Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 141 minutes
Directed by: 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, Linda Cardellini, Andy Serkis, Julie Delpy
KRS Releasing Ltd
Avengers: Age of Ultron takes audiences back to the Marvel cinematic universe with great aplomb and flamboyance.
Age of Ultron is a comic book movie fan’s dream come true and fans of the Marvel movie style of film-making will simply love it.
Director Joss Whedon makes up for the familiarity aspect by delivering more and more of what the fans want. He finds enough space to let the comic book characters come alive, at times simply through some joke or one-liners, which give them added dimensionality. And each character has the chance to hog the spotlight.
The film brings with it a sense of comic book sensibilities that is almost a throwback to the movies of yesteryear, yet combined with the modern sense of the spandex epic.
Avengers: Age of Ultron opens with Captain America (Chris Evans) and co. on a mission in the snowy landscapes of Sokovia where they lay siege to Hydra’s Baron Wolfgang Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) who is carrying experiments in genetic manipulation.
The Avengers have to face twins Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and The Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), who have different abilities: he has super speed and she has psychic abilities that can cause the most destructive of daydreams.
There is also Ultron, an artificial sentient being which was created by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) for a good cause – but the way to hell is paved with good intentions! Voiced expertly by James Spader, Ultron ends up evolving not just free will, but an insatiable hunger which takes him on a destructive rampage – he raises an army of lookalike drones which lead to one scene after another of mass destruction.
In true comic book fashion, the film has other subplots. These include a budding romance between the Black Widow and Bruce Banner, which is dealt with nicely by a very sensuous looking Scarlett Johansson and an increasingly effective Mark Ruffalo.
Hawkeye’s backgound is given more importance and Jeremy Renner’s commitment and tongue-in-cheek attitude for this role makes him a very pivotal character.
The comic book characters come alive, at times simply through some joke or one-liners
Tony Stark is given a darker shade, thereby laying the foundations for future instalments. In addition, Paul Bettany comes alive in the form of The Vision.
Ultron himself is sleek, Machiavellian and a core of hatred and self-grandiose traits. He is a genuine threat and yet also an entertaining creation.
The director knows he is trying to cram about six to eight comic books worth of superhero fights, angst, plot and cliffhanging moments into one movie. So he opens the movie strongly, lets things ramble with a middle part that delivers in the same style as Marvel comic book fans are used to, and then burns the cinema screen with an over-the-top action-upon-action sequence climax that will leave fans breathless.
This tentpole movie delivers action sequences that one can literally clip off the film, like the Iron Man and Hulk encounter which looks terrific. Meanwhile, it leaves bits and pieces, like Hansel and Gretel’s clues, which give the fans lots to chew on for Marvel films of the future.
Yet throughout the entire special effects sequences and the weightiness in some moments, one never gets the feel that this is just another exercise in special effects, but rather a movie in which the characters have more than their fair share of heart.
Whedon also shows a bit of his dark side. This is evidenced in the way the Marvel universe is twisted on screen whenever The Scarlet Witch makes use of her powers.
While now familiar, the Marvel Universe is other than boring. Instead, a vibrant and exciting movie has been delivered that is simply a popcorn guzzling entertainer.
This movie revels in the way it immerses and places the audience at the forefront of the action, providing it with the right kind of adrenaline rush.