[yasr_overall_rating]
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.
Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is what a summer popcorn flick should be: action-packed, dramatic and full of humor. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of humor that permeated throughout the movie. The first “Avengers” film was like any good origin story, it spent its entire duration bringing together each individual superhero and pitting them not just against the movie’s villains, but also against each other. With “Age of Ultron,” we bypass the bonding process that has already been established and literally jump straight into the action. After the events of the first movie, Loki’s scepter has disappeared and the Avengers secure a lead that takes them to eastern Europe where they track down a Hydra outpost only to discover they have been experimenting on humans.
Many died during the tests but two survived and are unlike anything the Avengers have ever encountered. They are brother and sister Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), aka Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Pietro has superhuman speed and Wanda can control and manipulate people’s minds as well as produce energy blasts with deadly consequences. Having located the scepter, the group head back to Tony Stark’s lab where unbeknownst to everyone but Bruce Banner, Tony tries to reignite an old global defense program he once tried to construct called Ultron, which ultimately failed but after having discovered a form of alien artificial intelligence within the scepter, he is convinced that this is the missing piece to his inoperative program.
The A.I. is so far advanced, it eliminates Stark’s first line of defense, J.A.R.V.I.S. and before the Avengers know what has hit them, Ultron attains a robotic human-like form where his ultimate goal is to duplicate himself throughout the world and rid the earth of all humans. In many ways, the film reminded me of the perpetual conflict between Neo and Agent Smith in “The Matrix” movies, and with each film’s progression, it signaled Smith’s own evolution and thirst for world dominance, simulating every being he comes into contact with until he is the authoritative life force on the planet. That is the basic plot line here and while the film may borrow elements from other movies, director Joss Whedon adds enough action and humor that you are able to just sit back and enjoy yourself.
Undoubtedly, Marvel has another winner on their hands and there’s no doubting that this movie will cross the billion dollar mark worldwide within the next few weeks and it’s not just the action and special effects that will help propel it, although they are naturally a big part of it, what makes the movie work so well, is the interaction and the charisma between the Avengers themselves. While the first movie showed this ragtag team trying to adjust to working with each other, now they are like a well-oiled machine who complement and understand each other, for the most part anyway but like any family, there will always be a little rivalry and friendly competition. The movie is also, naturally, much darker than its predecessor but that is to be expected when you’re dealing with the second part of a planned series of movies.
Just look at “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Dark Knight” for proof of that but thankfully, there’s more than enough humor here to offset the dramatic and sometimes scary elements that might be too much for young kids. Jeremy Renner, in an interview after the first Avengers movie, stated that he did not have much to do and that in the follow-up, he hoped that his character would be significantly strengthened. Well, the powers-that-be were obviously listening because if anything, his Hawkeye is probably the most developed character in the entire movie. He is also a lot more playful than his solemn and inflexible turn in the first film. Romantic undertones are hinted at between Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) but they are never followed up on.
The fact that they’re hinted at means that maybe in the film’s successor, “Avengers: Infinity War” in 2018, we might get to see some interplay between the two. The only criticism I had with the film, was the 3D element. I am not a big fan of this gimmick that accompanies many movies today and by the time the film was over, the 3D did absolutely nothing to enhance it. If you plan on going to see it, I would recommend watching it in regular 2D, your viewing experience will be so much better. I doubt any other movie will be able to knock “Avengers: Age of Ultron” from the top spot it will undeniably clinch for many weeks but that’s okay because it’s a movie that, for me, will require a second viewing.
In theaters May 1st
