Avengers Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron

A review

May 3, 2015

Viewed April 30,2015

**** out of *****

“The planet has survived everything, in its time. It will certainly survive us.”  Michael Crichton

          Decades from now when film historians study this period of cinema, they will likely spend a great deal of time discussing the rise of the superhero genre.   Hastened and strongly influenced by the amazing visual advances in the art of computer generated images this genre has exploded over the last decades as each successive blockbuster creates a powerful experience for the viewer.    These same historians may quibble over character development and story, elements that one could argue vanish with big screen spectacle. These are subjects of debate, but if you just want the spectacle these movies are certainly delivering. 

          No more is this in evidence than in the power and continuity of the Marvel brand and its showcase of its stable of superheroes is in full bloom with the challenging, fun, and dynamic Avengers: Age of Ultron, the follow up film to Marvel’s 2012, mega-smash The Avengers. 

          This latest effort again brought to life by the talented Josh Whedon is a vastly different film from the debut effort.  Audiences have grown familiar with the characters by now and as expected part of the appeal of the movie is seeing what new the actors can bring to these characters that audiences and comic book fans know so well.

          By the director’s own admission he sought with this story to tell a darker and more emotionally challenging tale which seeks to broach many themes and subplots along the two hour and twenty minute running time.   Some subplots and characters are better handled than others, but the overall texture and ideas that the film provides is both exhilarating and complex enough to offer food for thought for even casual filmgoers. Despite this, the movie’s highlights are its extended pieces of pure adrenaline action.

          A major issue I had with the film is the earlier sections of it.   It rushes through too many of its earlier scenes, especially in its creation story for Ultron, the super powerful robot created by Tony Stark as a protector for the world.   That Ultron turns on both the world and the Avengers is no surprise, but the development story especially Stark’s motivations could have been fleshed out more in beginning given the viewer time to breather.    There are other missing gaps through the film, but these are minor blips.  

          Ultron as a creation is amazing.   Voiced with wit and a haunting tone, actor James Spader gives an amazing performance.   Both Frankenstein’s creation and Frankenstein himself, Ultron is a convincing villain.    The film soars whenever he is around.

          In a movie packed with surprises and new characters and plenty of darker overtones the jokes fly fast and furious throughout the film.   This is helped by the banter and familiarity of the now huge cast.   The newest members of the cast, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson were a major surprise as the twins, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, Scarlett Witch, and Quicksilver from the comics, however the film never calls them such.   This continues a trend from the first film where the characters refer to one another by their first or last names, a Marvel trademark for its films which humanizes the characters.  Stark’s arrogance, Thor’s bravado, these are parts of the characters they inhabit that offer a glimpse into the real people, flaws and all.   

          Whedon uses this to his advantage to break them down to individuals and the middle section of the film when some of the characters are allowed to show their vulnerability and fears offers some of the best work in the Marvel canon so far.

          Returning performers Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, and Scarlett Johansson each get moments to shine.  Paul Bettany who has voiced Stark’s computer program Jarvis for several friends evolves into something new in an exciting development late in the film.   

          Whether one is a comic book fan or not, The Avengers: Age of Ultron offers something up for nearly ever viewer.    Its ending promises future adventures and plants seeds that will be explored in future films.   The film kicks the summer movie season off to a rousing start. 

         

                                                            Tommy Key

Rated PG-13(intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence, destruction, suggestive comments)