Film Review: Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)

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SYNOPSIS:

The children of the Avengers hone their powers and go head to head with the very enemy responsible for their parents’ demise

REVIEW:

Calling them the “Next Avengers” might peak a few fans interest. What this stems from is 12 year into the future after the original Avengers went on with their lives, died or went into hiding. A few of the Avengers married, and produced offspring, of which this film centers on…the kids of the heroes from the past. It’s worth noting the quick narrative in the beginning as it puts the pieces together of whom is who’s children and where their influences stem.

The group of young children are now hidden far form mankind in bio-dome of sorts with old-timer Tony Stark keeping watch and keeping the fort down. They refer to him as Tony but astute viewers will quickly make the connection to the iron “knight” (as they call him) Iron Man.

The pseudo future is not without its issues. The planet has been overtaken by a robot named Ultron who has built an army deemed unstoppable. The Avengers were defeated long ago as well as many more of the planets heroes. The original Avengers were killed with Thor leaving back to Asguard as Hulk went into hiding. Stark though seems to be at the root of his own creations with Ultron originating from one of Stark’s earlier creations, In an act of retaliation, Stark has created a new small team of robots called the “Iron Avengers”. These robots while suited with some of the original Avengers powers and outfit likenesses, are easily overturned with Ultron’s ability to take over their programming codes.

Yep, it’s a bit of a mess all around for Stark and his rogue robots. The children who are the focal point of this story are busy dealing with coming of age and their own abilities. Stark can no longer protect them, so they quickly find themselves having to fend for themselves and take on a much “too formidable” opponent.

Powers are inherited from their parents with many of the original Avengers traits carrying over. The team manages to infiltrate the Ultron lair and confront him personally, though it’s the call out to the original “Hulk” that really gives them the upper edge in this battle.

In summary, Fans of the original series may quickly call this one out as a more children-driven film from the series. However I wouldn’t let the assumption keep you from taking on a viewing session with this one. The animation does progress into a more adult-style addition with some great Hulk moments towards the 3rd act. Personally I prefer the former “Avengers” films just because the subject matter and approach are more in tune with my viewing needs. I do think it’s great to see Marvel always thinking of new angles to present to its audience. My only complaint would be that the film needs more Marvel villains in future releases and less robots and aliens. The Marvel Universe is filled with years of great villain characters that should be introduced more often.

This entry which is noted as the 5th Marvel animated film is now packaged within a 3 Bluray set titled “Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection (Ultimate Avengers / Ultimate Avengers 2 / New Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow) [Blu-ray]) . When I first heard word of this, I knew this particular combo set had to go on my animation shelf. The film “Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow” is a new bonus additive replacing the previous 2 film bluray set that has been currently on the market.

In case your new to this one, the former Avengers include Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Thor, Black Widow and Giant Man. “The Vision” also makes a welcome addition to this release but quickly becomes more like the head from the TV series “Lexx”.

“Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow” markets to a younger audience but still holds its own with a firm storyline. As mentioned before, it does create a nice ultra-universe for viewers that can be expanded upon in later releases. Not as strong as the first Avengers animations, but still a nice addition none-the-less.

The “Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow” is now available as a 3-Disk Bluray set from Lions Gate

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)