AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (PG-13)
Released by Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios
Review by Adam Mast
At the risk of upsetting Marvel fans (keep in mind that this is just an opinion), I’ll just come out and say it; AGE OF ULTRON is not as good as its predecessor (a movie I still maintain is one of the most entertaining super hero adaptations ever made.) Hell, I don’t even think that AGE OF ULTRON as a whole is as solid as CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER or X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. Having said that, I still greatly enjoyed this all-star super hero opus and a lot of that has to do with a spirited cast but most of it has to do with Joss Whedon and his ability to inject wit, humor, and energy amongst gobs of super hero bravado and Ultron-caused chaos.
I’ll try to avoid getting too spoiler heavy here, but the short end of it is that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) inadvertently unleash a deadly artificial intelligence in the form of Ultron when setting out to jumpstart what they believe is a peacekeeping program. As it were, newborn Ultron isn’t interested in peace at all, and after having a look at humanity’s rather dark history, he quickly hatches a scheme that involves the annihilation of not only the Avengers, but all of mankind.
All of your favorites are back; Iron man (Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), War Machine (Don Cheadle), etc. Even new faces like Vision (Paul Bettany), Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are thrown into the mix, and as was the case with the first picture, all are given moments to shine, but for whatever reason, AGE OF ULTRON doesn’t quite pack as big a punch as its predecessor.
AGE OF ULTRON is huge! There are action sequences galore. Included; a battle between an enraged Hulk (is there any other kind?) and a Hulkbuster suited Ironman. There’s also an epic final act. Again though, something is a miss. It simply doesn’t feel like there’s as much at stake in AGE OF ULTRON even though on paper, there clearly should be.
The stronger stretches in AGE OF ULTRON are the smaller, less bombastic stretches. Take for instance a scene where an off duty Avengers team compete with one another in a valiant effort to move Thor’s hammer. It’s a terrific sequence bristling with humor and the cast chemistry is spot on.
In another one of the film’s quieter, more effective sequences, an exasperated Avengers crew make their way to a safe house where we are given insight into one of the team member’s personal lives. This portion of the film is incredibly warm and charming.
AGE OF ULTRON even makes time for a somewhat surprising but fittingly appropriate love story of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST proportions. And no, it isn’t between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts.
As for the crux of the plot, James Spader does mesmerizing vocal work as Ultron and while there’s an interesting idea behind this artificial intelligence, there’s something off in regard to Ultron as a fully realized character. Perhaps it was the rushed nature in which we are witness to his birth in the film. There’s no real build behind it.
Whatever the case may be, Ultron simply didn’t come across as an actual threat. Yes, he’s clearly capable of world destruction, but I didn’t fear him in the same way I fear The Terminator or Hal.
The first AVENGERS suffered a bit from a hyper extended final act, but by the time the shit hits the fan in that picture I was wholly invested. I was so entertained by the build up, and so smitten with the Avengers as a team that the excessive nature of the big show down didn’t bother me as much as it might have otherwise. And while excessive, it never felt congested.
AGE OF ULTRON by comparison suffers from a few too many characters and subplots. There’s a lot going on here and the proceedings do tend to get a little clunky. Thankfully though, Whedon’s witty sense of humor and his unlimited energy keep AGE OF ULTRON from collapsing under its own weight, and thankfully, this one never slips in to AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 terrain.
AGE OF ULTRON is a fun movie with a lively cast and terrific moments throughout, but in the end, the parts are certainly stronger than the whole. Is it worth seeing on the big screen? You bet. As entertaining as a lot of this AVENGERS movie is though, it did a stronger job getting me excited about what’s to come in the next CAPTAIN AMERICA installment.
1 Comment.
I really need to just read your reviews. 🙂
I saw Mick Lasalle’s write up in the SF Chronicle and he mercilessly panned the film, so much so, it was comical. I agree with you that while it has failings, it’s still a fun film, and fans will enjoy it. Non fans will walk out thinking; “at least it was better than the last big action movie I saw”
So, short comings of the film:
(Bearing in mind I saw the double feature with the first Avengers)
There are many parallels from the first movie, where scenes in this one feel like an attempt to do the same thing they did in the first one.
Opening sequence is a big action scene, including a slow motion shot of all the heroes at once.
Whedon was clearly trying to recreate the Amazing 360 shot towards the end of the first movie with the Avengers circling before the last part of the battle. I think he was trying to carry the momentum of the last ending into this film. It didn’t leave him room to build, it just burst out of the gate. I think his efforts were valiant, but there were too many subplots that drew away, instead of adding, to the buildup. The love story was a great addition but they spent too much time on it (do I sound like Fred Savage from the Princess Bride? )
Whole heartedly agree that more exposition was needed for Ultrons motivations and level of threat.
The biggest disappointment that could have easily been fixed was, No Schwarma! I love that scene in the first movie. It’s not a spoiler folks, cause there’s nothing to spoil, there is only ONE scene after the credits roll. There is no second scene, and I waited until the the very end for that, grumble, grumble.
anyway, Avengers!……….