"The Avengers" (2012)

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson
Written and directed by Joss Whedon
Rated PG-13 - Superhero violence and action
Running Time: 143 Minutes
Trailer

"We have a Hulk."

There's a reason why that line is featured so prominently in the advertising for Marvel's "The Avengers."  And I'll get to that in a little bit.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Director of SHIELD, is called to a secret facility where Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) is experimenting on a strange alien energy source known as the Tesseract.  But the Tesseract is acting strangely, and soon enough a portal opens from within it, and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) arrives on Earth.  But Loki is not here by accident.  Using the powers of his special scepter, he begins to turn SHIELD agents into his own brainwashed henchmen, including Selvig and Clint 'Hawkeye' Barton (Jeremy Renner).

Fury sends Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Natasha 'Black Widow' Romanov (Scarlett Johannson) to recruit his special team of super-powered heroes to help him locate Loki and the Tesseract. Romanov convinces Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to come in and use his special knowledge of gamma radiation to help them find the Tesseract, while Coulson tracks down Tony 'Iron Man' Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve 'Captain America' Rogers (Chris Evans).  Soon enough, Loki and Hawkeye surface in Germany, and Captain America and Iron Man manage to capture him.  On the way back to SHIELD's flying headquarters, however, Loki is broken out of their custody by his brother, Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

After a brief fight, everyone realizes they're all on the same side, and Thor accompanies the others back to SHIELD, where Banner and Stark work on a way to locate the Tesseract while Fury and Black Widow attempt to get information out of Loki.  What they learn distresses them: Loki wanted to be caught.  His army of alien warriors, under the care of the Other (Alexis Denisof) is headed to Earth for the Tesseract, after which Loki will rule the planet as he sees fit.

But Fury knows that the team of heroes he's assembled is anything but.  They can't work together - at all.  Several of them downright don't like each other.  But if the Earth is to have any chance against the invading alien forces, this group of weirdos, gods, geniuses and assassins will have to put aside their differences and work together as one.

"Transformers: Prime" Season One (2010)

Starring Peter Cullen, Frank Welker and Kevin Michael Richardson
Developed by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Duane Capizzi and Jeff Kline
Trailer

I previously reviewed "Transformers: Prime - Darkness Rising," which was the first five episodes of the series edited together into a movie.  Those first five episodes present the opening arc of the season.

After the defeat of Megatron's (Frank Welker) undead army and the destruction of the Decepticon space bridge, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and his small squad of Autobots turn their sights toward cleaning up the rest of Megatron's disciples on Earth.  Joining Optimus are Ratchet (Jeffrey Combs), Bumblebee, Bulkhead (Kevin Michael Richardson) and Arcee (Sumalee Montano), and their human allies young Rafael (Andy Pessoa), Miko (Tania Gunadi), Jack (Josh Keaton) and Agent Fowler (Ernie Hudson).

The Decepticons, under the leadership of Starscream (Steven Blum), continue to mine all possible sources of Energon from the planet Earth.  When Starscream and Soundwave manage to locate the body of Megatron drifting in space, they are shocked to discover he is still alive.  The Dark Energon he used to create his army of the undead now fused with his body, Megatron will rise again to be more powerful than ever.  And when his ultimate plan is revealed, to awaken the slumbering titan Unicron, Optimus realizes that an ancient Cybertronian prophecy is coming to bear... and that he may have to give his life to stop his arch enemy once and for all.

"Hulk Vs" (2009)

Starring Fred Tatasciore, Steven Blum and Matthew Wolf
Written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
Directed by Frank Paur and Sam Liu
PG-13 - Violence
Running Time: 82 Minutes
Trailer

"Hulk Vs" is actually two short features back-to-back: "Hulk vs Thor" and "Hulk vs Wolverine."

In "Hulk vs Thor," the evil demigod Loki (Graham McTavish) convinces the sorceress Amora (Kari Wahlgren) to help him unleash the Hulk (Frank Tatasciore) upon Asgard.  Loki knows that while the allfather, Odin (Dwight Schulz) is in his regenerative sleep, the kingdom is vulnerable and he sees a chance to usurp control.  Amora, angry at having been spurned by Thor (Matthew Wolf), is just angry enough to go along with it.  She helps Loki remove Bruce Banner (Bryce Johnson) from the Hulk, leaving the creature entirely without a conscience.

As the Hulk lays waste to Asgard, only Thor stands in his way.  But the creature proves too powerful even for the god of thunder, and the Hulk beats Thor to within an inch of his life.  Amora, regretful for her actions, rescues him and tells Thor that Loki is controlling the beast, and he seeks out his half-brother, leaving only Sif (Grey DeLisle) and the legion of Valkyries to defend Odin.

In "Hulk vs Wolverine," the Hulk has been cutting a swath of destruction across Canada.  The government sends its best and most lethal agent, Logan (Steven Blum) to track the creature and stop it after it levels an entire village in the countryside.  Logan tracks the Hulk, but is surprised to find only the weak Banner instead.  When his interrogation of Banner unleashes the Hulk once more, the two are set upon by a team of superpowered mercs including Deadpool (Nolan North), Omega Red (Colin Murdock), Lady Deathstrike (Janyse Jaud) and Sabertooth (Mark Acheson).  They are captured and taken to a secret location where Logan learns that the scientist who turned him into Weapon X years earlier, Dr. Thornton (Tom Kane) plans to experiment on the Hulk to turn him into a weapon.

When Thornton tells Logan he also plans to erase Logan's memory and experiment on him once again, as well, Logan breaks free and fights his way through the Weapon X team, unleashing the Hulk in the process.

"Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme" (2007)

Starring Bryce Johnson, Paul Nakauchi and Michael Yama
Written by Greg Johnson
Directed by Frank D. Paur
Rated PG-13 - Violence, language
Running Time: 76 Minutes
Trailer

Doctor Stephen Strange (Bryce Johnson) is one of the world's best neurosurgeons.  He only takes the most high-profile cases that will bring him prestige and money to the hospital that employs him. One night, while driving to work, he witnesses a group of mystics battling a strange monster, despite a spell that was supposed to hide the fight from the eyes of mere mortals.  Later, he does a consult in the coma ward to help treat a young girl who has fallen into a coma.  When he touches her, he sees a vision of a massive, burning demonic face.  He learns that the ward is full of other children all having the same nightmares.  When driving home afterward, he sees the spirits of the children in the street, and swerves to avoid them, wrecking his car... and ruining his hands.

Strange spends the next few months seeking out every possible treatment for his hands, spending his entire fortune and eventually losing his job.  Down to his last time, he decides to commit suicide but is saved by a man named Wong (Paul Nakauchi), who tells him to travel to Tibet to find the cure he seeks.  Strange scrounges one last favor from Dr. Gina Atwater (Susan Spano) for airfare to Tibet, and treks through the mountains to a hidden monastery.  There, the Ancient One (Michael Yama), Mordo (Kevin Michael Richardson) and Wong help train Strange in the ways of sorcery.

At first, Strange doesn't understand.  But he eventually comes to know the power that lies within him, that  the regrets of his past and his unwillingness to perceive things in more than one way are what kept him from fixing his hands.

But while Strange's power grows, Mordo and the others at the monastery fight a dangerous and secret war against the forces of Dormammu (Jonathan Adams), a powerful and immortal creature imprisoned eons ago by the Ancient One.  Dormammu has found a way to influence the Earth realm, and will soon have enough power to break free of his prison.  As the protectors' numbers dwindle against Dormammu's evil minions, Wong and the Ancient One realize that the unique, but untested, power within Strange may be the world's only hope against true evil.

"Ultimate Avengers: The Movie" (2006)

Starring Justin Gross, Andre Ware, and Michael Massee
Written by Greg Johnson
Directed by Curt Geda, Steven E. Gordon and Bob Richardson
Not Rated - Violence
Running Time: 72 Minutes
Trailer

In the final days of World War II, supersoldier Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Justin Gross) leads an assault on a Nazi stronghold said to contain some kind of doomsday weapon.  He discovers the Germans are working with alien creatures called the Chitauri, but sacrifices himself to stop their weapon from destroying America.

Decades later, Nick Fury (Andre Ware), leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., searches the ocean floor for the remains of Captain America.  Dr. Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) and Dr. Betty Ross (Nan McNamara) believe the captain's DNA is the secret to restarting the supersoldier program in order to combat the Chitauri, which have remained in hiding on Earth since the end of the war.  They are shocked to discover, however, that Rogers is not dead - merely preserved.  Captain America awakens in the present, a man outside of time, who has lost everything he held dear... except his country.

When the Chitauri attack a S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite and kill three astronauts, Fury is forced to gather superpowered civilians in order to protect the Earth until Banner can create new supersoldiers.  Fury contacts Hank Pym (Nolan North), Janet Pym (Grey DeLisle), Tony Stark (Marc Worden), Black Widow (Olivia d'Abo) and Thor (David Boat) to form the Avengers.  Led by Captain America, this team will serve as the planet's front line of defense against the alien invaders... if they can just learn to work together.

But all the while, Banner holds a deadly secret.  Within him lies a creature more powerful than anything anyone has ever seen.  The Avengers may find that the Chitauri are not the greatest threat to planet Earth.

"Planet Hulk" (2010)

Starring Rick D. Wasserman, Lisa Ann Beley and Mark Hildreth
Written by Greg Johnson
Directed by Sam Liu
Not Rated - Violence
Running Time: 81 Minutes
Trailer

When Earth's heroes decide that the Hulk (Rick D. Wasserman) is simply too dangerous to keep around, they lock him into a spaceship and fire him off toward an uninhabited world where he can live out the rest of his time in peace.  Unfortunately, when he awakens and discovers what's happened to him, his violent outburst sends the ship off-course and he crash-lands on a dangerous world ruled by the ruthless Red King (Mark Hildreth).

Captured and sold into slavery, the Hulk is forced to do battle in the gladiatorial arena for the entertainment of the king.  He bonds with his fellow slaves, Hiroim (Liam O'Brien), Korg (Kevin Michael Richardson), Miek (Samuel Vincent), Elloe (Advah Soudack) and Android (Lee Tockar).  To everyone's surprise, the group is able to best their opponents in the arena, and people begin to believe that the vicious Hulk may be the Sakaarson - a prophesied warrior who would bring an end to tyranny on their world.

But the Red King has no intention of allowing the Hulk or his friends to survive, no matter the rules or laws of the land.  His faithful servant and assassin Caiera (Lisa Ann Beley) will do whatever it takes to make sure the Hulk can't threaten her king, but as the Red King grows more desperate, she soon begins to realize that perhaps she's on the wrong side of this conflict.

"Lethal Weapon 2" (1989)

Starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Joe Pesci
Written by Jeffrey Boam
Directed by Richard Donner
Rated R - Violence, language, sex
Running Time: 118 Minutes (Director's Cut)
Trailer

LAPD detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are surprised when their drug bust turns into a massive and destructive cross-city chase.  While the perp escapes, Riggs and Murtaugh are confused to discover the trunk is full of Krugerrands, currency of South Africa, which is illegal in the United States.

To get them off the streets while the department deals with an insurance nightmare, Riggs and Murtaugh are assigned protection duty of a federal witness named Leo Getz (Joe Pesci).  Leo tells them he has been skimming millions of dollars from a massive drug organization, and has decided to testify in exchange for protection and immunity.  But when someone tries to assassinate Leo, Riggs and Murtaugh decide to dig into the case and discover Leo's drug dealers are actually a group of South African diplomats led by Arjen Rudd (Joss Ackland).  Unfortunately, Rudd and his cronies are protected by diplomatic immunity.

Soon enough, Riggs, Murtaugh and Leo are all targets for Rudd's hit squads, led by the vicious assassin Vorstedt (Derrick O'Connor).  But when their perp is protected against any and all crimes, Riggs and Murtaugh realize they're going to have to go outside the law to take them down.