Great setup and companion film for with Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers
591923
Thor, by itself, is an excellent film.  It follows the comic theme with the right amount of 'artistic license' applied.
Anyone familiar with the comics knows the backstory but this really holds its own in preparation for 'The Avengers'.

Coupling this with Captain America: The First Avenger does, what i believe was the intent, a superb job at setting the stage for The Avengers.

The casting is excellent.  A serious Top-Shelf group of actors and actresses cast excellently in their respective roles.
This film is a keeper in my book.
2509742
Really GREAT movie! I like the way they formed Captain America via Steve Rogers.
2059132
Short resumed Director Tim Story has done an excellent job with the film adaptation of the Marvel super-hero gang The Fantastic 4. He brought on a terrific cast, used some great special effects and made a couple of movies that the whole family can enjoy together.

The criticism for the Fantastic 4 series seems to center around two similar objections. 1) Fans of the comic books are dissatisfied with the less intense film adaptations. And 2) The series is too light and family oriented. Indeed, those are valid objections if you've come looking for Marvel adaptations like&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Blade-Trilogy/dp/B0007WFX62/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Blade Trilogy</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Daredevil/dp/B0002XVQNU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Daredevil</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Punisher/dp/B000I2KRZI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Punisher</a>. Even the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Spider-Man/dp/B0002XK190/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Spider-Man</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/X-Men/dp/B000HEVZ9E/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">X-Men</a>&nbsp;trilogies far exceed Fantastic 4 in adult-oriented content.

The Fantastic 4 series holds up quite well as a family franchise. The stories are very well put together. There are funny moments and there's great action. The acting cast is good and they take their roles seriously. Sure, the movies get campy at times. But, c'mon...it's a 1960s comic book adaptation. But the modern twists and especially the modern special effects make these films thoroughly entertaining for young and old.

Fun movies, and the sequel is even better than the original.
1247913
So the movie itself was "just ok". A little slow. I watched this because I LOVED "The Avengers" but yet I could tell while watching that movie that they really had expected that you watched all of the other prelude movies leading up to it like "Iron Man", "Captain America", "Thor", etc. So thinking those movies would be as good as the Avengers I grabbed them. I had already seen "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2" which is what got me interested in the Avengers to begin with (which were both GREAT films) but hadn't seen the others.

Captain America was "ok" but does give you a little better background going into the Avengers.

The packaging for this was great, the extra content was ok, and having the digital edition was important to me.
2584175
This comic is a must-have for fans of the MCU Phase One. It canonically tracks the events of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and (sort-of) Captain America: The First Avenger over the course of one epic week.
2178677
Captain America: Civil War

What a time in American history (present) to unveil a film like this. Masked in shroud of a comic book movie, the movie truly tells a tale of people being ripped apart by legislation proposed by government sanctions over the people. This film is not about preserving freedoms from invaders from foreign lands or galaxies far far away. Instead it is fighting the terror that lurks beneath our very own skins.

So the question Captain America poses is when do we fight our fears of ourself with laws and government sanctions? His answer is when the people can not govern themselves. Iron Man's conscious and internal fears of what he has done and what he is capable of doing leads him to seek out such legislation. Create laws to govern and therefore the responsibility of the many can be turned away from the individual and given to the system that keeps the individuals in check.

With those being both sides of the argument, it is hard to not see a rift in a team, or a country, to not be far off. If we look at the social alignment today and how bipartisan legislation tears the fabric of "the people" the super hero allegory works on multiple levels.

The movie does a great job melding all 14 Marvel Movies that are present in the MCU, and opens doorways to future films. Black Panther and Spider-Man we're welcoming additions in Civil War as they both are sure to have promising solo franchises.

The Russo's did a great job choreographing the fight scenes, as well as pacing the film between those scenes. The tension builds very well as we also see the history of Winter Soldier program come to light. Lots of secrets are exposed from both sides developing each teams desire to win.

This does appear to be a third film in a trilogy to cap off a story Arc for "the first Avenger". If we look at the origin story, his first missions after being thawed and then taking his stand in Civil War. We see him mature from being the wimpy kid from Brooklyn, taking on neighborhood bullies to become a weapon against evil being aimed towards targets. It is when he begins to choose his own involvements and fights that he truly finds the freedom worth fighting for. He is fighting for freedom in an age where freedom is being voted away.

The film is well constructed and well acted. It does what Superman did in 1978, when it taught us a man could fly. I left believing we, as individuals can truly fight the battles in our lives we believe in. Whether we win or lose them, we need to stand up against all bullies, both foreign and domestic.
2322219
As a 6 inch Iron Man movie figure collector, I bought this with the Avengers Mark VI. Since Captain America wears a cloth costume and not armor like Iron Man, I thought the figure would look too unrealistic with its joints and whatnot.

I was pleased when I received the figure and found it to exceed my expectations; the details of the figure are good and the overall figure looks great with my Iron Man collection. Would not hesitate to recommend.
4414279
I mean it's Captain America and Iron man and most of the avengers in the movie. Thor and the Hulk were the only two missing but Spiderman made an impressive appearance. Great movie. I don't think Thor and the Hulk were missed at all in this movie.
1684842
Yep I got the three Iron Man movies in their separate Blu-ray boxes from this order. Theyll be great for an Avengers marathon day!
3047310
After a film like The Avengers it is very mind boggling to think how any film afterwards will match it. The after you see the credits scene in the Avengers your doubts are officially removed.

Iron Man 3 is the first of the second wave of Marvel films and it definitely sets a darker and more mature tone, especially for Tony Stark. The third installment is a lot more organized than the second one and the story is much easier to follow from beginning to end. Of course, it is not as good as the first one. Robert Downey Jr. however, gives a much more emotional and dramatic performance and of course the final action sequence between Iron Man, War Machine and the Mandrin is awesome. I as a comic fan of course have my gripes about the whole persona of The Mandrin, but I do have to say that Ben Kingsly is quite good at comedy. Also the ending was one that I was a little surprised about, but it definitely keeps me eager to continue watching this amazing and bold film saga unfold. Will there be an Iron Man 4? Who knows, but for now just sit back and enjoy the ride because this one is a pretty fun starter.
2886267
I'm not sold on the edgier concept of Marvel Comics' "Ultimate" titles. However, I truly enjoyed reading the trade paperback that collects issues 1-6 of "The Ultimates" (four stars out of five), which is based on The Avengers. The story significantly tweaked the team's origins, but gave older readers a basis of comparison to earlier adventures.

The comics and movie don't differ too much. In the film, SHIELD military commander Nick Fury (voiced by Andre Ware) assembles The Avengers to take down an alien threat. Each of the heroes (except Captain America) show contempt for Fury, but the writers don't explain why there is bad blood.

The team, in its first mission, lives up to Fury earlier calling them "showboaters ... who won't take orders from me or anyone else" after they fail to stop an alien from sabotaging a remote military base.

The Avengers' confrontation with The Hulk is more violent than, but just as "fun" as, the published version. The heroes coordinate their efforts under Cap's leadership, but the writers again "drop the pen" by not explaining the sudden change in motivations.

The reason for The Hulk's comics rampage is downright silly since Banner is enraged enough to turn into the super-powered monster because his estranged girlfriend is dating Freddie Prinze Jr. In the movie, Banner says he can control The Hulk while battling the aliens. The battle ends with the clich of beauty calming the beast.

Sadly, the "Ultimate Avengers" creators commit the most unforgivable cinematic sin: It's forgettable and leaves me longing for the live-action Avengers and Captain America films being developed.
2071423
The key to enjoying ULTIMATE AVENGERS is in not having too high an expectation as to what it is going to be like.

I knew going in, that it wasn't going to rival the likes of GHOST IN THE SHELL or even the Warner Bros. BATMAN show. As such, it is an enjoyable feature. The animation and character designs are all nicely presented, in particular, the Hulk. And while I would have liked to have seen a more faithful adaptation of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's ULTIMATES comic, the end result is quite good. What really makes the DVD worth the price, however, are two of the special features - the AVENGERS ASSEMBLE featurette, complete with interviews with George Perez(!) and Kurt Busiek, and (even more so) the ULTIMATE VOICE TALENT SEARCH, which features a host of fans giving their best renditions of their fave Avengers characters. This is a simultaneously amusing and heart-warming  segment, with much passion on display! Oh, and by watching this segment, you will know exactly what the title of my review means!

Overall, I recommend ULTIMATE AVENGERS to fans of both comics and animation. If you don't expect the world, you'll enjoy it all the more!
2289033
The Full Review for THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Welcome back to yet another hammer swinging fanfare by the famous God of Thunder. Actually no, this isn't what you have expected. Thor was more about the drama but this sequel distracts you with all the bombastic visual and action that you could begin to notice how far it has swayed from the original. In the midst of all that, the tale is revealed. It is neither better nor worse although I would have to say, my eyes were getting fatigue with everything rocketing around at the speed of light.

Mostly everything happened too quickly. When I was trying to savour a moment, the next scene ensues. However, you will get to take a breath from time to time when the action slows down. I do think that The Dark World starts and ends strongly, which helps in getting your bearing right. The narrative played out nicely, with exactly the right tone and tempo by veteran actor, Anthony Hopkins.

What surprised me the most was the two turn of events that are of great importance. So my advice is not to expect anything until you can see it with your own eyes. Well with Loki, the looks can be deceiving too, no? You should probably have known that Thor is asking Loki for help. Their distinct personality is once again the highlight of the film. The time they spent together is going to be a joy to watch. For some of you that might be looking for clues and references from the phase one of the Marvel-verse and the upcoming sequel for the Avengers, you won't be disappointed. Im happy to say that there are plenty of them.

Moving from the story, all the main characters assumed their role nicely. Tom Hiddleston did steal some of the spotlight from Chris Hemsworth for his role as Loki and made it more prominent in aiding the plot progression. Also, he is a far better villain than Malekith, the main antagonist ever can be. Everyone got to have their moment to shine. There were some scenes with Heimdall that showcased some noteworthy performance by Idris Elba.

Would you look at Asgard? Its a perfect sanctuary, a place where the utopian dream comes true. With todays technology, the production team managed to craft a seemingly flawless piece of architecture. Its a good thing as you will spend quite an amount of your time traversing across this plain beauty. London is another setting and is the only one on Earth that was featured in the film.

Aside from whats absolutely the significant aspects of the film, the video and audio presentation are beyond acceptable but they aren't great. It could be an issue with the cinema or it could be just me but I was definitely noticing a little softer picture and an unrefined lower bass. Other than that, its fine with the slight yellowish tint present throughout the film and the overall colour was warm and pleasing to the eye. The surround activity is of course present but I think that the rear channels can be put to greater use. Nonetheless, Brian Tylers score flowed smoothly with the pace of the film and was really enjoyable.

As a whole, director Alan Taylor threw in a good bunch of crew for this worthy sequel to Thor and his directing is surely at its best. You may think of a couple of reasons not to like a sequel like this but its entertaining and desirable enough to capture ones attention throughout the 105 minutes runtime. Do sit back for the post-credit scene for more insight on the Marvel-verse.

(v1.1)
3150782
I went to see Captain America 2 The Winter Solider not expecting to be wowed, but it turned out to be the best Marvel film this year and one of their best ever.  The story is intricate and  well thought out.  "Cap now in present times is a "fish out of water. With S.H.E.I.L.D. and H.Y.D.R.A. intertwined together making for a truly inspired story. I liked the first film a lot, but this film puts Captain America on the A list, its far better than the Thor films and the second and third Iron Man films. It  also has some amazing special effects and the fantastic battle sequence in the finale rivals that of The Avengers!
2899866
movie was great, wonderful deal, can't complain one bit! had a extra clip for the next Captain America the winter solider! I like this movie way better than the first Thor. This has much more funny sinces!
4493217
Personally, I never felt strongly about Iron Man or Iron Man 2, although IM2 definitely improved by including Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, an integral and awesome character in the Marvel franchise. IM3 follows The Avengers shockingly smoothly, addressing Tony's very realistic responses to his near-death experience in New York. Not only is Tony's PTSD and general anxiety addressed, but it is done respectfully. However,  this isn't the only great thing about this movie; the plot is intriguing and carries the film, and ends up subverting the often racist idea of terrorism hitting America - instead of the evil Chinese terrorist being the main villain, we instead have to worry about an angry and embittered white man. This is great to see, considering that movies recently have refused to recognize the racist stereotypes in media.

Not only does this film deal with racism and anxiety in respectful ways, but Pepper Potts is allowed to shine in ways she previously hasn't. But none of these things take away from Tony's story; instead, they add to it. Tony's story involves other characters and isn't a cliche, and it's put together wonderfully and shockingly entertaining.

IM3 could have easily been a bust and ignored these issues, but instead it dealt with them in a respectful and entertaining manner. If you haven't seen it and like the Marvel universe, I highly recommend this film. And if you just like good action films that deal with real life issues - definitely pick it up, or at least rent it or borrow it from the library when it's available.
1230436
Growing up pretty much all I read in comics was Marvel, although I was not a fan of the Avengers.  The X-men were my preferred super team.  However, I became aware of this new incarnation through the animated Ultimate Avengers movies.  The movies were ok, and had some decent action but these novels are really where its at.  It gives you so much more story and character development than any  2 hour movie ever could.

I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but Mark Millar's writing is pretty consistant, giving us a decent amount of action when necessary but never letting it overshadow the story.  Captain America is a good lead with Tony and Fury as excellent supporting characters.  I didn't really like Giant Man and Wasp in the movies and that's no exception here.

The update includes a lot of pop culture references and even cameos from some of today's stars.  This both helps it to feel more modern but also will eventually hurt it as in a few years time will date it as well.  But a good way to help it feel fresh either way.  The art work here by Bryan Hitch is fantastic.  Seems very Jim Lee inspired to me.  As of this review I am already most of the way through Vol. 2 and I can tell you it gets better so read this first and then you'll get to the good stuff later.  At this point the movie pretty much sticks to what's in here but by Vol. 2 it really branches off.