Movie Review : Avengers Age Of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron is twice the awesomeness of the first movie

Director : Joss Whedon
Starring : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie,Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson
Studio : Marvel Studios
Distributed by : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release Date : April 22, 2015 (Everywhere else)
May 1, 2015 (United States)

Plot: When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

Before we begin, I watched the first movie before even watching the sequel... for the very first time. Yes. Three years after it's original release, I've watched The Avengers for the very first time (I didn't really care much about this film back then). And I was completely overwhelmed. I was totally blown away with the first movie that it's now one of my all time favorite superhero films ever. So the sequel, Avengers : Age of Ultron really have big steps to fill.

I was super excited to see this film so I decided to see it in IMAX 3D (and we saw it a week earlier than it's release in the United States). So how did the film ended up? Let's have a break-down of the whole epic film.

Bigger Cast
Of course, as all laws in sequel applies, the second installment of The Avengers franchise includes a much bigger cast. Aside from our main superheroes, we also have two new additions: twins Pietro (played by Aaron Taylor Johnson), who has superhuman speed, and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who can manipulate minds and throw energy blasts. Then, we have some special cameos from Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell), former lover of Captain America; s James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine (Don Cheadle); Sam Wilson / Falcon (Anthonie Mackie); black-market arms dealer, smuggler and gangster Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) and of course, Thanos (Josh Brolin).

Then, we have the main villain in the form of Ultron (played by James Spader, an AI developed by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner for a pilot peace program, successfully brought online through exposure to the Mind Gem within Loki's sceptre. Overwhelmed with a god complex, Ultron now desires to bring peace to Earth by eradicating humanity. We also get a look on J.A.R.V.I.S/ The Vision's human form played by Paul Bettany.


A Darker Tone
Another of the major differences that one will see in this movie is the change in tone. The first one was really bright. The colors were stark and crisp. There's a lot of humor to give light to every scene. This sequel, however, is way more darker. It is also way more serious in tone.
There's one scene for example when Ultron, together with Pietro /Quicksilver and Wanda Maximoff/ Scarlet Witch went to visit the base of arms dealer Ulysses Klaue in an African shipyard to obtain vibranium for his armor. When Ulysses Klaue disagreed with him with what he said, Ultron cut off his arm. That scene actually totally shocked me. It was so unexpected. And it was too violent for a Marvel superhero movie like this.

Then, there's also the part where Bruce Banner run amok in the African streets, causing mayhem and terror in the residents there. He can't control himself because Wanda used her powers over him. Tony Stark had to subdue him with his Hulkbuster suit. He saw how deadly and dangerous he can be to other people. He's a ticking time bomb, ready to explode any minute.


A Completely Different Battlefield

The first movie was mostly set in New York. And most of the battles took place there too. Imagine how the city looked like now after the attack. So instead of doing the whole action in the Stateside again, the story was instead scattered all over the world. At one point, we see the guys chasing Ultron in Seoul, South Korea. Then, we see Hulk destroying buildings in South Africa. But the main battle happens in Sokovia, where the whole city is lifted into the sky.
I liked the fact that the settings of the film wasn't in the States anymore. I mean, it might just end up like another Michael Bay picture (Transformers, anyone?)
These changes in settings also contributed to the cameos of other characters that are soon to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For example, the team visits the South African shipyard base of arms dealer Ulysses Klaue to obtain vibranium. Klaue has been reported to be one of the main villains in the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther.

The Maximoff Twins

I dont know but I love the two of them. Not as much as I love Captain America or Spiderman, but I like watching the two of them play around with our Avengers - with Wanda planting illusions or vision of some kind to their minds, while his brother Piero kick them in the ass. It's so fun to watch. Actually more enjoyable than Evan Peter's QuickSilver in Xmen: Days Of Future Past (2014).
Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen are perfectly cast in their roles. Although their Russian accents bother me sometimes, that actually adds up to the humor when the two of them are goofing around. They're so adorable to watch.

Black Widow and Hawk Eye revelations
Age Of Ultron has another thing that I really loved about. It finally shed some light behind the previous lives of Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton / Hawkeye.

During the first movie, we were given some hints of their past during a conversation between them, stating some reference to an event that happened a long time ago in Budapest. This time, we get to know them more.



Here we are given a backstory for Black Widow, telling her origins as a trained assassin. Her story is actually darker than the others. At one point, she was tasked to shoot an unknown man kneeling down before her. It was also revealed that she's unable to conceive a child for she went under surgery as part of her initiation when she was young.

But the one who was given a bigger background here was Clint Barton / Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner). Here it was revealed that he is hiding a pregnant wife and a pair of kids in a secluded farmhouse in an unspecified location (for obvious reasons). I was really surprised about this because I never thought that a guy like him can have a life of his own.
Here his wife keeps on worrying about him because unlike the rest of the team, he is the only one who's normal. He doesn't have any metal suits to protect him, he does'nt have any magical powers to fight with. Just a bow and an arrow. I love how they pointed this out because it really shows how vulnerable his character is, especially on the opening scene of the film, he is the only one who got injured in one of their fights.

Well, I guess the love triangle between him and Captain America over Black Widow won't be happening in the future. I as really looking forward to see Hawkeye and Black Widow have a little romance between them ever since I saw them together in The Avengers. Too bad Black Widow preferred men who turns to green, instead. Still, I would love to see a stand-alone movie featuring the two of them. Like a prequel based on the events that happened in Budapest, remember? C'mon, Marvel!



Weak Villain?
Tom Hiddleston's Loki was so memorable in The Avengers. but unlike him, James Spader's Ultron kinda feels a bit weak as a super villain. I don't know but during his first few scenes, Ultron really looked scary. He was creepy all the way: from the way he looked and the way he talked.
But as the movie progressed, he became a bit comical. He kinda turned out like a metal clad version of Freddy Krueger.


One thing that I really hate...
Okay. So Marvel has been known for starting this trend on having these post-credits scene to tease a sequel, another movie or a spin-off. Or sometimes, just to add more humor to the movie. And I totally love this idea. I'm always looking forward to these post-credits scene for Marvel movies. So like what I've said earlier, I watched Avengers : Age of Ultron in IMAX last week. I really waited inside the cinema (alongside the rest of the audience there) just to see the post-credits scene.
But what did we get?
Nothing.
There is no fucking post-credits scene in this movie!
The only thing we saw was a note at the end of the credits saying: THE AVENGERS WILL RETURN. And we already know that.
It would have been the best Marvel movie for me if they had a post-credits scene in it. But unfortunately, there's none. So I'm so sad to say but that is a major markdown for a Marvel movie to me. I really got disappointed when I found out that there's really no post-credits scene in it. Ugh.

P.S. There is a mid-credits scene though. It has Thanos retrieving the Infinity Gauntlet and, dissatisfied with the failures of his pawns, vows to hunt for the Infinity Stones himself. So this actually means that a crossover between The Avengers and Guardians Of The Galaxy might be happening anytime in the future.



Verdict:
Okay. So aside from the fact that this movie doesn't have a post-credits scene, everything else in this movie actually rocks. This is one awesome sequel that I'm pretty sure every fan of the first movie will enjoy. Totally loved every single moment of it.
I'm definitely looking forward to it's sequels Avengers : Infinity War Part I (2018) and Part II (2019).

I'm giving this 5 out of 5 stars.

Marvel's The Avengers- Age of Ultron 2015... by ayeshanpt