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| Source: comicbookmovie.com |
Avengers: Age of Ultron
(PG-13)
In July of 2013, Kevin
Feige took the stage at the Marvel Comics panel at San Diego Comic Con, and
teased the sequel to the 2012 blockbuster The Avengers. The dark screen lit up
with the words "Age of Ultron," and the crowd erupted.
Reactions among comic
fans were stellar. Non-comic readers, through blank stares and confusion,
mumbled, "Who?"
Given how the past
several movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have been teasing the
arrival of Thanos, it seems a fair question. Those curious had a long wait, but
finally in October 2014, the first trailer was leaked online, accruing tens of
millions of views in mere days. It's safe to say the world is excited for this
movie. Does it live up to the hype?
In one word: Hell yes!
Alright, two words.
It is worth noting that
since the initial movie of the MCU, Iron Man, released back in 2008, moviegoers
have had plenty to keep up with in terms of the series' overarching plot points.
This movie is no exception. If you’re not like me, and haven't seen every movie
multiple times, you may need to do some brushing up on a few characters, and
briefly mentioned story arcs from past movies. To get the full effect from Age
of Ultron, I suggest re-watching Avengers, Captain America 2, Thor 2, and
Guardians of the Galaxy. It also wouldn't hurt to re-watch Iron Man 3, but it
isn't quite as relevant as the others.
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| Source: dailymail.co.uk |
The story picks up three
years after its predecessor, as it opens on the team working as a well oiled
machine. The good times don't last forever though, as Tony Stark (Robert Downey
Jr) inadvertently gives birth to artificial intelligence, taking the form of
Ultron (James Spader), who believes the only path to peace lies in the
destruction of the Avengers. The movie has plenty of subplots between the
heroes, but all are easy to follow, and are neatly wrapped up by the end of the
movie. While the story is enjoyable, most moviegoers will most likely be
looking forward to the action, which Age of Ultron delivers in droves.
Throughout the film's
two hour and twenty minute run time, there are a bevy of beautiful beat-em-ups.
The action is frantic, fast paced, fun, and filled with plenty of humor and
one-liners sprinkled in. The movie shines in the moments where one or more of
Earth's mightiest heroes pauses mid-combat to deliver one of the movie's
plethora of quotable one-liners.
Anyone who has seen the
past Marvel movies knows that Downey's Tony Stark tends to steal every scene
he's in with his quick wit, and snarky overconfidence. This time around though,
everyone gets more than a little taste of the spotlight. Clint Barton, a.k.a.
Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), however, steals the show. After his minimal role in
the initial Avengers film, Barton proves that he's more than just a bow and
arrow, while pumping out some of the most enjoyable lines in the movie.
A close second in terms
of humor was the movie's title villain, Ultron. The previews didn't set a tone
for the character beyond that of "bad guy who wants to rule the
world," but Ultron is so much more. It's easy to see the correlation
between Ultron and his creator, Tony Stark, through their similarly dry yet
quick humor and one liners.
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| Source: denofgeek.com |
Some critics have
complained that the movie follows the formula of the original too closely,
leading to a near identical movie. This is definitely not the case. The stakes
that Ultron sets are much higher than that of the Chitauri invasion from the first
movie. The settings and action are bumped up several notches, and since the
team is already assembled when the movie starts, there is an immense amount of
character development added.
Others complained that
it doesn't impact the Marvel cinematic universe in the same scale as the events
of Captain America 2. This may be the case, but to that I have this to say: If
you go into every movie in the franchise expecting a massive, universe-changing
event or catastrophe, that leaves no room for actual development of the
universe. There’s no room to care about those huge catastrophes, since there
won’t be anything at stake. This movie's primary purpose is to prepare for the potential
galactic war that will take place in Avengers: Infinity War. In that capacity,
the story serves it's purpose beautifully.
By the time the credits
roll, every Avenger has had their time to shine. Coupling this with razor sharp
humor and intense fight scenes (sometimes at the same time), an engaging story,
and a jaw dropping finale, Avengers: Age of Ultron delivers on all fronts.
Verdict: 9/10.
Even if you just want a
fun, sci-fi action movie, this is it. But for those fans who have been
following the Marvel cinematic universe thus far, it all pays off here. This is
an absolute must-see, and a fantastic kick off of the 2015 summer blockbuster
season.
There is one more thing worth mentioning. Marvel has earned a reputation for their post-credits teaser scenes. Age of Ultron is an exception to this rule. There is a mid-credits scene, but nothing at the end of the credits, as is the norm.
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| Source: hypable.com |
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