Avengers: Age Of Ultron Is The Sequel You Want [Spoiler-Free REVIEW]

Avengers Posse

Here is our spoiler-free review of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, in three short words: it’s bloody good.

Synopsis:

When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) jumpstarts a dormant alien peacekeeping program, things go terribly awry, forcing him, Captain America (Chris Evans) Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the rest of the Avengers to reassemble. As the fate of Earth hangs in the balance, the team is put to the ultimate test as they battle Ultron (James Spader), a technological terror hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they encounter two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.

Assembled

What about the plot?

If you’re expecting a remake of 2012’s The Avengers, then I’m sorry to say that this movie is not for you. That’s what I was expecting and I’ll admit that part of me wanted to see that exact kind of magic from the first film, that adventure we felt when we saw these incredible individuals come together as a team. I realise now that trying to “rehash” that magic would be a disservice to it: lacking originality and giving us something we’ve already seen before.

This is a new adventure. The stakes are different and much has changed since we last saw all of our heroes team up. The Avengers don’t have the security of global counter-terrorism agency S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore (as a corrupted organisation it was officially disestablished by a smaller unit of Avengers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier).
They’re very much on their own, trying to defend the world the best that they can – but while being a force that is strong and concrete, they are pushed to their limits: cracks are beginning to show.
This movie is about consequences and accountability for actions. We know these people are imperfect, and some of The Avengers have a lot to answer for (some more than others). The events of Avengers: Age Of Ultron is the climax of what happens when ultimate actions bring the ultimate consequences.

Ultron Grab 11

What about the characters?

James Spader as the central villain Ultron is fantastic and not at all what I was expecting. There is a method to his madness which, to a certain extent, you can sympathise with. You understand his intentions and can’t help but see the potential in what he’s trying to achieve. He’s not some maniacal villain wanting to rule the world for the sake of “just because” but is a character that is uniquely textured with intentions that are not black nor white. He has deeply set frustrations and his approach to solving them is calculated and terrifying. Be prepared to enjoy his villainy.

Avengers_AOU_Siblings_1

The twins, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson), are also villains with a more deeper meaning, who we learn have a deeper pain and motivations that are also justifiable. They play a big part in keeping The Avengers on their toes.

Tony 1

As for our Avengers, Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark aka Iron Man is still the playboy-billionaire-philanthropist we know him to be, but plays his role within The Avengers more actively, seeing to the team’s needs and facilitating their purpose as the world’s very own superhero ‘SWAT team’.

We see a man that’s relentless in his pursuit to solve a very big problem, which is how to save the world more effectively. In pursuit of his answers we see the dangers of human curiosity and what happens when you decide to play God.

Black Widow Rods

Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (my favourite Avenger) also has a very large part to play in Age Of Ultron. We know from previous films that she has a past she’s not proud of and is trying to make good for all that she has done.

Her part in Captain America: The Winter Soldier was very humanised and we got to see her as being more than a super spy/assassin and in Age Of Ultron her character definitely gets more personal and naked (don’t get excited) in the sense that, in a touching scene (I said don’t excited) she admits a heart-wrenching secret. We saw Natasha begin to unravel as she put her purpose into question in The Winter Soldier and some of what happens in this movie is a continuing journey of that.

Cap1

Seeing Chris Evans as Captain America just reminds me how he is born to play that character and how much I want him to be Captain America forever. Steve Rogers is very much a soldier and a leader with an amazing set of skills and abilities, but he really is still the “man out of time” and this world is still different to one he knew. There are some fun parts that play on those differences in this film and he really is the glue that holds the team together.

Avengers-Age-of-Ultron-Trailer-1-Hawkeye-in-Snow-620x370

We know that Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye didn’t get a fair deal, having been a speechless mind-controlled goon for a good 99% of the first film. Writer/Director Joss Whedon promised that he would make good on giving Hawkeye a larger part in Age Of Ultron and I’m pleased to say that he’s not wrong, as we get a good glimpse into what Clint Barton/Hawkeye is like on his days off.

ThorCaptainAmericaBW

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has some great moments in the film that will make you cheer but also, make your eyes go wide. Be prepared to be shocked (not a lightning pun).

Hulk Smashing

Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk in this film is an integral part of the team, more than “Hulk Smash!”. We see his relationships with his fellow Avengers explored and also his own relationship with The Hulk explored further. I was never really a Hulk fan and I feel like that in all previous films he’s been, well, a little boring to be honest. I mean, how interesting can someone with the reduced intellect of a neanderthal be, when all he does is go around destroying things? Not really my type of character. But after this movie, I’m happy to see the character given more substance and I’m a bit more of a fan than I was.

As for Vision (Paul Bettany), I can’t say too much without spoiling it. But the way he enters the film is done very beautifully and his part in this movie is significantly huge.There are some exciting cameos to keep you happy, too.

21248_10155426987625381_1785768734274430985_n

Does My Favourite Avenger Get Killed Off?

You would be surprised how many times I’ve been asked this. All I’ll say is if you know Joss Whedon’s work, you know not to ask that (which is neither confirming, nor denying any death as such). Just watch.

Overall:

It feels like the old gang is back together, but the tone of this movie is darker than the last. We see new challenges and our favourite team struggle but this time ’round it’s very different. There is no Loki, so we can’t point the finger and say “YOU! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE!” and blame him and then cue our heroes in a villain chase: The Avengers are very much to blame, too, so there is an uncomfortable feeling of choosing sides.

There is really great character development and insights into who The Avengers are as people and the screen time for characters seems appropriate to have their part in this story told. Visually, it’s a stunning movie with incredible special effects, but I think the larger action sequences are quite messy and hard for the eye to follow exactly what’s going on (not as bad as, say, Michael Bay’s Transformers).

While the villain’s intentions and the plot is clearly established, I can’t help but feel like this movie was a bit rushed: not a lot, just a bit. When the movie starts we get straight into the action, then suddenly there’s Ultron and then suddenly a whole bunch of other stuff happens and it’s a lot of jumping around to big events. It was like every moment had to be epic: we’re still excited from the last epic moment, that when the next moment arrives quickly we’re not quite ready for it. In defence of the movie I will say that I did see this in IMAX and in 3D which was a slightly overwhelming experience, trying to capture it all on a very very big screen where even the smallest details are gigantic (which is amazing) so every moment literally is epic. I’m definitely going to see it again in a regular cinema to see if this is still the case.

Joss Whedon said his original first cut of Age Of Ultron was three-and-a-half hours long, which has now been trimmed down to two hours and twenty-two minutes for cinemas. If we were given the first cut, could the movie have flowed better over that extended amount of time? Maybe. Or could it be too much of a good thing? Possibly.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) will be interesting to see, as it follows the events after Age of Ultron, which polarizes our Avengers when lines are drawn and friendships are broken.

Overall, I feel that what we got was a really good telling of the next chapter for our Avengers. The plot is solid, the characters are well defined and the action is awesome. There is an ominous feeling, though, that what’s ahead for The Avengers is even bigger. All we can hope is that our heroes will be ready for third chapter Avengers: Infinity War (Part I and II), May 2018 and May 2019.

Rating: 4/5

Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron Comes To NZ Cinemas April 23rd 2015

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *