jvrichie
This movie is almost unwatchable. Many have pointed out plot holes and poor writing in general but add to that the cringe inducing voice acting, the feeble attempt at an anime tone and the absolutely horrible editing. There are constant scenes of a character saying something in the middle of a conversation and unexplained delays before the other person says anything back. Maybe it would make sense if the director included a meaningful look or gesture or frankly anything but there's nothing. Half the time, while you're waiting for anyone to respond to a line the scene is just everyone standing or sitting and there's no expression on their face at all. I understand "meaningful" pauses but these are just pauses that make no sense.So the writing is a mess, the voice acting is painful and the editing barely exist. Avoid this movie as if it will give your brain cancer - because it will.
mister R .
this masterpiece is a bitingly satirical take on the superhero anime adaptationism.it does a hilariously great job emulating the distinct flaws that the genre is known for; from the lack of emotion and movement in the characters' faces, to the unnecessary, egregious and distracting 3d animation, to the pointless romantic interest turned villain plot line which no one who watches these films cares about.i especially liked the out of nowhere appearances from the hulk, iron man, thor the god guy and that annoying nerd kid, it made my inner fanboy write fanfiction with delight.i respect the representation of homosexuals in the form of the punisher who wore eyeshadow and black lipstick a lot in the moviealso it sucked 10/10
A_Different_Drummer
**Although every effort was made to be objective, this review is not flattering. If you are a die-hard fan of Marvel animation, regardless of quality or execution, what follows may elevate your blood pressure and cause mild discomfort** First thing you have to know, I love Marvel, grew up on Marvel in the 60s, the guy at the local drug store actually set aside the issues for me as they came in. So it would be pretty hard to develop a full-length Marvel animation feature that really ticked me off. But, amazingly, the producers of this bizarre production succeeded. Second thing you need to know, Marvel has essentially been taken over by a bunch of suits who think more like Bill Gates than Stan Lee. While the 'sweet money' is chasing the major breakout franchises -- and doing goofy things like remaking "Spiderman origins" FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO KEEP THEIR PRE-EXISTING DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS ALIVE -- the real effort is being put into "monetizing" the lost and forgotten properties deep inside the archive that have been collecting dust. Not making this up, Google it!, you will find lots of corporate-speak explaining what they are really up to. Some of this makes sense. For example, digging Captain America out of the ice was a good thing. He is a fun guy. We missed him. But some of the other salvage operations -- Shazam comes to mind -- are stretching the envelope, and not in a good way. Which brings us full circle to this product. (Because that is what it is, a product, not a film, not entertainment). The point here is clearly to rehabilitate Punisher and, to a lesser degree, Black Widow. As the mainstream reviewers have already noted, the other Avengers don't show up here until the very end of the tale and, even then, have very limited screen time. Do I have anything against Punisher? Not really. He is highly derivative of the Mack Bolan Executioner character which popped up some 5 years earlier than his own 'origins', and his live action film attempt was hardly memorable. Otherwise, I was ready to be impressed. And as for Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson has done such a great job with this character in live action that I was simply anticipating getting to know her better. Disappointed on both counts. First the anime. Japanese studios can do bright and sunny (at which they excel) or they can do dark and gloomy, but they seldom blend the two. This production is so gray that you will think something is wrong with your DVD drive or your screen has gone bad. Seriously. As for the action -- what action?? Taking a page from the Avengers live action film -- or at least TRYING TO -- the writers spent most of the first hour in (what they thought was) dramatic banter, and saved the "action" for the last 15 minutes. Which kinda defeats the purpose of animation in the first place, since animation makes it possible to have continuous bangups and beatdowns without blowing the SFX budget -- over at DC animation, for example, they have already figured this out. Marvel however is still struggling with the concept. The end result? -- well, if you factor in the soporific dialog that seems more written BY children than FOR them; the gray sheen and washed out backgrounds; the failed attempt to "breakout" these characters from the Marvel sub-sub-basement -- and a really sloppy "unrequited love" story arc which, in the real world, wouldn't make it to an afternoon TV soap opera -- you end up with one of the most disappointing animation features of all time. Alternate recommendations? Watch instead (literally) ANY episode of the old X-Men TV series, more fun than a barrel of hammers; or Ultimate Spidey, same deal; or, check out DC's full length The Flashpoint Paradox. Unlike this film, that one actually works.
Joseph Kalai
It was impossible to review this film because I fell asleep halfway and couldn't bring myself to continue.Yes. It's THAT bad...and I'm a fan of comic-book animated films having watched most films in the genre.I'm told that the Avengers do show up in the last 10 minutes. The challenge is to get through the drivel leading up to those 10 minutes. It seems Marvel is overplaying the drama between Punisher and Black Widow - but they are just not compelling enough to keep one engaged. After 10 minutes I felt as if I was watching an animated soap opera.AVOID.
