Marvel's The Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection

Some speculate that cartoons and animation is the same thing, unfortunately, because of the perceptions some may have they are reluctant to purchase, or rent animated movies. One audience that is not quite as picky on this is the fans of Comic Book Animation. Over the last number of years there has been some wonderful animation, with theatrical style story that has come to the homes of many who enjoy these genera. Hoping to tap in on the mania that is soon to come about with the theatrical release of The Avengers, Marvel Comics has released three of their movies as a set titled, The Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection. This set includes three previously released movies, all feature length. The movies titled Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2 and a bonus movie titled Next Avengers; Heroes of Tomorrow are worth watching and quite enjoyable. With the exception of the later movie, all of the movies are based on previous stories from the Marvel Universe with a variety of Marvel characters. The later movie, Next Avengers; Heroes of Tomorrow is a new story that takes place involving the children of The Avengers after the majority of them have died or moved on.

One of the things I appreciated about these three movies and this particular boxed set is the attention to detail. The animation while using some CGI is largely hand drawn and exceptional in quality. The editing, direction and especially sound and story are also exceptional. Marvel can be proud of the product they have put out here. If viewers give it a chance, they will be quite pleased with the three movies and the low pricing for those movies on a 2 DVD set, with one of them being a front and back DVD.

All three movies have some origins concepts that are worth while for fans of especially Captain America, Thor and The Black Panther. In these and other characters, one of the things we see Marvel do is some character development. It helps lend to the stories and fans of The Avengers will appreciate the range of character development that takes place.

One of the things about the Marvel Characters, and many within these stories I especially appreciated is the struggle of being human and thus being challenged with taking on their respective responsibilities and roles to save the world. This struggle of being human is true in the various characters on screen but especially true in one of my favorite characters of all time, Captain America. We see his struggle with who he is and what he is to become after years of being frozen in ice. He has lost almost all he has ever loved and the world as he knows it no longer exists. One of the things the movies, specifically Ultimate Avengers does is has him figure out that there are still things to love, people to appreciate and a life to live. He is reminded of this by his love for his country and the relationships he is developing. We see similar stories take place with Bruce Banner AKA as The Hulk. One of the things these movies do is they don’t present what many will consider a cleaned up comic book story. There is death, mayhem, and destruction. There is also the struggle with human emotions and the attempt to try and be something others want. The concept of individuality and the struggle to remain true to the individual self is exemplified in each of these stories. The exception is The Next Avengers; Heroes of Tomorrow. Here we see the struggle of finding self but we see it through the eyes of children who have either lost loved ones or felt abandoned by their loved ones.

One of the things that resonated with me through these movies is the reality that the emotions expressed on screen are emotions all people go through at some point in their lives. There is a reality that even the heroes of our lives express emotion. It resembles in some ways the person of Jesus Christ. While many put him up on a pedestal, which he deserves, they forget about his humanity, his own emotions where we can see in the Bible his expressions of joy, sadness, even weeping, and ultimately his anger. The heroes in these movies are reminders that it is okay to be emotional. If our heroes or even our God’s and recipients of our worship can be emotional, so can we. I appreciated that in these movies we see grown men, who also happen to be heroes, cry and show emotion. We also see the importance of being there for each other, supporting each other in times of need. These are lessons well worth being reminded of and Marvel has done an excellent job of doing so in this set of movies.

One of the things I must mention is something I suspect comic book fans, especially Marvel fans, and others will appreciate. One of the things I love about DVD’s is the special features. Fans of special features like me will love this set, especially the special features in the Ultimate Avengers. Marvel understands the concept of giving their fans a little more and here, they have gone above and beyond, they don’t just give a little more; they give a lot more. The purchase price of this set is worth it, just for the special features. There are excellent ‘Making Of’ features, deleted scenes, gag reels, and much, much more.

I am fortunate; I get advance copies to review. This one was so good I have since been looking in stores to purchase other Marvel works. If the rest of the Marvel Universe videos are half as good as these, then I will support them even if I have to, purchase their products. I suspect others will be pleased set just as I have been. This is a set of movies I will watch several more times and will be glad to do it not just for the quality of the product, but the lessons and reminders I will get in the process.

To see the video posted below, click on the video, if the video doesn’t appear or appears in distorted form, click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX9aiDpW03A

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The Mysterious Islands, Creation Vs. Evolution

Over the years The Virtual Pew has been on the forefront of online ministry. As a result I have been involved in various online social groups. One of the things I have seen is many debates on various issues. Near the top of those debates is the debate of Evolution VS Creation. Not many sources from the view of a Creationist have been available. With the release of The Mysterious Islands, this documentary may very well be the best exploration on the subject from a Creationist perspective.

Unfortunately, it seems as if most Christian filmmakers are satisfied with lack luster quality. I have personally seen many a documentary that isn’t worth the cost of the plastic it is pressed on. In regards to the technical quality of The Mysterious Islands I was more than pleasantly surprised at the quality of cinematography, sound, editing, and story. This top notch documentary accomplishes its purpose in providing a quality product beyond the typical lackluster ‘Christian’ film.

The Mysterious Islands follows the journey of the father son team of 16-year-old Joshua Phillips and with his father Doug. Also on the journey is Dr. John Morris, a noted Creationist. They travel with their team to the Galapagos Islands to search for evidence to refute many of the teachings and beliefs of Charles Darwin. The fact that this is done on Darwin’s 200th anniversary and 150th anniversary of the release of the book Origin of the Species is not lost in the production. It has been said that the Galapagos Islands are the birth place of evolutionary thought. While this is partially true, it is certain that many of the concepts espoused by Darwin were birthed on the islands.

The Mysterious Islands does a good job at following this road journey format as the exploration team searches out to discuss some of Darwin’s findings and conclusions regarding Evolution and the Origin of the Species. One of the concepts strongly challenged through out the journey is the belief in the Survival of the Fittest. Most documentaries start out with a premise supported by the film makers. Unfortunately, many don’t state their intent and present their film under the premise of fair journalism. The makers of The Mysterious Islands, from the get go, lets the viewer know of their intent and beliefs. There is no doubt their view will be presented from a Conservative Christian Creationist point of view. Thankfully on the exploration of the subject matter, they present their case in a logical way with the layman in mind. Most will understand the scientific material in a way that makes sense to them.

Unfortunately, I felt the action between the father and son was somewhat contrived and not needed. The story involving the two seemed to take away from the material being presented. The documentary would have been just as good without the preconceived concept of a father, son journey; I think it would have in fact been better.

This film respectfully explores the differences between Creationist and Evolutionists. From the start, they clearly point out that in their opinion; there were many things Darwin got right. They also point out that he got more wrong than right. They use the arguments of several well known individuals in the field who do not accept their faith to point this out. There is also respect and recognition given to many religions of the world that recognize and believe in creation. They also come to a place where they state that one who says they believe in God cannot believe any concept outside of creation. I would have liked to have seen more debate and openness on this subject. Especially from those who believe that God may have used parts of evolution, or even evolution as a means of creation. It is one of the things that Exposed by Ben Stein has over this film, a more open means of possibility. There are certainly far more beliefs than were presented by the makers of The Mysterious Islands, even from within a Christian perspective. One gets the opinion that if one doesn’t agree with a literal 6 day creation, then one can’t believe in the God of the Bible or be a Christian. It is these types of dogma that have the tendency to turn people away from a faith journey and honest discussion on the subject.

The Mysterious Islands does explore the concepts of transitional design within species. This is an interesting concept that was somewhat educational. As a lay person, I found this concept interesting and at times seemingly only a matter of semantics in regards to the differences between the two trains of thought. Concepts of transitioning, sounding like evolution seem to be accepted by the Creationists in the film. In this view however, the concept of transitions or changes outside of species is strongly attacked. There are compelling arguments and concepts presented that would have been interesting to hear from Evolutionists on. The documentary looks at the concepts presented in the Genesis account, specifically looking at the concepts of God created animals ‘in kind.’ From these various kinds of ‘in kind’ animals others came about.

Some other interesting views in the film look at the history of what they say have occurred as a result of Evolutionary thought. Here they present that the human species have been devalued. There are quotes provided by Darwin and others that accepted Evolution to promote their beliefs. These include people like Hitler and Margaret Sanger, the creator of Planned Parenthood. While it is debatable as to the role evolution played in supporting their perspectives and support of things like racism and prejudice, the quotes provided, seem to support these premises. They also seem to support the general notion that concepts held and presented from Darwin’s teachings were in agreement with the thought process of these individuals. There are additional interesting historical information presented including information regarding an affair between HG Wells and Sanger. It seems these are attempts to not just attack the various beliefs, but the character of these individuals.

While I greatly appreciated the technical quality of The Mysterious Islands, and the ability to communicate the message in layman’s terms I felt part of the story, while done to a small extent, could have been better developed with a more open exploration of the points. This would have taken this film from being widely supported by the Creationist community to a film widely used and effective to people in all belief systems. This could have effectively been used as a discussion point between Evolutionists and Creationists. This could have facilitated great discussions at Film Festivals, Churches, and Scientific Study Groups among others.

The Mysterious Islands is interesting and beautiful to watch. I appreciated that the makers recognize that their argument is an argument of faith, they also point out that the argument of the Evolutionist is also an argument of faith. When presenting the randomness and possibilities of evolution they ask the question of what it is greater to have faith in, random chance, or a God.

One of the things I like to comment on is the special features. I actually give them a mixed review. While there are ample features and information on how to obtain a study guide, much of the focus is more editorial. They vary from the history of the Galapagos to the history of Whaling in the area. It is certain; much of the features material will be controversial. I personally enjoyed The Flightless Cormorant, and their response to the findings of noted Atheist, Richard Dawkins as well as the history of the islands.

As stated earlier, while not perfect, this may be the best documentary on the subject from a Christian, Creationist perspective that has been made. While it will do little to change minds, it is done in such a way it can be understood and appreciated by audiences outside of Academia. I would have appreciated a more balanced approach, but I recognize this wasn’t the intent. It is worthwhile viewing and one Creationists will likely want to own.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products for services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog, and in my reviews. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The following is the trailer for the movie, just click on the video, if the video doesn't appear, just click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwyteUF43d0


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Now for those that do not know, make sure you check out the numerous articles and blogs by checking out the archives. If visiting The Virtual Pew or MySpace they are archived on the left hand side of the page. Scroll down to where you see newer or older listed under archives and then click there. There are hundreds of postings so make sure to check out the archives. You can also contact me for a free e-book pre edit version of The Keystone Kid at mike@thevirtualpew.comYou can visit http://www.thevirtualpew.com/ and on the front page down on the left side you sill see our store. Your purchase provides needed funds to The Virtual Pew. If you do not see something to purchase you can click on the search engine, (do not put anything in the search box at this time). You will be taken to Amazon where you can search for anything you desire. Hopefully you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew.

Now I get asked this quite often, Can we repost your blogs or articles? The short answer to that is, what an honor that you would ask, and by all means, spread the word.Here is our contact information

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