Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)

As far as Marvel animation goes, this movie generally looks good. It allows us to visit two characters sadly left behind in Marvel's cinematic success, and it does them some justice in a reasonably interesting plot. There are some problems of execution though. Black Widow's voice doesn't seem to fit, and is somewhat jarring from the very start. Either the actress didn't quite get it or she wasn't effectively directed, but it just doesn't seem to connect appropriately. Really, the voice acting for her character shines most during the tragic romance plot, which is unfortunately very trite and grating. Her part in it may be fine, but the villain's motivation is highly questionable as he sought to be "strong enough to be worthy of her." That might be fine in a simpler story with more innocent characters, but when it's a story involving Black Widow and Punisher, both dark characters who should be well steeped in matters of betrayal and cynicism, it feels like a stretch. Where the movie shines is in its portrayal of the Punisher, who stays consistent to his code throughout the course of the story. Black Widow has some character development for the purposes of the story, but Punisher stays a solid rock throughout. So it's definitely watchable. The action and animation are fun and well done, accentuating the particular skills of the two protagonists. The story beats hit their marks, but just happen to be ones that are more out-of-character for Black Widow. So if you have a couple of hours to spare, it's reasonably entertaining. You also don't necessarily need it in your life.

DC's animation department is notable for its voice acting, music, blend of art style and the animation itself. When it comes to animated films, DC nails it 95% of the time. That is not the case with Marvel, and this film is a fairly good example of that. Starting with the good, the Punisher is the best thing about it. He's violent, cynical, and couldn't care less about SHIELD's mission over his own. Brian Bloom did an awesome job with him, and he'll probably be the only thing keeping your attention the whole time.That's pretty much the most positive thing that can be said. The music in this film sounds like it came from a cheap porno (or a bad 90's anime film), and while the art is pretty, the animation itself is just bad. It's like watching a bad 90's anime film. And, with the aforementioned exception of Brian Bloom as Frank Castle, the voice acting is awful. Like a...bad 90's anime film...Actually, that's really the best way to describe this whole movie. It really is like a bad, 90's anime movie, complete with balloon boobs on Black Widow (not like she didn't have them in the comics). But if you can get past the voice acting, animation and dialog, then have fun swallowing the fact that the mighty, no nonsense Natasha Romanoff gets turned into a typical fantasy Anime schoolgirl whenever she confronts her love interest, Egghead. Yes, Egghead, the robot and/or the dumpy looking Nazi scientist. But don't worry, he gets redone as a brainwashed Bishonen type of guy, creating a star struck love story as Widow unfortunately works for SHIELD and Elihas Star (you didn't really think they were going to call him Egghead, did you?) works for Orion. It is literally the most predictable thing about this movie, and one of the most grating parts of it. You will be happy when he predictably dies on the right side of the law. Because Redemption=Death and The Power of Love tropes just had to be thrown in to this already clichéd romance subplot that was completely unnecessary and does nothing but take away any credibility from her character. Alright, to sum this up without going to in dept: Action is okay. Everyone's a Jedi who can leap 70 feet in the air and move really slowly. Voice acting is cringe-worthy, dialog is even worse. Punisher's character was the best thing about this film, and Black Widow's good until she gets forced into a romance. And like I've said before, it really does feel like you're watching an anime with every negative anime stereotype, but with American comic book characters.

Reviewed by: Dare Devil KidRating: 3.7/5 starsA terrific feature for two of Marvel's relatively unsung heroes – Black Widow and Punisher. Black Widow is presented with all her sex appeal, charisma, spunk, and martial arts skills, while Punisher is shown as an eternally laconic cynic with raw muscle power, toughness, and copious amounts of gray shades – just how we've come to love them from the comics. We're also introduced to a new villainous organization (with hints of a possible link to HYDRA) that could make its presence felt in future Marvel outings, even in the upcoming movie ventures. During the climax, the fans are even treated to special appearances from some of the more famous members of the Avengers. The screenplay is very good and keeps us engrossed for the film's short runtime. The animation is more than decent for a direct-to-video offering.Marvel studios is consistently bringing us memorable tales like these in the form of neat, little videos to accompany their top quality, big- budget, full-length feature films. First is was the two "Ultimate Avengers" videos, then came "Thor: Tales of Asgard", and now this. All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable little fare that admirably doffs its hat to two heroes of the Marvel universe that have contributed a lot in the background, but never really been given top billing.

When I saw the title I thought it was going to be more of a Black Widow/Punisher story than anything and I was right I thought it made Punisher look like the bad*** that he is but it wasn't much of the Avengers the last 10-15 minutes had the Avengers appear which was for me the best part but the long drawn out story with Punisher and Black Widow was kinda dry more talking than anything it was somewhat boring but it was nice to see Punisher get to show how great he is the used Avengers in the name to get the dollars but it should have been called "Black Widow and the Punisher: Fight the Lavethian" ft. The Avengers cause that is pretty much what it was if it wasn't for the free ticket to see The Amazing Spiderman 2 that came with it I would be somewhat upset that I spent money on it