Age of Ultron continues the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It tells the story of the original Avengers battling Ultron, an AI designed by Tony Stark. That is where spoilers end.
The cast in this movie all serve their roles well, although that should not be a surprise considering how they have all had multiple movies to perfect them. The one surprise for me was that the most developed character in this movie ended up being Hawkeye, played well by Jeremy Renner.
His character performed such a turnaround between movies that it was as if they brought him back to the drawing board and decided to start again. He provided a great everyman look at the team from the inside.
As I said before, the other characters served their purposes, fulfilling their professed roles. Paul Bettany as an actor was surprisingly good in his role which was expanded from his previous entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He brought a warmth to his character that was unforeseen.
As for the newcomers, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, their characters appeared one dimensional.
James Spader as a villain was memorable, but far too cartoony as Ultron. At times it felt like he should be twirling a robotic moustache as his voice chewed the scenery with his impeccable pronunciation. His character remained cartoony until the end. I feel like Ultron could have better served one of their television offerings where they can allow more time for Ultron and Spader to evolve the character.
The story for this film ended up being relatively predictable, but I suppose that if you have a summer tentpole movie, it is very hard to get away with taking risks. The only surprises that came were minor character moment, some that worked (Hawkeye) and others that didn't (Banner and Black Widow).
None of these points take away from the fun of the movie. However, there were two things that seriously bothered me.
The first point is that I never felt a sense of danger in this movie. It could be Marvel fatigue due to their knack for bringing characters back to life, or that too many moments took you out of the movie. It was chockablock with one liners and in jokes, that moments of tension felt like a quick reprieve as the audience prepares itself for the next one.
The second thing I am afraid is a cardinal sin. This film is unable to stand on its own. It expects people to have seen movies with these characters beforehand to understand what is going on. There are so many cameos and references that first timers now require an encyclopedia, or wiki, to get them all.
It also seeks to set up the next phase of movies. This means that alongside the references, they leave a lot of dangling strings to entice the viewer to watch the next lot of movies. This leaves little room for plot and character growth, as well as little space for the uninitiated to enter into the world.
This point makes my skin crawl. Movies should be able to stand on their own. A couple of strings are fine, but this has so many interconnected parts that it stifles the production of a good stand alone movie.
Despite my two major concerns, this film was fun. There is something I can't put my finger on that made it enjoyable. Maybe it is because I am not a newcomer, I don't know. But this was a fun movie to watch. It managed to hit something that can't be explained.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Four
Recommendation: See this film if you are previously acquainted with the Marvel cinematic universe.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
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