AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Review

Joss Whedon's swan song in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Age of Ultron is big, loud, hilarious, and above all, fun. With emphasis on the characters we've come to know and love, Whedon has crafted a flawed, but very satisfying capper to Marvel's Phase 2. I'll do my best to keep this review spoiler free.

Avengers: Age of Ultron has a LOT going on. There are multiple story lines, new characters, old characters, global locations, and that's just to start - not to mention Whedon's trademark rapid fire dialogue and jokes. No kidding, within the first three minutes I had already missed a number of zingers from the characters because I was laughing too much at jokes from just the last 30 seconds. The banter is a lot of fun and makes watching the characters all the more enjoyable.

Image via Marvel

The film wastes no time in jumping into the story. The team is back together, Tony is suffering from PTSD still (from the first Avengers and his experience in the worm hole over New York), and has decided, along with Bruce Banner, that the only way to keep the world  safe is to "build a suit of armor around it" by creating the Ultron program - an artificial intelligence program in which Tony's suits would be able to keep watch over the world. Of course, the program goes awry and Ultron, in keeping with protecting the world, decides The Avengers are a threat to the world, as well as anyone who wouldn't "evolve" as he believes they should - which is pretty much everyone.

 Image via Marvel

This main story line serves more as a driver for more interesting things to happen on the screen than that of world destruction though, especially in depicting the Avenger's ability to work together despite their differences. This may sound like a rehash of the first movie, and it is, to an extent (along with several other points about the movie), but Whedon has crafted each character's arc in new and interesting ways where we feel genuinely interested in their motivations and what is driving each of them. The task of writing this movie must have been a herculean effort, and it shows. No wonder Whedon has expressed his total exhaustion from making this and wanting to take a long break from the Marvel world (he has also served as a creative consultant on each of the Phase 2 films). While it's too bad we're unlikely to see his talents on screen again in the Marvel world, it's completely understandable he wants to move on, given these movies have been every minute of his LIFE the last five years (the Russo Brothers, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier have already been signed to direct the two-part Avengers finale, Infinity War, debuting in 2018 and 2019).

Image via Marvel

Speaking of new characters, James Spader nails the performance of Ultron. Many don't realize that not only did he do the voice work for Ultron, he also motion captured his performance as well, and it's totally evident. It's amazing that technology is in a place where you can "see" an actor through even the smallest of facial expressions, when technically the actor isn't onscreen at all. It's a shame that these mo-cap performances aren't recognized by the Academy or other awards guilds, if anything it's even more difficult to convey a character through mo-cap than without (Andy Serkis' Caesar immediately comes to mind...). I'm a huge James Spader fan (his season on The Office was delightfully creepy and hilarious), and between his mannerisms and voice he gives a Ultron a very interesting personality, even going so far as to adopt slight similarities to Tony Stark, being that he is a type of "son" for him.

Images via Marvel

Age of Ultron isn't without it's flaws though. Before I go further, I feel it must be understood by all that while there are flaws in the movie, I believe they may not be intentional, or because of lack of effort. The first cut of this movie was nearly 3 hours, 20 minutes long. Because no one wants to sit through a movie that long these days, they had to cut nearly an entire hour of film out. That means an hour of story, sub plots, character development, etc, was left on the cutting room floor. I sincerely believe what we got on screen was the studios and Whedon's BEST effort in giving us a coherent story, given the time constraints. With this perspective it makes many of the under-developed scenes make a little more sense namely Thor's actions and visions, Ultron's factory in Sokovia, the trip to Wakanda visiting Ulysses Klaw to recover Vibranium, War Machine's entrance, and several others. Whedon has confirmed an extended cut will be released on Blu-Ray so I'll be very eager to see how many of these scenes get fleshed out when given more time.

Image via Marvel

With that being said, and despite these flaws, Age of Ultron is a solid cap to Phase 2, and a great tee-up for Phase 3. I personally really liked it and would probably put it in my top three Marvel movies to date. I'm excited to see what Phase 3 brings, especially in regards to Thor's story (would it be too much to ask Joss Whedon to come back to write and direct the next standalone Thor film, Thor: Ragnarok? I feel he really gets the character and what makes him so special).

Lastly, I reiterate, there is a LOT going on with this movie. While I would say that one needs to pay special attention to the great dialogue, don't be too bothered by the plot holes. Recognize they are there, and just roll with it. There are new characters (Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch is a particular stand out), old characters, new story lines, and old story lines all converging into a perfect storm of heart, mythology, drama, action, and high stakes - and for most of the running time, it totally works. It' goes fast, and it's a blast. It's a shame a longer cut couldn't make it into theaters, but let's hope the Blu-Ray release can fill in some of the narrative gaps. I highly enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it. The sweat that Whedon and his massive crew put into this movie is almost tangible. While it's not perfect, seeing something made with such care and passion is sometimes a rare thing in these giant blockbuster films, and it certainly comes through on screen, in it's heart, soul, action, wit, and even its beautiful flaws.

 Image via Marvel

I end with the words from Adam Chitwood of Collider.com in what he had to say, for I agree with him completely: "I actually think Age of Ultron is a better movie than The Avengers in nearly every way. It’s stranger, darker, and more intimate. Whedon made clear that his intention wasn’t to “go bigger” with the sequel, and while the action sequences are definitely massive and more intense than those in The Avengers, I was enthused to find that the film has a very strong focus on character. I enjoyed the downtime with the Avengers as much as (if not more than) the big set pieces, and Hawkeye shines as the heart of the film after getting the shaft in The Avengers. Sure Marvel still has a villain problem and Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are underdeveloped, but I think the pros far outweigh the cons here. Age of Ultron works far more often than it doesn’t."

Image via Marvel

"I was also incredibly impressed with Whedon’s skills as a filmmaker. He’s clearly grown and pushed himself since the first movie, as there’s almost an entirely different approach behind-the-camera this time around that adds a visceral quality to the action beats. While Age of Ultron is a lot of movie, I thought Whedon did the impossible by simultaneously upping his game in the action department and the character moments and humor beats."

Here's to Phase 3!

Grade: A-, ***