FINALLY, there are no strings on me! Chained, tied down by my anxieties and my waiting, I am finally free. The very first thing that is apparent is that “man we have come a long way since the Avengers assembled in the first movie.” The entire movie stages such a more serious tone. Instead of flourishing in the different characters and their personalities, the intention was to drill into the weaknesses creating a sense of self-destruction. A gander into a second fault that exists, the first fault: a team is only as strong as the bond that brings the individuals together. Second: evil is not black and white, it’s not a simple conflict. (Like Pym did in the comics. Stay tuned for more on that) Tony Stark begins, with the help of Bruce Banner, to create Ultron, initially as a powerful defense, supposedly for against a higher, more prolific form of evil. Everyone knows when any person gains control and power, regardless on their (Stark’s) intentions, it always leads to evil (which, by the way, wasn’t that what they were giving Fury a hard time about in the first film?).
World, meet Ultron. The complete scariness of this villain reached some awesome levels. Being, as clever as Robert Downy with a grim, sinister spin, Ultron surpassed certain expectations. Sometimes, I felt the graphics and personality of the character was a little too impractical. The whole bringing to life of such anamorphic, make-believe character, I knew it was going to be a hard sell (reminds me of Smaug). The sophisticated human traits embedded in the character took over a little too much. The robot, cold calculating side needed to be focused on more. The connection between why Ultron despises the Avengers, is kind of glossed over as rage. It’s once again drawn up as a hate, the villain possessed this theme, far more human than I would’ve predicted. The back and forth between him and the cast was written really well, but when it boiled down to his true motives, he appeared to be less calculating, unstoppable monster and more deranged mad-scientist.
More than any other movie in the MCU, they really expected the viewer to be all caught up, and stories back tracked. The fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Loki (three times), the rise of new age Hydra… all of the other movies set this one up. Amidst all the references, and back story flashbacks, this one more than others felt like just another chapter or volume, a drop in the overall bucket/grand scheme of things. I thought it was a good choice, to have the group hangin’ together, staying close through the entire film. The same orchestrated chemistry in the “Shawarma Scene” is replicated in a beginning segment. The heroes on their day off enjoying a party, but the payoff is the after-party… where every member in a backstage pass of sorts type of feel, they each attempt to lift Thor’s hammer: “Brilliant!” I say. That part was a needed break in the action, but not boring or awkward, it was masterfully constructed.
The team follows the bad guy breadcrumbs to Wakanda (enter Black Panther reference) where they face the worst that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch can muster. Long story short, Hulk is used as a pawn in the evil plot to destroy the hero league, again. The “Hulkbuster” showdown killed it! Very, very badass! As Tony kicks back in a crazy assortment of technological armor, he gives humorous commentary to an epic throw down. I couldn’t help but think of Planet Hulk and World War Hulk. The storyline was that Hulk lost it on an ultimate level in Las Vegas (in the comics) creating more than his usual devastation (which I believe is also part of the Civil War influence). Afterwards, the Illuminati of heroes (Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Dr. Strange and Black Bolt) decide that it’s in everyone’s best interest to exile the green monster to outer space. In Age of Ultron, while watching him lose control in the city, was this a final straw of sorts, to push the Planet Hulk development?
The most irritating moment (if I had to choose) involved Natasha Romanov’s role. Her action, her interaction and all that the Black Widow character brought was more than satisfactory, but her developed relationship with Banner/The Hulk was over the top. A mental tool they had made, naming it “lullaby” had Johansen approach the Hulk when they no longer need his services. She would say certain phrases and they would play a patty-cake then Hulk would revert back to Banner. It was interesting at moments but I thought the matter of transitioning could’ve been handled better.
Black Widow strikes again. The all over Hawkeye, in the first Avengers, then she’s Cap’s suto-romantic interest in Winter Soldier, now she’s caught Hulkamania Fever. I’m down for this in only a small manner, since the comics have spanned over such a long period of time, just like television shows, it seemed everyone eventually hooked up with everyone. In the movies, it’s harder to sympathize with since by the nature of the films, there’s not a large enough sample of the characters to relate to.
The Civil War setups were non-stop as well. Cap Vs Iron Man, liberty Vs power grows… respecting, working together but marching to a different faith. It’s kinda twisted how Civil War is so soon. In the first flick, they had their differences, and a tension is built between Tony and Steve. In the comics, they always approached things from different viewpoints but it was only an inkling compared to the full blown side-choosing they did on the way to war. Now, since Civil War is so close to the beginning in this timeline, all of the disagreements they ever have are viewed as seedlings.
Robert Downey Jr. didn’t steal the show like last time but it was partially made up with the comical cynicism brought to the table by Ultron. As the idea of Ultron is derived from the Jarvis, an entity Stark created, the notion that Iron Man is the father of the mechanical nightmare made it full circle. I, in some manner, hoped they would give homage to the original creator, Hank Pym. Since there was none, I imagine all is content on having Pym only involved in the Ant-Man project (and I at least hope, and think there will be a Giant-Man showing in the Ant-Man movie. Cross your fingers, I would bet that it is part of that conclusion/finale.)
In my humble opinion, this was Chris Evans’ best showing, he did even better than in the Winter Soldier. If there is a surprise in this movie (next to my Hawkeye revelation I reveal later) it was my realization that the Captain America, more specifically Chris Evans owns this movie. Downey did the same in the first two Iron Mans and gave an outstanding performance in Avengers, but in Avengers 2 Evans stood up to the task and nailed it. He couldn’t be a better personification of a by the book, all-American hero.
All you need to know about Thor in this movie, is that he was sexy as ever… and you should never make an Avenger movie without him. I would assume being in Chris Hemsworth’s presence is as breathtaking as his ability to pull off a Norse God in a superhero movie, but if any can do the Hugh Jackman, being a character a skillion times, I hope it’s him. I personally thought the original Thor movie was better than Captain America and Iron-Man, there is a special place in my heart for Thor and especially Hulk. No complaint, understood, there is so many to go through in one sitting, but Thor took a back seat on this one.
Mentally, I rated the first movie so high, the casting was solid and as a long-time collector, the only film I had longed for as much as an X-Men film (when it came out) was Avengers. The next in line that was on my wish-list: the Batman/Superman crossover…. And I’ve been preachin’ for a Spider-Man crossover for years. My vote goes to a Punisher Vs Spider-Man, yep. The point is: these movies have evolved my fandom into enjoying comics on a different platform. The Avengers, Phase One and Two have set the Gold standard, that this movie didn’t falter from. It would be really hard, in my mind, that any can compare to the first. Age of Ultron was a digression from its predecessor, but never made me feel like I was frustrated with the canon or follow through. The characters are all in their adolescences, and waiting around the corner is the mature, extravagant plot twists.
So, Scarlet Witch kicked more ass than speedster, X-men did Quicksilver better (obviously he was a bigger focus in one, but the comparison has to be made…). With even more appreciation, I only viewed Scarlet Witch as a true Avenger and Quicksilver as an X-Man, I liked how it progressed to being more about Wanda. Side note: It was a cool part of being a fan. They were in two different leagues, successful members in their own right. A part of two completely different concepts, but they always had that brother-sister bridge, back story to bind them (like so many other crossover comic book stories).
Have you ever watched, or seen something, small and insignificant at first but it changes your whole perspective on not just one thing but life? Something like that has happened to me. Now, I don’t usually watch the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel, but every once in a while I stumble across a Youtube video (like this video of Liam Neeson reading a bedtime story) that makes me think, “should I?”
The latest edition of funny things on those shows that I don’t watch but found the clips on social media is:
This video made me laugh to myself, cheering him on every time I saw Jeremy Renner on screen. Thank you to which ever higher power that had me see this before I saw the movie. It totally helped me galvanize Hawkeye as a character even more. I love the fact that I can enjoy such small things in life.
In an attempt not to be spoiler I will reserve some of what I want to write about the mid-credits/final scene (for all who haven’t seen it yet. Other reviews I could care less, but I don’t want to ruin any of it for a somewhat momentous event). Something about Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet, he says something to the matter of “I’m going to take care of this myself.” How did Thanos get it from Odin’s Armory? Also, in the comics (and even referenced at the end of the first) he goes after the gems to kill two birds with six stones: to gain control over the whole universe, and in turn “court Death.” That was the neat part of it all. He wanted to get with Death, replacing Brangelina (maybe Deathanos?) as the most popular star couple ever… going from galaxy to galaxy adopting additional killers like Gamora and Nebula. In the future, I hope they don’t steer far from the courting Death aspect. I give Age of Ultron seven chimichangas out of a possible ten.
C.J. Foxx
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