Year: 2015
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Bettany, James Spader, etc.
Tagline: A new age begins.
Synopsis: In an attempt to create a peace-keeping robot, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner accidentally create a murder-bot: Ultron. Mayhem and robot-smashing ensues.
Tagline: A new age begins.
Synopsis: In an attempt to create a peace-keeping robot, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner accidentally create a murder-bot: Ultron. Mayhem and robot-smashing ensues.
Review
Blockbuster season has arrived, and with it, the latest Marvel film. The season certainly starts off with a bang. Age of Ultron is a fun movie. It's got amazing visuals, more witty banter and one-liners than I could possibly include in my quotes section, and all the action and explosions you'd expect in a superhero movie. It's a fun movie. Is it a good film? Well, no. Not really.
The more I think about the movie, the more disappointed I feel. The story just wasn't strong and the pieces felt cobbled together. As fun, witty, and action packed as it was, Age of Ultron sort of feels like what would happen if a 9-year-old playing with their action figures was given a few hundred million dollars and told to come up with a story. The climax features all the heroes together in one place fighting against all the robots. There is much smashing of robots. Civilians are jeopardized and saved. There's even a great deus ex machina save at one point.
There are also a number of elements that just don't quite make sense. Thor has a side story that was whittled down to the bare minimum. What remains is solely to help tie the Marvel Cinematic Universe together. They wouldn't want us to forget about all those Infinity Stones on the loose in every other film.
The film does do some things right. Vision is a fascinating new character who I look forward to seeing more of. And Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also nice additions to the lineup. Until now, the Avengers were mostly good at shooting things, throwing things, or hitting things. Having characters with completely different abilities is a welcome change. For one thing, they bring new visual elements to the story.
One of the early trailers for the film shows the various Avengers trying -- unsuccessfully -- to lift Thor's hammer. It's a fun, laid back scene in and of itself. But it works even better within the story because there is a payoff later in the film. It wasn't just there for fun, it became interwoven into the plot. I only wish more elements were so well done.
I also appreciated how many of the characters were at a place they ought to be, psychologically, by this film. Tony Stark is still shell-shocked from the first Avengers story line and wants to be able to "go home" and not always have to be a superhero. That is why he creates Ultron ... which is, of course, an epic fail. Maria Hill (who I always wish got more screen time) is clearly doing her somewhat frazzled best to keep everything together in a post-S.H.I.E.L.D. world. Black Widow is trying to figure out her place in life. And Nick Fury clearly can't give up his love for making a good entrance.
The best part of the film, though, was Ultron himself. James Spader does a fantastic job as the voice of Ultron. As much as I enjoy Loki, Ultron feels like a much stronger villain. He's intelligent yet somehow lacks understanding. He feels very broken, in a way, which makes him almost sympathetic until you realize how completely insane he is.
Everything else will have to go in the spoiler section.
I really, really wanted to love Avengers: Age of Ultron. I certainly enjoyed the movie. I laughed, or at least chuckled, quite frequently. And I marveled at the visual effects and the fun action scenes. It's a lot like cotton candy: colorful and fun, but lacking any real substance.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I'm not opposed to the budding romance between Bruce Banner and Natasha (aka Black Widow). But it felt like it came out of nowhere. Maybe I need to go back to the first Avengers movie and see if they did something to lay the groundwork. But it just felt a bit thrown together.
I do have to give Marvel kudos for one thing though. The big reveal for Black Widow is that as part of her assassin training program she was sterilized. This is shown to be a pretty big deal for her. By this time in her life, she mourns the fact she cannot be a mother. I never thought I'd see the importance of family and motherhood stressed in a live action* superhero movie. The terrific irony is that Scarlett Johansson, the actress who plays Black Widow, was actually pregnant during filming.
There have been rumors for quite a while that someone would die in this movie: and actually stay dead (as opposed to Agent Coulson, Loki, or Nick Fury). Hawkeye (aka Clint Barton) was certainly one of the most obvious choices. The film proceeds to throw out every typical setup that he's going to be killed: he has a wife, she's pregnant and worried for his safety, he's got all these remodeling plans for when he comes home. It was such a blatant, heavy-handed setup that I knew it had to be a bluff, which it was. Right when you think Hawkeye is done for (saving a child no less), Quicksilver comes to the rescue and is killed instead. While I didn't quite see that coming, it still failed emotionally. After all the buildup, all I felt was "ha, I knew it was a bluff" rather than "gah, they killed the interesting new guy."
*But thank you The Incredibles.
The more I think about the movie, the more disappointed I feel. The story just wasn't strong and the pieces felt cobbled together. As fun, witty, and action packed as it was, Age of Ultron sort of feels like what would happen if a 9-year-old playing with their action figures was given a few hundred million dollars and told to come up with a story. The climax features all the heroes together in one place fighting against all the robots. There is much smashing of robots. Civilians are jeopardized and saved. There's even a great deus ex machina save at one point.
There are also a number of elements that just don't quite make sense. Thor has a side story that was whittled down to the bare minimum. What remains is solely to help tie the Marvel Cinematic Universe together. They wouldn't want us to forget about all those Infinity Stones on the loose in every other film.
The film does do some things right. Vision is a fascinating new character who I look forward to seeing more of. And Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also nice additions to the lineup. Until now, the Avengers were mostly good at shooting things, throwing things, or hitting things. Having characters with completely different abilities is a welcome change. For one thing, they bring new visual elements to the story.
One of the early trailers for the film shows the various Avengers trying -- unsuccessfully -- to lift Thor's hammer. It's a fun, laid back scene in and of itself. But it works even better within the story because there is a payoff later in the film. It wasn't just there for fun, it became interwoven into the plot. I only wish more elements were so well done.
I also appreciated how many of the characters were at a place they ought to be, psychologically, by this film. Tony Stark is still shell-shocked from the first Avengers story line and wants to be able to "go home" and not always have to be a superhero. That is why he creates Ultron ... which is, of course, an epic fail. Maria Hill (who I always wish got more screen time) is clearly doing her somewhat frazzled best to keep everything together in a post-S.H.I.E.L.D. world. Black Widow is trying to figure out her place in life. And Nick Fury clearly can't give up his love for making a good entrance.
The best part of the film, though, was Ultron himself. James Spader does a fantastic job as the voice of Ultron. As much as I enjoy Loki, Ultron feels like a much stronger villain. He's intelligent yet somehow lacks understanding. He feels very broken, in a way, which makes him almost sympathetic until you realize how completely insane he is.
Everything else will have to go in the spoiler section.
I really, really wanted to love Avengers: Age of Ultron. I certainly enjoyed the movie. I laughed, or at least chuckled, quite frequently. And I marveled at the visual effects and the fun action scenes. It's a lot like cotton candy: colorful and fun, but lacking any real substance.
*** Spoiler Section ***
I'm not opposed to the budding romance between Bruce Banner and Natasha (aka Black Widow). But it felt like it came out of nowhere. Maybe I need to go back to the first Avengers movie and see if they did something to lay the groundwork. But it just felt a bit thrown together.
I do have to give Marvel kudos for one thing though. The big reveal for Black Widow is that as part of her assassin training program she was sterilized. This is shown to be a pretty big deal for her. By this time in her life, she mourns the fact she cannot be a mother. I never thought I'd see the importance of family and motherhood stressed in a live action* superhero movie. The terrific irony is that Scarlett Johansson, the actress who plays Black Widow, was actually pregnant during filming.
There have been rumors for quite a while that someone would die in this movie: and actually stay dead (as opposed to Agent Coulson, Loki, or Nick Fury). Hawkeye (aka Clint Barton) was certainly one of the most obvious choices. The film proceeds to throw out every typical setup that he's going to be killed: he has a wife, she's pregnant and worried for his safety, he's got all these remodeling plans for when he comes home. It was such a blatant, heavy-handed setup that I knew it had to be a bluff, which it was. Right when you think Hawkeye is done for (saving a child no less), Quicksilver comes to the rescue and is killed instead. While I didn't quite see that coming, it still failed emotionally. After all the buildup, all I felt was "ha, I knew it was a bluff" rather than "gah, they killed the interesting new guy."
*But thank you The Incredibles.
Quotable Quotes
- "The most powerful element on earth ... and they used it to make a Frisbee." -- Ultron, talking about vibranium which was used to make Captain America's shield
- "All set up boss." "Actually he's the boss. I just pay for everything. And design everything. And make everyone look cooler." Maria Hill and Tony Stark (who indicates Steve Rogers is the "boss")
- "Please be a secret door. Please be a secret door. Please be a secret door. [Finds a secret door.] Yay." -- Tony Stark
- "The city is flying. We're fighting an army of robots. And I have a bow and arrow. Nothing makes sense." -- Clint Barton
- "You're unbelievably naive." "Well, I was born yesterday." -- Ultron and Vision
ISFS
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