton of Green Arrow's past in the form of flashbacks. Also, Green Arrow gets more hesitant about embracing his heroic destiny just as Clark gets more gung-ho about his own. [KorbiTV and E! Online]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Brian Austin Green will "burn up the sheets" with a sexy female resistance fighter. [E! Online]

Next Avengers:

The direct-to-DVD saga of the children of Marvel's superteam defeating the robot that killed their parents, Ultron, got shown at Comic-Con, and Newsarama has a review. The Avengers were retired when they reunited one last time to fight Ultron — and lost. Their kids, raised in safety, grew up thinking of their parents as legends more than parents, until they confront the legacy they're inheriting. The son of Captain America has an energy shield, and the still-alive Hulk looks sort of like the Maestro, the future Hulk from the comics. Ultron keeps a huge trophy case of all the schwag he got from the heroes he's defeated. [Newsarama]

The Dark Knight:

Here's some behind-the-scenes footage from The Dark Knight, including some minor spoilers. It's the "B-roll," which people run in the background while talking about the film in TV coverage or whatnot. You can hear Bruce and Alfred cross-referencing criminal records to track down a suspect at one point. Jim Gordon orders a search of the building, but Commissioner Loeb tells him, "You're unlikely to discover this for yourself. The Police Commissioner gets a lot of threats. I discovered the correct response to them long ago." (I'm assuming this is shortly before Loeb bites the dust.) [Trailer Addict via Slashfilm]

X-Files: I Want To Believe:

Some serious X-Files 2 spoilers are making the rounds online. We'll know in a couple of weeks if these are real or not, but meanwhile here they are: Mulder and Scully haven't actually been separated for the past six years after all. The movie's first shipper-y scene has them spooning together in bed. We see them having lots of light conversations, including one scene in Mulder's office when he still has his beard. They talk about William.

Mulder and Scully break up because of a disagreement about their future, and this leads to lots of angst. And at the end of the movie, they start having a "goodbye" conversation, but it leads to them kissing and making up. The real "happy ending" only happens after the credits, and it's truly bizarre. Meanwhile, the movie's actual plot is flimsy, incomprehensible and not very scary. [Celebridiot]

Meanwhile, Chris Carter says we'll see "someone or someones" from the TV series in the movie. [KREN]

Love Story 2050:

But who cares about the X-Files, when the Bollywood time-travel movie Love Story 2050 is out now in India? I know which movie I'm more excited about. Love Story 2050 starts out with Karan, its male hero, being a rich guy whose mom is dead and whose dad has no time for him. So he goes to Australia and takes up extreme adventure sports. Until he spots butterfly chaser Sana, and "Plonk!" he falls in love with her. (The review actually says "Plonk!") Then he chases her over buses, bridges and cars, leaping across the rooftops.

They finally meet up, fall in love, and get engaged. And they just happen to be in the same town as Karan's uncle Yatinder, a mad scientist who's invented a time machine. Karan and Sana get in the time machine and she sets the controls for Mumbai 2050. It's a wonderland of flying cars and robots. But soon the couple get separated, and the evil masked Dr. Hoshi is trying to destroy Dr. Yatinder and Karan. Somehow, Sana gets "reborn" as Ziesha, a pop star with red hair. After they reach the future, the movie's pace sort of grinds to a halt. [Screen India and India Info

Dragonball:

Piccolo will look "old, decrepit and ugly," in spite of the producers' attempts to make him look beautiful, says actor James Marsters, who insisted the make-up department add extra ugly sauce to his appearance. After all, Piccolo has spent 2,000 years in prison. And the movie has some changes but will be "true to the spirit of Dragonball." [DWScifi]

Doctor Who:

There are rumors floating around that former star Tom Baker will appear in the fifth season of time-travel action-soap Doctor Who (in 2010, so huge grain of salt here.) Also, Winston Churchill and Jenny, the Doctor's Daughter, are both rumored to show up at some point in the one-hour specials that will air during 2009. [Doctor Who Forum and The Sun]

The Prisoner:

AMC's Prisoner remake, starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen, will still have a big role for "Rover," the big white ball that keeps Number 6 prisoner. And there will still be futuristic gadgetry in the Village. [Sci Fi Wire]

Heroes:

Some lucky Brits got to see some intriguing clips from Heroes season three. Nathan Petrelli gets rushed to hospital after being shot, but is apparently DOA. "There was nothing we could do," a doctor tells the Petrelli clan. Elle spends a fair bit of time sparring with Sylar this season.

Angela Petrelli introduces us to the notorious Level 5, where the Company keeps its serial killers, rapists, and assorted baddies. And in Level 5, there's a giant bald man, shouting "I'm not who you think I am. I'm Peter Petrelli!" And we see Sylar come up behind Angela and put his hands on her shoulders in a friendly way.

Meanwhile, poor Matt Parkman is alone in a desert, screaming for help. And when Daphne the Speedster steals something from Hiro, she quips, "Gotta run." Finally, we see Linderman, quoting that Yeats poem about "The second coming is at hand." (You know, the gyre, the falconer, mere anarchy, blah blah blah, beast, etc. Nobody ever stands up and intones about going to Innisfree in an ominous voice. I wonder why?) [Digital Spy]

And here's a new promo video, featuring Claire with a knife and an ear-rending scream. [Heroes The Series]

Next Avengers:

Here are a few new stills from the animated direct-to-DVD Next Avengers: Heroes Of Tomorrow, about the children of the Avengers, umm, avenging their dead parents. I have to admit, I really like the way Ultron looks here. Although, don't they know Ultron's a hot naked robo-chick now? [Marvel Animation Age]