The first and quite possibly the biggest summer movie is finally here. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is the film everyone has been anticipating. After the impressive juggernaut that is THE AVENGERS came out in 2012, fans have patiently been waiting for the sequel. Sure we’ve had some individual Avenger member films (THOR: THE DARK WORLD, IRON MAN 3, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER), but there is nothing like the smashingly good time of getting the whole gang back together to save the world.
After rescuing Loki’s scepter from the wrong hands, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) with the added help from Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), attempt to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program. Unfortunately, that program goes terrible wrong as it awakens a villain in the form of a free-thinking A.I. named Ultron (James Spader) who has the ability to inhabit many mechanical bodies at once and maintains the psychotic notion that in order to fix the world he must destroy it, starting with the Avengers.
Ultron is a decent villain, great for visual theatrics and witty repartee, due to Stark’s influence on the program no doubt, which Spader brings to life perfectly through his voice work. His entrance is one of the few memorable aspects as Ultron disrupts a little Avenger soiree at the Stark home. Embodying a broken, tattered robotic body from Stark’s basement, he overtakes Jarvis (Paul Bettany) and, quite creepily I might add, sings Pinocchio’s “I’ve got no strings on me.” He enlists help from two young siblings with mysterious powers, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) also known as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
The battles are big while the story is at times rushed, glossing over plot points that don’t entirely make sense or not relishing enough in some of the many “cool” action scenes that make for a respectable comic book frame. Fighting Ultron lacks satisfaction as the villain immediately inhabits another body when destroyed. However, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON does manage to dig deeper into the melancholy minds of our lead heroes. Providing a darker tone, the film is compelling, not so much because of the plot, but because of the characters and the actors behind them.
The question inevitably comes, whether AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is as good as the first? The answer is sadly, no. But did anyone really expect it to be? There is an advantage to being the first because it’s all new and original with the team coming together for the first time with untrusting tension. Depending on how hopeful one is for the second film, might bring on some degree of disappointment. The advantage, however, is that the characters are building a comfort level together without the necessity for more backstory. Making for some truly delightful moments, they are now able to poke fun at their placement on the team and playfully debate the physics of what some of their powers actually mean (why can no one lift Thor’s hammer?).
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is generally a good movie, with plenty of entertainment from our favorite superheroes including, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who gets a welcoming boost into his character. We get a few new characters and friendly appearances from some familiar faces as well. There is a budding relationship brewing between a couple of the Avengers and the usual funny banter mixed with some heated arguments among the rest. It’s clear the cast is finding some genuine chemistry and enjoying their work. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON’s biggest crime is the lack of memorable, standout moments that is essential to being great. However, it still delivers as a fun, easy summer movie that furthers our love for this ongoing universe that Marvel has so captivatingly put together.
