Avengers: Age of Ultron Review
The title is not a joke; there is literally no reason for me to review this movie. You already know whether or not you want to see it. If you have a soul, then congratulations and enjoy one of the best blockbusters in years. If not, tough luck. Ah well, beats contemplating my existence...
Avengers: Age of Ultron is the latest in the seemingly unstoppable winning streak of Marvel Studios, a studio seemingly incapable of making a bad movie (except Iron Man 2, but let's not go there *shivers*). Whilst technically a sequel to 2012's megahit The Avengers, it also carries over elements from all of Marvel's Phase Two films, as well as setting up future instalments such as Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther. Ultron sees Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr in the role he was born to play), Captain America (Chris Evans, still nailing it), Thor (the enjoyably hammy Chris Hemsworth), Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo; perfect), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, perfect in a slightly different way) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, finally getting something to do and doing it admirably) face a new threat of their own invention: the malevolent "murderbot" Ultron [cue gasps]. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner (Iron Man and Hulk. Try to keep up) decide to create an AI to, basically, do their jobs for them. After all, what could possibly go wrong from designing a self-aware robot in a blockbuster, right? Guys? Ultron employs the help of twins Quicksilver (runs fast) and Scarlet Witch (makes scary dreams) to save the world by...destroying it? Makes sense...
The Avengers was written and directed by geek god Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and my favourite TV show of all time: Firefly. He seemed like a strange choice at first, with only one feature (the cinematic hurrah of Firefly: Serenity) under his belt but his creative voice is creative voice is now so integral to these films, it's hard to imagine an Avengers movie without him. Whedon specialises in a mixture of humour, heart, brains and thrills. Nowhere is this infectious blend more apparent than in Age of Ultron. For a film marketed heavily as "the dark one", it's almost shocking how much fun this really is. Almost every line is an absolute zinger, especially in the opening action scene. The whip-sharp dialogue is so perfectly crafted, it truly is a marvel (get it?) that only one man could come up with it all. Not only is Whedon brilliant at hilarious character interplay, his work always carries with it an impressive emotional and thematic maturity. For example, the film's stance on artificial intelligence is both wildly unexpected and wholly refreshing.
The action scenes are uniformally terrific, the stand-out being the second-act Iron Man vs Hulk battle. A perfect combination of bombast, humour and melancholy. Serious question: is there anything Joss Whedon can't do? Let me know if you think of something; then shut up. The only disappointment in the action department is Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver, who was always going to suffer from comparison to Evan Peters' pitch-perfect portrayal in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Whedon struggles to utilise super speed in any interesting ways. Quicksilver just runs around and...does it really quickly? Elisabeth Olsen fares far better as Scarlet Witch and not just because I would happily marry her tomorrow! Well, can you blame me? Scarlet Witch is arguably the film's secret weapon, simultaneously a compelling character with believable motivations and a complete bad-arse.
The MVP, though, most go to James Spader as the smooth, charismatic and psychopathic Ultron. Spader is clearly relishing the role, one that could so easily have fallen into cliche, yet one he makes his own. The film sort-of implies that Ultron learns his witticisms from Stark, but it's open to interpretation. What is clear is that he is at least a parallel to his creator, with the same sarcasm, off-the-charts IQ and penchant for blowing s**t up. The motion-capture work gives real presence and weight to Spader's virtuoso performance, with Whedon's brilliant writing rounding off what is easily the best villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.
Studio interference is evident at times, predominantly during the rushed finale. At around the two-hours-ten mark, the plug is basically pulled on the movie in time for a timely rap-up. Whedon has confirmed that his original cut was over three hours long, and it really shows in the closing moments. Whilst blatantly financially motivated, it was wonderful to see Hawkeye given more development, given his "the other guy" status prior to this instalment. Although, it does slightly ruin this brilliant sketch from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ27iS1mkuo
If this really is Whedon's final bow in the franchise, his absence will be felt. Nobody can balance so many components and make them all fit naturally together like him. Whether it's a touching Hulk-Black Widow romance or an exhilarating castle siege interrupted by Captain America's hard-line rules on profanity, these films simply won't be the same without his influence. Nevertheless, with the Russo Brothers (whose Winter Soldier I grossly underappreciated on release) seemingly taking on the mantle, I can't wait to see where these characters go next. By the way, does anyone have Elisabeth Olsen's phone number?
Five-Word Verdict: Vote Joss Whedon for President
Score: 4/5
The Avengers was written and directed by geek god Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and my favourite TV show of all time: Firefly. He seemed like a strange choice at first, with only one feature (the cinematic hurrah of Firefly: Serenity) under his belt but his creative voice is creative voice is now so integral to these films, it's hard to imagine an Avengers movie without him. Whedon specialises in a mixture of humour, heart, brains and thrills. Nowhere is this infectious blend more apparent than in Age of Ultron. For a film marketed heavily as "the dark one", it's almost shocking how much fun this really is. Almost every line is an absolute zinger, especially in the opening action scene. The whip-sharp dialogue is so perfectly crafted, it truly is a marvel (get it?) that only one man could come up with it all. Not only is Whedon brilliant at hilarious character interplay, his work always carries with it an impressive emotional and thematic maturity. For example, the film's stance on artificial intelligence is both wildly unexpected and wholly refreshing.
The action scenes are uniformally terrific, the stand-out being the second-act Iron Man vs Hulk battle. A perfect combination of bombast, humour and melancholy. Serious question: is there anything Joss Whedon can't do? Let me know if you think of something; then shut up. The only disappointment in the action department is Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver, who was always going to suffer from comparison to Evan Peters' pitch-perfect portrayal in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Whedon struggles to utilise super speed in any interesting ways. Quicksilver just runs around and...does it really quickly? Elisabeth Olsen fares far better as Scarlet Witch and not just because I would happily marry her tomorrow! Well, can you blame me? Scarlet Witch is arguably the film's secret weapon, simultaneously a compelling character with believable motivations and a complete bad-arse.
The MVP, though, most go to James Spader as the smooth, charismatic and psychopathic Ultron. Spader is clearly relishing the role, one that could so easily have fallen into cliche, yet one he makes his own. The film sort-of implies that Ultron learns his witticisms from Stark, but it's open to interpretation. What is clear is that he is at least a parallel to his creator, with the same sarcasm, off-the-charts IQ and penchant for blowing s**t up. The motion-capture work gives real presence and weight to Spader's virtuoso performance, with Whedon's brilliant writing rounding off what is easily the best villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.
Studio interference is evident at times, predominantly during the rushed finale. At around the two-hours-ten mark, the plug is basically pulled on the movie in time for a timely rap-up. Whedon has confirmed that his original cut was over three hours long, and it really shows in the closing moments. Whilst blatantly financially motivated, it was wonderful to see Hawkeye given more development, given his "the other guy" status prior to this instalment. Although, it does slightly ruin this brilliant sketch from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ27iS1mkuo
If this really is Whedon's final bow in the franchise, his absence will be felt. Nobody can balance so many components and make them all fit naturally together like him. Whether it's a touching Hulk-Black Widow romance or an exhilarating castle siege interrupted by Captain America's hard-line rules on profanity, these films simply won't be the same without his influence. Nevertheless, with the Russo Brothers (whose Winter Soldier I grossly underappreciated on release) seemingly taking on the mantle, I can't wait to see where these characters go next. By the way, does anyone have Elisabeth Olsen's phone number?
Five-Word Verdict: Vote Joss Whedon for President
Score: 4/5
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