MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS – The Blu-Review

The biggest summer blockbuster, and the third highest grossing film of all time has assembled onto Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital and On-Demand in MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS.

The planet has been threatened by a powerful enemy, causing Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Director of the international peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D., to reinstate the Avengers Initiative. The Initiative brings together some of the worlds most elite super humans: Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Dr. Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). It’s now up to them to save the world from the dangers ahead.

There is a reason that this film did so well in theaters… IT’S INCREDIBLE! Joss Whedon did a fantastic job of balancing this ensemble cast and bringing the characters together in a way that makes perfect sense. The film is true to the beloved comic book characters, and lives up to the Marvel name.

To check out a full review of the film… My buddy Jim Batts has you covered HERE: http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2012/05/marvels-the-avengers-the-review/

Now, on to the meat and potatoes of this review… the Blu-Review.

BLU-RAY

VIDEO: Other than being really dark in parts, making it hard to make out what is going on, the AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 is incredibly sharp and precise. Once you get to the second half of the film, the murky parts are few and far between, leaving the viewer to enjoy the high-definition goodness!

AUDIO:You  might actually blow a speaker with the outstanding high-definition DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1! Every punch, blast, and snarky comment by Tony Stark is captured to perfection. The range that they have in this mix is exquisite.

BONUS FEATURES:

• The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen Experience: For the first time, audience members can experience the film in a whole new way when they download The Avengers Initiative App on their iPad or secondary device. By downloading the app, viewers gained exclusive content leading up to the home release of the film, and gain a full immersive experience accompanying the film on Blu-ray. Content includes special access to the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, invitations to “special missions” either remotely or in the field, links to character profiles, stories and scenes, interactive Marvel digital reader comic books and more. App owners will receive push notifications whenever new content is uploaded and available for their viewing. convenient, right?
• Assembling the Ultimate Team – Featurette about bringing the film together.
• A Visual Journey – Featurette about bringing the film to life.
• Gag Reel: I’ve always been a fan of the gag reel! They give us 4 minutes of set fun!
• Deleted Scenes: Includes and alternative opening and alternative ending. Although some of these are raw and unfinished, eight scenes is a nice bonus!
• Audio Commentary—With Joss Whedon – Whedon delivers with his commentary, giving us everything from technical info while sticking to his dry, fun sense of humor. He does not hide the fact that people questioned his involvement in the project. Heck, he is kind of self-deprecating throughout the commentary, rather than hyping himself up.
• Soundgarden Music Video—“Live to Rise” : Although I am a fan of music videos included on a disc, this one is just “meh”…
• Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 : A little bonus short where Jesse Bradford and Lizzy Caplan play a set of thieves whose luck is about to change.

If any film is a must for your home collection, this summer blockbuster is it. Joss Whedon is a double threat with his writing/directing talents, and MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS proves just that!

Overall Blu-Review Rating: 4.75 out of 5

(The only reason it isn’t a 5 is because of the murky spots during the first half.)

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is out now on Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital and On-Demand