It’s the sequel that the world has been foaming at the mouth for. The Avengers assemble again this week in Avengers: Age of Ultron, as Earth Mightiest Heroes face disassembly, robot legions and big ol’ trust issues in their latest outing. But is this movie a noticeable step up from their last outing? Let me explain my feelings toward this movie is a single sentence:
Avengers: Age of Ultron was the movie that showed me that I will never be happy.
Avengers: Age of Ultron was the movie that showed me that I will never be happy.
If you need validation that this movie is good, then you can have it. Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great superhero movie and a worthy finale to Marvel’s Phase Two. Near enough all the problems of the original movie have been addressed to craft a more coherent, more complete and more intense movie that the 2012 original outing.
This time around, it’s less extra-terrestrial meddling and more rouge AI bringing the team together. Following a number of Hydra raids, The Avengers reclaim Loki’s alien sceptre in a raid on the fictional European nation of Sokovia. From there, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) seeks to create his vision for peace in the form of a sentient peacekeeping AI called Ultron. Sadly, the trend of every genius having not seen 2001: A Space Odyssey continues and, of course, the AI goes bad and concludes that peace can only be an option if the human race becomes extinct.
This time around, it’s less extra-terrestrial meddling and more rouge AI bringing the team together. Following a number of Hydra raids, The Avengers reclaim Loki’s alien sceptre in a raid on the fictional European nation of Sokovia. From there, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) seeks to create his vision for peace in the form of a sentient peacekeeping AI called Ultron. Sadly, the trend of every genius having not seen 2001: A Space Odyssey continues and, of course, the AI goes bad and concludes that peace can only be an option if the human race becomes extinct.
Image Credit: cinemablend.com
From there, the movie unravels into a selection of great set pieces and further world building for the MCU. From minute one, there are a whopping seven big fight scenes, featuring some great choreography. You get a great sense that the Avengers in the film are less a scrappy collection of heroes finding their feet and more a well-oiled machine that are used to each other’s limits and capabilities. This translates not only into the way that the heroes fight, but also into their banter, of which Whedon continues to excel at.
On the fighting, holy hell is it much more satisfying. I’m so impressed that the individual fighting styles of each character has been carried over from their respective second outings. Captain America (Chris Evans) is still wonderfully brutal in his beat downs as he was in his Winter Soldier, Iron Man is still tactfully graceful and the teams combo attacks are wonderfully overpowered.
On the fighting, holy hell is it much more satisfying. I’m so impressed that the individual fighting styles of each character has been carried over from their respective second outings. Captain America (Chris Evans) is still wonderfully brutal in his beat downs as he was in his Winter Soldier, Iron Man is still tactfully graceful and the teams combo attacks are wonderfully overpowered.
Image Credit: cinemablend.com
Even with so many beloved returning characters like The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the newer characters are really not overlooked at all. Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are suitably shown to feasibly exist and have the suitably muddy motivations they need in order to go toe-to-toe with The Avengers, and when the time comes to use them, their power sets are a joy to watch. The great imbalance of the larger than life heroes being infinitely more interesting than your standard talented folk has been addressed substantially this time around. Remember how nobody cared about Hawkeye? Be prepared to really enjoy Jeremy Renner’s vastly improved performance this time around!
There are a few moments that really are competing for the stand-out scene, but any time The Vision (Paul Bettany) is on screen, amazing things happen. This may be one of the most graceful ways that a comic book character has ever been handled, and given that this is his first appearance and he’s not exactly the easier hero to explain in a limited amount of time, you can see the great deal of care that has gone into making these new heroes so enjoyable. Taking into account that he isn’t in a lot of the film either makes the effort all the more sweet. It’s an odd parallel to the ‘I’m Always Angry’ bit in the original Avengers movie; it’s a much more refined and mature ‘oh shit moment’, but an ‘oh shit’ moment nonetheless.
There are a few moments that really are competing for the stand-out scene, but any time The Vision (Paul Bettany) is on screen, amazing things happen. This may be one of the most graceful ways that a comic book character has ever been handled, and given that this is his first appearance and he’s not exactly the easier hero to explain in a limited amount of time, you can see the great deal of care that has gone into making these new heroes so enjoyable. Taking into account that he isn’t in a lot of the film either makes the effort all the more sweet. It’s an odd parallel to the ‘I’m Always Angry’ bit in the original Avengers movie; it’s a much more refined and mature ‘oh shit moment’, but an ‘oh shit’ moment nonetheless.
Image Credit: nerdist.com
So, I’m seven paragraphs in and I’ve done nothing but praise the movie. So why will I never be happy?
Well, I’ll be blunt with this one: James Spader kinda blows as Ultron and really brings the whole affair down. Is this the fault of Spader? I don’t know, but I know it’s not entirely his fault. If I could squarely place a finger of blame, it would be with Joss Whedon. Let me explain why I think Whedon ruined Ultron.
Ultron is a sentient AI housed in a robot body that wants to end all human life. He thinks of the human race as a vermin that needs to be exterminated in order to save Earth from themselves. He is a cold, calculating villain that will do whatever dark act is necessary in order to see his primary objective’s completion. He is efficient, ruthless and intimidating. So why is it then that Ultron spends most of this film wisecracking to everyone he’s trying to intimidate?
Well, I’ll be blunt with this one: James Spader kinda blows as Ultron and really brings the whole affair down. Is this the fault of Spader? I don’t know, but I know it’s not entirely his fault. If I could squarely place a finger of blame, it would be with Joss Whedon. Let me explain why I think Whedon ruined Ultron.
Ultron is a sentient AI housed in a robot body that wants to end all human life. He thinks of the human race as a vermin that needs to be exterminated in order to save Earth from themselves. He is a cold, calculating villain that will do whatever dark act is necessary in order to see his primary objective’s completion. He is efficient, ruthless and intimidating. So why is it then that Ultron spends most of this film wisecracking to everyone he’s trying to intimidate?
Image Credit: cinemablend.com
Part of the problem is that Ultron is no longer the failed brainchild of Hank Pym, but Tony Stark, and so carries aspects of Stark’s personality into the performance. The problem is that Tony Stark is not and never will be scary. The trailers for this movie showed Ultron as an AI with a twisted vision of beauty and paradise, which could have made for some wonderfully spooky moments where he lays out his plans for humanity, but Whedon’s script only allows for Ultron to be a dark Tony Stark, which undersells Ultron so bloody much. Spader feels ultimately wasted as the Avengers themselves face demons and trials that are substantially more interesting than the havoc that Ultron is wreaking. Whedon can really write dialogue, that much has been proven, but I kinda think that there should be no witty reasoning with a mad AI who can blow up the world. It’s just too much for every single goddamn character to be acting like they’re competing for their own audience laugh track.
Also, sidenote, the Black Widow/Hulk romance is actually pretty fun to watch, but did I miss that ever being set up? It feels largely crowbarred in and ever so slightly unbelievable, but then a huge chunk of the ‘Avenegrs are monsters’ phatic subplot is. It’s a pretty useless script padder that I really could have done without on reflection, but shouldn’t hinder a general enjoyment of the movie a whole lot.
Also, sidenote, the Black Widow/Hulk romance is actually pretty fun to watch, but did I miss that ever being set up? It feels largely crowbarred in and ever so slightly unbelievable, but then a huge chunk of the ‘Avenegrs are monsters’ phatic subplot is. It’s a pretty useless script padder that I really could have done without on reflection, but shouldn’t hinder a general enjoyment of the movie a whole lot.
Image Credit: cinemablend,com
For me, at least, whilst I know that this movie was a vast improvement from the original, it seems that the magic can’t happen twice in one lifetime, at least not yet. The sheer wonder of watching these people come together in a risky and unknown venture is just something that Age of Ultron can’t replicate. At this point, the world is expecting the movie to improve in every area. And yes, I’d concede that in every area of filmmaking, save for some scripting issues, it really does it. But that movie magic the original had, that cannot be replicated or bettered. I feel as if the first Avengers was this generations Star Wars. You can only live the wonder of entering that strange new world once, and from there, you expect improvements rather than revel in the spectacle.
It also doesn’t help there are scenes I’d feel comfortable rewriting myself with better links to the wider world of the MCU. I mean, people know that Daredevil and Spider-Man exist in this world, so why are they being ignored? Not even the Agents of SHIELD crew get an appearance or shout-out. Given how much the previous stories have always talked about New York, it feels strange that the amount of fan-pleasing references and cross-pollination might be at a new low for the MCU film series. Also, that mid-credits scene was less of a scene and more of a friendly reminder that yes, a certain character won’t just be sitting on his arse from now on.
It also doesn’t help there are scenes I’d feel comfortable rewriting myself with better links to the wider world of the MCU. I mean, people know that Daredevil and Spider-Man exist in this world, so why are they being ignored? Not even the Agents of SHIELD crew get an appearance or shout-out. Given how much the previous stories have always talked about New York, it feels strange that the amount of fan-pleasing references and cross-pollination might be at a new low for the MCU film series. Also, that mid-credits scene was less of a scene and more of a friendly reminder that yes, a certain character won’t just be sitting on his arse from now on.
Image Credit: cinemablend,com
These are minimal problems, I will admit, but they did hinder me enjoying my first viewing of this movie. It took a second viewing to see how much better thematically this movie is. I suppose I should let my fanboy comic-book-encyclopaedia vices go, but those are the reasons I show up, because I so fervently love this universe and these characters, and I just want it to be as integrated and faithfully connected as the books they’re based on. As much as I know it’s fun to seek out every last fleeting mention of future events and characters, it’s best just to sit back and allow the ensemble cast take you through their personal journeys through this big bombastic chapter in the team’s history themselves, rather than going over the film with a toothcomb.
There is plenty to enjoy here, for all levels of Marvel fan and all levels of action and superhero fan. It is a fitting escalation of what we’ve seen in the Marvel movies so far, but its definitely more of a second movement of a three/four part symphony than it is a crescendo to a second saga. Avengers: Age of Ultron is a heck of a lot of fun, but knowing what lies ahead, could quite easily get overshadowed as Marvel continue to get better and better at their own game.
There is plenty to enjoy here, for all levels of Marvel fan and all levels of action and superhero fan. It is a fitting escalation of what we’ve seen in the Marvel movies so far, but its definitely more of a second movement of a three/four part symphony than it is a crescendo to a second saga. Avengers: Age of Ultron is a heck of a lot of fun, but knowing what lies ahead, could quite easily get overshadowed as Marvel continue to get better and better at their own game.
By Mike Owen
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games.
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games.