Were it not for Jurassic World or Episode VII coming out, this would probably be the most anticipated film of the year. Following the first amazing film and three spinoffs ranging from sub par to incredible, Age of Ultron is the second installment in the MCU to star the vast majority of the main heroes. I went into this film with a TON of optimism and extremely high expectations. No film since The Dark Knight Rises or Toy Story 3 could have expectations as enormously high as the hyped up follow up to The Avengers.After sitting through a near 2 1/2 hour spectacle of action, drama, passion, and ferocity, I was very content with this above average sequel to a legendary film. I thought this film did what sequels are supposed to do: further develop the characters and the world they live in, do not rehash the plot to the original (to an extent, they didn't), keep characters and motivations fresh and new, and give us a reason to not only watch this film again, but also to keep ourselves coming for more and more of these films. With that said, this film is not without flaw. In fact, it is perhaps one of the more flawed films of the MCU. Still, the flaws do not detract from the overall product.
Plot: The original Avengers (Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and the Hulk) have returned and are hunting down the last known base of Hydra. The team battles through hordes of opposition until they come across the Maximoff twins (Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver), who had been experimented on by Hydra scientists and hold a specific grudge against Tony Stark for the deaths of their parents at the hands of his weaponry. Learning that the experiments were done using the scepter Loki wielded during the invasion of New York, the Avengers capture Baron Wolfgang Strucker and recover the scepter. When taking the scepter, Iron Man sees a vision of an apocalypse in which his friends have fallen dead and he is to blame for it.
While studying the scepter, Tony and Bruce Banner discover that there is an A.I. within it and decide to use it to complete their global defense program called "Ultron". Naturally, Ultron's A.I. makes him think that he must eradicate all life on Earth and he unleashes his wrath on JARVIS and attacks the group while they celebrate their victory over Hydra. Ultron takes Loki's scepter and recruits Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to help destroy the Avengers. This results in Scarlett using her psychic powers to create horrendous visions and setting the Hulk loose on civilians in which Stark must utilize his "Hulk-Buster" armor to keep him in line and subdue him.
Eventually, the team regroups and begins hunting down Ultron. When they discover his plot, the Maximoff twins turn against Ultron and join forces with the Avengers. Utilizing a synthetic body that Ultron intended to use for himself, Stark uploads what was left of JARVIS into the being, which is called Vision. The newly revamped Avengers confront Ultron in Sokovia, where the being intends to launch the city into the sky and have it crash down and annihilate all life on Earth.
What's Bad?: There are a couple of things that rubbed me the wrong way when it came to this film. Firstly, as much as I still love the performance Spader give us, I was very disappointed in Ultron. From what I got in the teaser, he was this unfeeling and unyielding computer program like HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey that ultimately gains AI that seeks to eradicate all non-logic in the world. Spader, while almost as entertaining as Obadiah Stane or Loki, seems a bit too much like Tony Stark to really be considered a truly despicable villain. I guess you can call this the Hades effect, as the Hercules villain was so likable that he cannot be hated or despised like other Disney Villains. I really love Ultron, but not really at the same time.
BTW, SPOILERS!!! SKIP DOWN TO THE "WHAT'S GOOD" PART IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM AND WOULD LIKE TO BE SURPRISED BY WHAT HAPPENS PLOT-WISE...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
The second thing I do not like is the relationship brewing between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanov. I think that while the feelings do seem to be a bit genuine, there was almost no buildup to a relationship between the two in any of the previous films. Romanov or her backstory built decent relationships with Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Clint Barton, but not really with Bruce. I was especially confused by the fact that only she knows how to calm the Hulk down and does not try to teach it to any of the other Avengers.
Third, is the lack of development of the Maximoff twins, or at least Quicksilver (who dies in this film during the climax). While I fully expect Scarlett Witch to be developed more as the MCU rolls on, I think they botched the living crap out of Quicksilver. Plus, aren't these two supposed to be in the X-Men universe? Aren't Disney and Fox still fighting over who gets control of the franchise?
Lastly, is the end credits scene. Though I pretty much stated in the pre-Age of Ultron post I did a few weeks back that I expected it to be another tease of Thanos, GOD FUCKING DAMNIT! I REALLY HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER FEW YEARS FOR THANOS TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING? COME ON! GIVE ME SOMETHING MORE, GUYS! Just having Thanos appear and say that "he's taking matters into his own hands" is a huge ass cocktease and deserves to be ridiculed! Come on! I was at least expecting a Ragnarok tease, or even a Spider-Man tease (BTW, I didn't even know about the fake one someone on YouTube did. That's ingenious XD ).
What's Good?: There is more than enough good things about this film that make the things mentioned above palatable. And it starts with the expanded development of the lesser three Avengers (Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Hulk). Unlike Cap, Iron Man, and Thor, we don't know a lot about these guys (unless you watched the Edward Norton one), and we're left in the dark about who these guys are. We get tidbits, like with Barton and Romanov's friendship, but nothing too extreme. This film does do a good job giving us a bit more to know and like about these three and makes us look forward to further side character development in the future.
Second is Ultron. I know I already laced in above about the whole Tony Stark villain thing, but James Spader is just so damn entertaining in this role that it evokes Loki to me. I really wish Ultron would come back for another film just because of him. I know that Ant-Man was supposed to have been the one who created him, but it really is like the Hades effect. If a film was made where Ultron was once more the main adversary, I would love to see it.
The action is also up to par with the original. While nothing will beat the amazing scenes and shots the first film had (such as Hulk smashing that giant space ship when he showed up, Thor's mega lightning storm, Hulk mauling Loki, or even Hawkeye's freaking awesome shots in that film), this film does still have some great scenes. The first major fight scene against the Hydra minions was freaking awesome and the Hulk vs Iron Man fight was also freaking epic. And I don't care that this is another Hero vs Hero scene in these movies. So long as the fight is epic, it can hold it;s own.
And finally, this film is one of the few things in this world that gives me closure. I would be perfectly happy if I never see another MCU film. We started the MCU with Tony Stark becoming Iron Man and we end this film with him retiring and handing off his spot on the team to Rhodes (who becomes Iron Patriot). This is one of those times that I definitely would not mind if the series ended (with exception given to the big elephant in the room in Thanos). I have been on a wild ride that I loved a vast majority of the time (the Edward Norton Hulk and Iron Man 3 were forgettable) and am seriously looking forward to seeing what DC's answer will be (Don't rush to the Justice League, guys! I actually expect good things from you guys)
Overall: The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a magnificent film that gives me the perfect ending to what has been a wild ride in the MCU. Yes, I know that there are literally dozens of movies being planned, but if the whole story ended today, I would be very happy. Is it flawed? Yes. Is it too clunky in some areas? You bet it is! But the overall film is just so good that unless this film was such a stinker, I could not have been pissed off. Now, imagine what I'll have to say about Episode VII when that comes out...
Final Grade: 93 or A
Next Review: Big Hero 6
Then: Cars 2
Later: Brave
Also: Monsters University
Not looking forward to the next few reviews...particularly the Then one...but they have to get done eventually...
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