Starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris
Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, James Spader, Samuel
L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, and Aaron
Taylor-Johnson.
What is it about?
The Avengers: Age of
Ultron takes place at some point after the events of Captain America: The WinterSoldier. Back to fight agents of evil such as Hydra/S.H.I.E.L.D (just
google it), we reunite with the potent combined force of Iron Man, Captain America,
Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow. While recovering Loki’s scepter
(last seen in The Avengers), a potential artificial intelligence program is
found. Tony Stark’s dream of protecting the planet from alien threats with a defence
program called Ultron is then activated. However, Ultron turns out to be hostile,
identifying human beings as the greatest threat to the survival of the planet-
and attacks the Avengers. With a body of vibranium metal, an army of robots, 2
enhanced lackeys, Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron
Taylor-Johnson), and almost all of the wit of Downey Jr, can the Avengers
prevent an age of Ultron without destroying themselves first?
Why is it worth seeing?
The Avengers: Age of
Ultron is the 5th film in the Phase 2 stage of the Marvel
Cinematic Universe (MCU), Marvel’s ground breaking experiment in film franchise
blockbusters. With the previous stand
alone films as well as the original Avengers,
by this point there was a fair amount of hype surrounding an Avengers sequel-
and at times the baggage that came with being a world conquering franchise
threatens to make the film buckle.
Writer/Director Joss Whedon, who afterwards said he would
not be returning to The Avengers franchise, seemed to be of 2 worlds. Wedged
between his desire to make zippy banter between dysfunctional family members
(who happen to have super powers), and the studio’s wishes to have lots of characters
and things that go boom, lies a compromised film that is uneven and has tons of
questionable scenes that at times can feel like the results of focus groups.
There are a few moments where the group get together that
recall past glory days. Just watching the heroes hang out and bicker, to show
some growth over the past multiples of movies, to shoot the shit, and revisit
the magic chemistry of part 1- it’s a delight. However, the obligatory action
scenes and naked cave visits are contributions from the studio that show that
they are better at checklists and stock offerings, and not so much the creative
process. Particularly obnoxious is where the Gwyneth Paltrow and Natalie
Portman characters’ absences are explained via throwaway dialogue.
Explaining the absence of under utilized characters hardly
feels necessary, in a film overstuffed with characters, both new and old. Meanwhile,
in an effort to introduce the Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch super beings, we
see that a different franchise (Fox) already got the character as good as it gets, and it’s still not clear what the Witch’s powers really are.
“She’s weird” explains one hero. As well, while the character of Ultron is no
stiff, he’s more calculation and circuitry than fleshed out and… human. While
he displays moments of emotion that betray his logical precision, it all feels
lighter than vibranium, the Wakanda sourced metal that various characters use.
While it’s tough to not be energized by the introduction of
a Hulkbuster (another of Tony’s endless impossible inventions), the movie’s
opening scene of clumsy CGI and almost incomprehensible action has a feeling
not before seen at this point in the MCU: the thrill is gone.
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