Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel (2013)

The Age of Commercialism

That was an excellent one.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

To say Disney owns a large chunk of pop culture would be an understatement. How many companies out there can claim they have Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader, and the Avengers all under one roof? The time we knew was coming is finally upon us. The melding of the Disney Universe with the Marvel Universe is here, as proved by "Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel."A blast from Dr. Doofenshmirtz's "Power-Drain-Inator" bounces off of a space station built by Phineas and Ferb. It drains the powers of Spider- Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Thor, leaving them defenseless against a gang of super-villains bent on destroying the world. Phineas and Ferb must join forces with Nick Fury and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to help restore the heroes' powers before it's too late. They're joined in their battle against evil by the O.W.C.A. and their top agent Perry the Platypus.While I imagine many hardcore comic book fans are going to see "Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel" and roll their eyes, the target market it's aimed at will smile and take it all in gleefully. If Marvel purists couldn't see this marriage of worlds coming a mile away, they were obviously hiding their heads in the sand. If you like it, then watch it. If you don't, just close your eyes to it and move on. That's the best advice I can give.Personally, I think combining the two worlds is ingenious and does nothing but expose millions of kids across the world to the Marvel Universe and timeless characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and Thor. How can there be something wrong with using a children's TV show as a tool for them to be introduced to a whole new element of entertainment?Besides the "Mission Marvel" full-length adventure, the DVD includes six bonus "Phineas and Ferb" adventures as special features. That's a whole lot of zaniness from the two troublemakers and their pet platypus Perry."Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel" is fun for the entire family. It's the first of what I believe will become a frequent melding of two (or maybe even three) different universes. Can you imagine a world where Han Solo and Chewbacca join forces with Captain America and Captain Jack Sparrow as they take on Venom and a legion of Skulls? The time is coming, folks. The time is coming.