Review of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) by Greenmember — 30 Apr 2015

The Avengers is an absolute behemoth of a movie. Throwing together the best interwoven cinematic universe is a tough thing to do, but Marvel certainly nailed it. Many consider The Avengers to be a cornerstone film for comic book adaptions. Though I have my gripes with it, those people are certainly right; it nails the essence of what a comic book feels like. Also The Avengers was popular, as many of you know. Like the transition from The Dark Knight to Rises, it’s nearly impossible to meet the standards the previous film has made, but Whedon has tried and he gives us a flawed gem that I have enjoyed more than the first, but still has it’s share of issues.

The opening of the film very much channels the energy of the ending of the first movie. The high pace action that follows one characters and passes the torch to another, eventually giving us an overview of the team, The movie has some very well placed shots, and for the sake of the action, some great cinematography. When Iron Man punches something with tons of inertia, you feel it. When the Hulk bulldozes his way through a structure, you get the awe of the moment, something director, Joss Whedon, nails and is more consistent with this time around.

It wouldn’t be a Whedon film without mentioning the dialogue. Joss proves, yet again, that he’s a master of banter and juggling characters. This works out great, particularly with Hawkeye, whom gets the best lines the entire movie and cements himself as a standout, he is given the right amount of love and care that was absent. Iron Man bounces off of everyone pretty well, and the characters feel exactly as they should be, except Ultron. Our villain here is played quite well by the mesmerizing voice of James Spader, however, the dialogue fails him. Too often do we hear sarcasm that just doesn’t feel right and doesn’t match the sinister look and feel that Ultron should emulate. It’s disappointing because Ultron had so much potential to be a more menacing and memorable villain and instead, he just fills a role.

There’s a romance dynamic between Dr. Banner and Black Widow that seems out of place as well. It’s good to get some insight into the mind of the Hulk but the way it came to life just feels out of place and doesn’t have a good enough pay off, though perhaps it will in a future installment. We also get two new characters in the form of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Both are integral to the plot, and Scarlet Witch makes for a pretty good edition, whereas Quicksilver’s powers are showcased very well, neither give off a huge lasting impression, but it’s forgivable and they’re fun to see on screen.

The main problem that the movie suffers from is pacing. The first one spent all it’s time on the helicarrier and in New York, this one juggles so many locations it’s tough to pin it all down. The beginning is quick and interesting, but then there’s just gap that doesn’t really grab and hold onto us. Age of Ultron is at it’s best when there’s action going on or The Avenger’s themselves are caught up in conflict with one another. This oddball pacing continues, but it doesn’t mean we don’t get some great moments. We get a look at Black Panther’s main villain played by Andy Serkis. There’s an action sequence in Africa with Hulkbuster armor and The Hulk that’s a highlight, the ending is pretty solid as well, and any scenes with The Vision are great.

What attracts me to the movie is how it’s evolved from the first one. Whedon could have done it all over again in the same format and people would have loved it, but that’s no how he does it. We get a fleshed out story that sometimes falls but damn it’s admirable, we get the comedy and quips that Joss is known for, and some superb action to top it all off. I will admit that while most of the dialogue was great, there are some bad moments of dialogue, however they are few and far in between.

What we get is a commendable movie that I really did have a lot of fun with. There are moments where I got lost, there was too much going on, or it jumps around too much, but we end up with a Marvel movie that delivers, and the promise of an Avenger’s sequel is a hard thing to deliver, Whedon does his best and gives us a good product. Age of Ultron is a great movie for any Marvel fans and film goers alike.