After the sting of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes's cancellation has finally numbed, I decided to try watching through Marvel's Avengers Assemble season 1, since it was available on Netflix. I watched the first two episodes shortly after they came out, and... I still have the Facebook post where I ranted about it. Suffice it to say, it was no replacement for A:EMH, between choppy and ridiculously fast-paced editing to the slim plot to the terrible dialogue and movie pandering. As such, I couldn't work up the desire to finish watching the series... until earlier this week. I have to say, the show is much more enjoyable if you go into it knowing full well what it's going to be like. So, let's give an idea of what it's like.
But, first of all, I have to say: really Marvel? Did you really have to stick your name in there?
Anyways, this show probably is one that you'll really enjoy if, like me, a) you enjoy watching superhero cartoons made/"made" for 12-year-old boys, or b) you really enjoy the Avengers. However, if either of those are true, it is a pretty fun ride... if at times a bit bumpy. You will have to sit through some parts, ranging from cheesy to goofy to obnoxious, on your way to some really awesome moments. The dialogue is generally pretty bad, but there are a few exceptions, and they're pretty good ones. Basically, expect a high-action romp, which most of the time you'll be riffing on, but it does occasionally actually give something awesome.
You can definitely tell it's a Man of Action show - same cheesy humor, lots and lots of action (huge shocker), the characters tend to be exceptionally cocky... and they do not dial down on the awesome. They're not afraid of going over the top, which they do sometimes - but when it works, it works. They don't always craft the most intricate stories or character moments, but they certainly know what's exciting and fun, and occasionally they can make you really feel for the character - even if it's mainly in that "HECK YEAH THAT'S AWESOME" kind of way. I do think Man of Action is much better suited to a single main character (and, frankly, a male one) with supporting characters, like on Ben 10 and Generator Rex, than they are with teams. Ultimate Spider-Man only really worked when the episode was about Spider-Man and not his annoying teammates, and Big Hero 6 (while they weren't involved in the movie, they made the characters) focused almost exclusively on Hiro and Baymax. Still, I have to admit that them having so many characters running meant they generally didn't have time for some of those teen/team drama B-plots that cropped up in Ben 10 and Generator Rex.
You can also definitely tell that Jeph Loeb and Joe Quesada had their hands on this. Just like in Ultimate Spider-Man, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (where Man of Action was not involved so you can't blame them), and Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO PHINEAS AND FERB?!), the jokes consist mainly of two things: really dumb kids' humor and movie pandering. Considering that the new heads of Marvel Animation have more or less said they don't think smarter writing and continuity appeals to kids, it's not surprising that most everything they're involved with comes off as childish (which is why I'm very grateful the only credits they had on Big Hero 6 were "Special thanks"). I'm one of the few who didn't mind Ultimate Spider-Man's 4th-wall cutaways in general, I just didn't like that they were mainly used to explain things to the viewers that apparently couldn't figure it out on their own - I'm glad that that, at least, wasn't included in Avengers Assemble. They did, of course, decide to stick strictly to their "new Marvel cast", such as Adrian Pasdar as Iron Man - because, apparently, no one else can play him. *Sigh*
Speaking of the cast, Adrian Pasdar is the only member of the main cast that really bothered me, and even he grew on me eventually - even if he just sounds a little too slimy to be taken seriously as a hero (think Tony's businessman personality taken to "used car salesman" levels, that's what he sounds like). Travis Willingham's Thor was a bit too over-the-top, reminding me too much of the portrayal on Super Hero Squad (where everything was intentionally cartoony and silly), but he had some better episodes which convinced me he can pull it off. As I've said, Roger Craig Smith is a worthy Captain America in his own right, and now he has the awesome distinction of being both Captain America and Batman (Arkham Origins). Troy Baker is pretty awesome as Hawkeye, it's too bad the writing doesn't let him show it off enough, though. And is there any question of bringing back Fred Tatasciore as the Hulk?! Laura Bailey didn't get much dialogue as Black Widow, but I did like what I heard. And, I have to say, I like Bumper Robinson as Falcon better than Lance Reddick from A:EMH or Alimi Ballard from Super Hero Squad - he's got he right mix of young and uncertain, but can also bring in the confidence and maturity when needed. It's going to be weird if they ever bring War Machine into this, though, because I still associate animated War Machine with his voice.
Generally, the casting held up pretty well for guest and recurring characters as well. I'm not the biggest fan of Liam O'Brien's Red Skull voice (not deep or on its own imposing enough for me), but I am not knocking his acting - he can make the most even out of some of the mediocre dialogue he's given. Corey Burton, as always, is undeniably terrifying with his Dracula voice - of all the villains on the show, he's the one that scared me the most, and his solo episode was the one that convinced me that this show had potential, in part because of his performance (the episode was also just the first really focused one). Brian Bloom makes a glorious return to the franchise as Hyperion - it's hilarious to have ex-Captain America arguing ethics with Captain America. His voice isn't different enough from his Cap for me not to actually *hear* Captain America arguing with Captain America, but nevertheless he does a good job of twisting that voice into a deranged performance. Charlie Adler makes for an actually scary MODOK, which frankly kind of shocks me - even in A:EMH I could never take him seriously. Dwight Schultz is a fun Attuma, even if I'm constantly thinking of Doctor Animo from Ben 10, though he is considerably more impressive as Attuma. Oh, and Maurice LaMarche as Doctor Doom.... Perfect. Casting. He pulls off "Lawful Evil dictator, self-declared benevolent ruler" flawlessly. The only casting I remember disliking was when the Guardians of the Galaxy showed up - granted, none of them had enough dialogue to really showcase what they were capable of, but... yeah, none of their voices worked for me, except maybe Drax. Rocket, especially, just did not really fit him; I found it hard to listen to. Granted, that whole episode drove me crazy, so maybe I would've liked them better with better material.
Oh, and thinking of this version of Groot reminds me... I really need to talk about the animation. At first glance, you might think that this animation is better than A:EMH - the style is certainly more realistic. And... that's kind of the problem. It doesn't always move very well, and often times borders on the Uncanny Valley, and in some of the early episodes, you could tell when they were using editing tricks and the like to try to hide some of the animation "glitches", so to speak. When it does move well, it looks very nice - but then you get things like Groot
Oh, and thinking of this version of Groot reminds me... I really need to talk about the animation. At first glance, you might think that this animation is better than A:EMH - the style is certainly more realistic. And... that's kind of the problem. It doesn't always move very well, and often times borders on the Uncanny Valley, and in some of the early episodes, you could tell when they were using editing tricks and the like to try to hide some of the animation "glitches", so to speak. When it does move well, it looks very nice - but then you get things like Groot
DEAR LORD WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, CHARACTER DESIGNERS?! No wonder he spends all of his non-fighting time as a twig!!!
As for the writing, I think I've already touched on that - the dialogue tends to be cheesy, if not out-right bad. I think Hawkeye suffers from this the most - they want to make him the "funny" character, so if he gets a half-way funny line out, he has to remind the audience "This is a joke! I'm funny!" *Sigh* Black Widow's purpose is, apparently, to show up, show the boys how smart she is by delivering one insightful piece of dialogue, then disappearing from the rest of the episode. I'm not kidding - provided she doesn't just not appear in the episode without explanation (the only Avenger for whom this is true IIRC), she tends to have no more than 5 lines total and occasionally shows up in fight scenes. That's it, unless the episode focuses on her (and even when it does, she shares the spotlight with someone else, namely Hulk or Hawkeye). The plots do tend to be predictable right from the get-go, but the pacing is fast enough that at least, generally, you don't feel like you're dragging through it - if the plot's too boring, you can watch the action. ;) Basically, you want to keep your eye out for the better episodes, typically in the latter half of the season. Virtually any episode with Doctor Doom is worth watching, though my favorite is The Ambassador. The best written villain on the show spends most of it with my favorite character, Captain America - um, heck yeah. For an earlier and less spoiler-y episode, there's the aforementioned Dracula debut in Blood Feud, which was episode 5 - and note, I have a 5-episode rule before I'm willing to declare a show bad without finishing it, because in my experience, good shows with a slow start show potential by then. Well, Blood Feud did it for this show - again, admittedly, the emphasis on Captain America and Corey Burton's ominous performances did a lot to help me enjoy it. Captain America vs. Dracula, c'mon people!
To recap, Avengers Assemble has its share of flaws - a lot of them. The characterization is often childish, the dialogue is generally wince-inducing (with a few incredible exceptions), and I think the executives actually made it their mission to make it pander to kids as much as possible. But let's put it this way: I'd watch it again. A lot of Man of Action's greatest qualities are kind of muted by Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb's policies, but at least you do see the same kind of fun that they're good at. Of the new shows that have come out, Marvel Avengers Assemble is easily my favorite - Ultimate Spider-Man had a couple of good scenes but was overall painful to watch, and I can't even bring myself to watch Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. I still haven't seen season 2, but I've heard it gets better - so, we'll have to see how that is when I get there.
As for the writing, I think I've already touched on that - the dialogue tends to be cheesy, if not out-right bad. I think Hawkeye suffers from this the most - they want to make him the "funny" character, so if he gets a half-way funny line out, he has to remind the audience "This is a joke! I'm funny!" *Sigh* Black Widow's purpose is, apparently, to show up, show the boys how smart she is by delivering one insightful piece of dialogue, then disappearing from the rest of the episode. I'm not kidding - provided she doesn't just not appear in the episode without explanation (the only Avenger for whom this is true IIRC), she tends to have no more than 5 lines total and occasionally shows up in fight scenes. That's it, unless the episode focuses on her (and even when it does, she shares the spotlight with someone else, namely Hulk or Hawkeye). The plots do tend to be predictable right from the get-go, but the pacing is fast enough that at least, generally, you don't feel like you're dragging through it - if the plot's too boring, you can watch the action. ;) Basically, you want to keep your eye out for the better episodes, typically in the latter half of the season. Virtually any episode with Doctor Doom is worth watching, though my favorite is The Ambassador. The best written villain on the show spends most of it with my favorite character, Captain America - um, heck yeah. For an earlier and less spoiler-y episode, there's the aforementioned Dracula debut in Blood Feud, which was episode 5 - and note, I have a 5-episode rule before I'm willing to declare a show bad without finishing it, because in my experience, good shows with a slow start show potential by then. Well, Blood Feud did it for this show - again, admittedly, the emphasis on Captain America and Corey Burton's ominous performances did a lot to help me enjoy it. Captain America vs. Dracula, c'mon people!
To recap, Avengers Assemble has its share of flaws - a lot of them. The characterization is often childish, the dialogue is generally wince-inducing (with a few incredible exceptions), and I think the executives actually made it their mission to make it pander to kids as much as possible. But let's put it this way: I'd watch it again. A lot of Man of Action's greatest qualities are kind of muted by Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb's policies, but at least you do see the same kind of fun that they're good at. Of the new shows that have come out, Marvel Avengers Assemble is easily my favorite - Ultimate Spider-Man had a couple of good scenes but was overall painful to watch, and I can't even bring myself to watch Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. I still haven't seen season 2, but I've heard it gets better - so, we'll have to see how that is when I get there.
