[Review] Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Have you seen all of the other Marvel phase films? Good then you’ll be able to understand and get everything that is going on with Avengers: Age Of Ultron. If not, you have a few films to catch up on, because this wont make much sense without seeing what has come before it. Now with that out of the way, how does the follow up to Avengers hold up? On a personal level I found the film to be more focused, rushed perhaps but it did concentrate on characters that were an afterthought the first time around.

So where do we find our heroes this time? The film opens with the team together (don’t try to think too much about why they weren’t together for Iron Man 3, Thor 2 or Captain America 2), fighting to get through to a complex that houses Loki’s septer. The complex that houses the septer is hiding a few many things, including twins that have special powers. One of the twins uses her powers to show Tony Stark a grim future, this vision drives him. They get the septer back, and in doing so Tony realises they could continue with a dormant peace keeping program called Ultron. This process ultimately leads to the creation of Ultron, the opposite of what Tony Stark is, the team need to band together to stop him.

The plot is quite thin and a little rushed, the film harks back to earlier films as mentioned, and it does act as a huge stepping stone for things to come. It could be seen as a film to bridge things, not an issue in this case as this is a very entertaining film. With material that isn’t quite thick enough, we do have lots of action and some very good character development to fill in. The creation of Ultron happens very fast, however this creation is the star of the film. James Spader is Ultron, from his voice to his mocap work, he is mostly definitely one of the most memorable things of all the film series. He is a creation based off of ego, Tony’s ego. However his creation too I felt was a set up from Hydra, however this was not ever mentioned just hinted at.

With a villain that hits close to home, the team have a lot to deal with. This is a villain that knows everything about them, he has the upper hand. The threat does feel very real, and as Ultron keeps on going his two equals, the twins realise they aren’t on the right side. Now the Maximoff twins (traditionally they are mutants, the offspring of Magneto, here they are manufactured) have a grudge against Stark. Not easy for them to have to side with him, but we the audience do understand their motivations.

Each character here as their own thing going on, maybe except Captain America. Thor has a bit of a side quest that happens after Wanda Maximoff gives him a vision. (My thinking is that Thor will learn who is truly ruling Asgard). Natasha and Bruce have a romance brewing, one more hesitant than the other, but their pairing makes sense. Hawkeye has a lot more input this time around, no one quite knew him as well as they had thought. Tony of course deals with his creation and another of his creations expands. We also do learn more about the Infinity Stones, which we first saw in Guardians Of The Galaxy, and we do know the next Avengers film will be a two parter called The Infinity Wars.

Earning huge points from me with the characters actively saving civilians no matter where they are, there is a lot to like about this film. It is not without its flaws, but in some ways it does feel superior to Avengers. It may not be the popular opinion but personally I did get a lot out of this time. The first two acts didn’t feel as formulaic, however the third act felt too similar too Avengers. The strongest elements with Marvel are their characters and the actors, the casting has been fantastic and it continues to be so.

I do look forward to what else Marvel has in store, Captain America 3 with Civil War certainly has had the seeds sown. Before I end this be sure to keep an eye out for some nice cameos and there is a mid credit scene.

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