Avengers: Age of Ultron
Released 5/1/15
It's May 1, 2015. Mark this date. The Avengers have re-assembled! You remember them right? The dysfunctional superhero team who set box office records and made an insane amount of cash for Marvel Studios and Disney back in 2012? Well, three short (or long) years later, they're baaaaack! The Summer movie season gets the biggest kickoff you can ask for as Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner return as the heroes who fight each other as much as they fight the bad guys. Joss Whedon also returns as the mad scientist in the director's chair.
What have our erstwhile do-gooders been up to since they were together a few years ago? Well, if you are following the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you already know from Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And, if you haven't seen these films, you may be a little lost in some of the themes and characters of Age of Ultron. It's not impossible to get up to speed, mind you, it is a superhero movie and not necessarily deep. But, keep in mind, Whedon did not make this movie for the casual fan. You leap in with both feet from minute one as he assumes you're familiar with everything up to the opening frame, even from the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series. So, my advice? Have a geek buddy handy to fill in the blanks for you as you are watching.
AoU begins with a bang as the reunited team storms the compound of HYDRA agent, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. The objective is to reacquire the scepter used by Loki in the first film that has fallen in the terrorist organization's hands. Although successful in their endeavor, Iron Man (Downey) is shaken to his core by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), one of the super-powered twins controlled by von Strucker. With the ability manipulate minds, she forces Tony Stark to see a possible scenario where the Avengers lay dead and he is the only member left alive. Still already reeling from the events of the first Avengers movie, this image pushes Stark over the edge as he now believes he needs to create a solution to fashion a "suit of armor around the world." To that end, unknown to his teammates with the exception of Bruce Banner (Ruffalo), he uses the power of Loki's scepter to give life to a defensive protocol he has been developing, Ultron.
The Ultron program is imbued with artificial intelligence. To Stark and the Avengers' chagrin, it becomes murderous when it becomes self aware setting off a conflict that will take the team around the world to prevent Ultron from completing its plans to eradicate the "threat" of humankind.
First, let me say the film is visually magnificent. It's a all out assault on the senses, but in the best way possible. It was a good idea to take the conflict global this time. The one thing about many superhero movies and many comic books themselves are limited to one locale. There's nothing wrong with that. But global conflict feels epic in scope. And, this is what the Avengers should feel like. Epic on the largest scale possible. It was a very good decision by Whedon.
AoU also sets the stage for several important stories to come. The Avengers remain a dysfunctional family, but some fundamental differences between the members become more acute, particularly between Iron Man and Captain America. As in the first movie, these two eventually come together, but, they are very different in their philosophies on how to protect the Earth. Iron Man is a problem solver who is always tinkering to eliminate a threat before it rears its ugly head. Cap is a defender who believes you can't pre-eliminate threats without stamping on freedom. This among other differences will cause them to oppose each other in next year's Civil War.
As for other plot threads, Thor knows something awful is on its way, he just doesn't quite know the identity of the big bad just yet. It's a thread that will surely extend into his next film and beyond in the upcoming Infinity War movies. Ground was laid for the upcoming Black Panther film as the African nation, Wakanda, was introduced for the first time. And, then there's the Hulk. Can he ever catch a break? Well, he almost does with the Black Widow, but he manages to screw that up, too. You'll just have to watch for yourself.
If I have one complaint about AoU, it's a bit with Ultron it/himself. Oh, it's not because the robot isn't a credible villain per se. I liked James Spader's take as the voice of Ultron very much. I like that Whedon wrote the character with the trademark "Stark Snark" which only makes sense considering who created him. But, it's Ultron's motivations that were a bit muddled to me at times. Granted there was a limited amount of time to develop those motivations, but, you were never quite sure why he was so disgusted by humanity, or, at least I wasn't in the beginning. It felt more or less like he was the obligatory villain the Avengers are meant to knock down. And, why is he so mad at his "father", Tony Stark? All Tony tried to do was give him awareness and purpose. Did Loki's scepter make him murderously evil?
AoU is a spectacle. I've read some complaints that it's overstuffed. It may be just a bit. Whedon throws a lot at you in a little under 2.5 hours. I don't often say this about a movie, but, this one may have been better served had it been 10-20 minutes longer. That said, there's no denying it's as much fun as anything you will see this year. With larger than life characters, wall-to-wall action, and multiple future plotlines, how could it be anything but a blast? And, lest I forget, in addition to the Maximoff twins, we get the first appearance on film of the Vision. If you're a fan of Avengers lore, how can this movie not geek you out to some degree?
The Dark Lord of the Sith says:
**** 1/2 stars
Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look. Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
