Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) (First Impressions) (Movie Review)
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Wow, I can hardly believe it’s been 3 years sense the first Avengers movie premiered back in 2012, seriously, this sequel just snuck up on me, mostly because I was always satisfied with the first film. Well ... now we have an Avenges sequel, and of course I was going to see it, because I’m the most diehard Marvel comic fan you could possibly ask for. To be honest, I went in with mutual expectations, but to my surprise, I really, really, REALLY LIKED THIS MOIVE! Not only did this film up the ante with bigger action scenes, bigger special effects, higher stakes and an awesome new villain, it also made the hero’s more human and I found myself caring for them far more in this movie then I did in the first. Seriously, this film finds the perfect balance of huge, super powered spectacles, with just enough humanity, competent storytelling and dare I say “an honest amount of substance”.
With danger looming over planet earth, Tony Stark tries his best to create a super robot with A.I. called Ultron, who in theory would protect the planet from threats. But as you’d expect, robots with an A.I. are inherently evil, and the newly created Ultron hatches his plans to destroy the Avengers and create a new world order. Granted, I know this is just an entertaining super hero movie, and not Shakespeare, but it’s handled very well, and it’s perfect example of an entertaining summer blockbuster that’s actually smart and competently constructed. This is also the eleventh entry in Marvels cinematic universe, and you’d think that these films would feel old and tired by this point, but it actually holds up very well, and personally I think this surpasses all of its predecessors. First of all, I love the balance between action scenes, and quiet moments in which the hero’s could just breath. There’s even some downright touching moments, and I love all the interactions between all these characters that I’ve really grown to know and love. I also like how all the problems in this film stem come to form from people that are trying to do good in the world, and we understand why, it’s perfectly understandable Tony Stark would be so paranoid to create this super robot.
I also really love how we explore every hero’s dark side, fear, and the horrors that lurk in their very souls. We get several vision scenes that explore their psyche, and the visuals on display are nothing short of cryptic but also very engaging. There’s also a terrific cast of new characters including the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Visson and of course Ultron. Everyone of these new characters were fantastic, even if you had no idea who these characters were before hand, I can almost guarantee you’ll be fans of them by the time the movie is over. Visson in particular is made of awesome, and one of the best supporting characters I’ve seen in a superhero movie in years. The villain Ultorn was sinister and threatening, but he also had a dark sense of hummer, and occasionally talked like a really classy adversary, one that would occasionally make reference to classic literary sources.
Once again, I’m very easy to please and I had a great time with this film. I can’t guarantee that everyone will like this because it does utilize a plot that’s been done several times before, but again, I thought it was done well and in many ways I think this film even improved on several of the shortcomings I actually had with the first film. The characters all felt more human, I loved their banter, the action scenes are thrilling and at the very least, I think this film has a fine pinch of moral substance that keeps it from getting as stupid as the “Transformer” movies. If you like any one of the Avenger characters, and have been following this series, I think you’ll enjoy this just fine, at the very least you won’t be bored. Personally, I loved this film, I think it’s the best entry in the whole marvel cinematic universe so far, and I can’t wait to see it again. I give “Avenges: Age of Ultron” ... oh heck, I give it 5 stars out of 5.