Avengers: Age of Ultron - Review

Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Review by David Edwards
          

         If you think about it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a very brave idea. The concept of taking decades worth of comic books and containing them in one interconnecting cinematic universe seems preposterous, and up until now most entries to the Marvels world have been varied – some very successful and acclaimed (The Avengers and Guardians Of The Galaxy) – and some not so acclaimed (Looking at you, Daredevil). Now, the sequel to the highest earning film in the franchise is out – Avengers: Age Of Ultron – and brings in a vast array of goodies.

         Unsurprisingly, the Avengers – features the Avengers. Its sequel is no different. The actors reprise the same roles, and for the most part do a good job doing so. Specifically, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johannsson, who introduce a newfound chemistry between their respective characters, Hulk and Black Widow. However, with this new iteration comes two new characters, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor Johnson) and Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). The characters are interesting additions with some very cool abilities; however the film just doesn’t really know what to do with them. One minute there fighting against the avengers, and the next with. Simply put, it just makes us not care about them in the same way we do with the original’s making them seem as more bolted on additions to draw people into seeing them film. Also, Aaron Taylor Johnson’s eastern European accent needs work. Like, a lot of work.

          The selling point of the film is the new, big and scary robot – Ultron. In the many comic books he appears in, he’s actually created by Ant Man and turns evil. In the Avengers – Ant Man doesn’t “exist” yet, so he’s the combined creation of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner from the remains of Loki’s sceptre (the bad guy from the first film, who disappointingly does not have an appearance). Ultron is a very cool character, and James Spader did a great job in performing him. However, Ultron just isn’t scary. In the trailers we see him reciting lines from Pinocchio in a very malicious and intimidating way – whilst this is present in the film; it’s literally his only awe inducing line – most of the time, Ultron’s existence is just a bunch of flying killer suits – rather than a single and intimidating entity. He’s an intriguing character; I just wish the producers did more with him to make him a truly terrifying foe – and one worthy of The Avengers second cinema debut.

          
          Age Of Ultron does bring some pretty cool action scenes, arguably more so than its predecessor. Specifically, the battle between Iron Man and Hulk was fantastic, and brought back the ‘emotional aftermath’ layer of Bruce Banners condition, which ties in with his romance with Black Widow. Another character who is focused on a lot is Hawkeye, who is shown to have a family as the Avengers spend a weekend retreat at his house. And that brings me to the main thing wrong with The Avengers: Age Of Ultron: a lot the scenes don’t make a lot of sense and/or are unnecessary. Hawkeyes a great character – but part of his charm from the previous film was that we knew very little about him – which made him a really cool ‘maverick’ type character. Now he’s got a family.etc he just seems less “super” – which is contradictory considering his badass background. Another little side story that makes even less sense is that of Thor – who goes off on an unexplained little side quest to an underground cavern – which I can barely remember. The sad part is that this is a seemingly important element, as another new character – Vision (Paul Bettany) is created from it. It’s a shame because Vision is by far the coolest new addition – being able to wield Thor’s hammer, yet there’s little backstory and reasoning behind why he’s even there to begin with. Another irrelevant narrative aspect is that of the setting – or setting(s) as Age Of Ultron is literally set everywhere and anywhere in an attempt to seem more “exotic” and “exciting” than it needs to be. The downside of this is that some settings, i.e. Hong Kong are really cool – contrasted to boring scenes in shipwrecked freighters off the African coast.

          What I will say though is this – It’s entertaining. It offers some pretty impressive action scenes (Although I would of liked some that weren’t seen in the trailers.etc), some for the most part - top notch acting and a more minor addition – a fantastic soundtrack. If the inconsistencies won’t bother you as much as they bothered me – by all means see it, it’s a fun film. But don’t go expecting the pinnacle of Superhero movies. In my opinion, that’s still tied between Kick-Ass and The Dark Knight.