Review #867: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015)

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe growing increasingly larger every year, returning director Joss Whedon was faced with an even more monumental task than he did in 2012 with The Avengers, the movie that finally brought together the superhero collection of huge personalities united by one goal, but each wanting to go about it in their own way. Each standalone film has developed key supporting players necessary to the character whose name is on the poster, and with The Avengers' climax allowing its Earthlings to gaze into a wormhole and last year's Guardians of the Galaxy unleashing aliens a-plenty, Marvel's world has truly become a universe.

The last time a director returned for a Marvel sequel, we ended up with Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2 (2010), a messy let-down of a film that lacked invention, to the point that it felt like the guy behind the camera had lost all interest by the end. In a way, Age of Ultron suffers from some of the same problems. Like all Marvel films, it pits it's leads against a 'new threat', climaxing with a battle in the air that features lots of punches, blasts and quips. But for all it's narrative familiarity, Whedon still finds new ways for his heroes to batter their opponents, keeping the jokes fresh and genuinely witty, and ensuring the ragtag, flawed bunch are always eager to be at each other throats (quite literally - I think every character is grabbed by the throat at some point).

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is still suffering from nightmares and flashbacks of his journey through the wormhole and seeing the threats lurking amongst the stars. He and the Avengers, now led by Captain America (Chris Evans), attack the Hydra outpost of Baron von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), the monocled Nazy glimpsed at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) in possession of Loki's scepter. Von Strucker's defences are useless when faced by the Avengers, but that is until he unleashes the twins Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen); the former possessing super-speed, and the latter able to enter people's mind and unleashing their darkest fear. When Wanda screws with Stark, he sees his friends dead, powerless to stop it. She is like the ultimate bum acid trip.

After retrieving the scepter, Stark and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) discover an artificial intelligence hidden inside, and use it to kick-start the Ultron program, an independent-thinking army of robots designed to protect Earth from any threats, allowing the Avengers to retire in the process. But Ultron (wonderfully voiced by James Spader), having consumed huge amounts of data through the internet within seconds of being activate, concludes that the only way to save the planet is to eliminate the one's responsible for slowly destroying it - humanity. Upon discovering what Stark has created, Captain America and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) are furious. And so are the public, who are terrified with the amount of carnage taking place around them as Ultron journeys to Africa in search of vibranium, the near-invincible metal that will allow him to create the ultimate body.

On top of the character's already mentioned, the Avengers also consist of Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner. Add to the mix the returning Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba and Paul Bettany - who appears in the flesh for the first time as the Vision - as well as newcomers Linda Cardellini and Andy Serkis, and you have one hell of a hefty line-up. Whedon has juggled large ensemble's before with the tragically cancelled Firefly and it's follow-up movie Serenity (2005), as well as the first Avengers, but he has a noticeably weaker grip on his cast this time around. It jumps from one action scene to another, slightly smothering the quieter scenes in between, failing to allow them to breathe and flow.

The one exception involves a welcome retreat for the Avengers, who choose to lay-low at Hawkeye's (Renner) humble abode after causing more chaos with Ultron. Clearly feeling guilty at the shoddy deal Hawkeye got last time around, who spent most of the movie controlled by Loki, Whedon has finally made him interesting. He acknowledges his inferiority when compared an unstoppable green monster and the God of Thunder, and even comments on the lunacy of fighting off an army of killer robots with a bow and arrow. His warm relationship with his wife (Cardellini) and his children, as well as his various personal face-off's with Pietro, provide a human connection in the midst of a 90 year-old super soldier and a millionaire playboy genius.

With Marvel's Phase Three almost upon us (once Ant-Man is finally released later this year), Age of Ultron was always in danger of being little more than a stepping-stone to what's to come. Yet although it certainly hints at upcoming characters (the fictional country of Wakanda, home of the Black Panther, is mentioned) and future events (Thor is troubled by his Wanda-induced apocalyptic visions, which are to take place in Thor: Ragnarok (due 2017)), it also moves the story forward and evolves its characters. Marvel certainly needs to change its formula though (the paranoid thriller twist on The Winter Soldier was a stroke of genius); the smash-heavy climaxes have become tired. Ultron is also not really the threat he was set-up to be, but he's utterly electric when on screen, Spader providing a biting wit to his growls. It is far for perfect, and inferior to its predecessor, but riotously entertaining throughout.


Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #461: 'The Avengers' (2012)

So here it arrives, at last, after five films, four years, and many an explosion, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are brought together (with the addition of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)) to become the third highest-grossing movie of all time (so far). While the individual films vary in quality, it is Joss Whedon who was chosen to handle such an big-name ensemble. The Avengers is hardly a masterpiece, but is one of the most effortlessly entertaining films I've ever seen, with a witty script, an extremely talented cast, and Scarlett Johansson's arse back in spandex.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's Asgardi brother, arrives on Earth via a portal created by the Tesseract cube, and destroys the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D., an espionage agency ran by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Fury calls on Steve Rogers (Evans) to help against Loki, who is busy causing a distraction as a Loki-possessed Hawkeye steals iridium needed to stabilise the Tesseract's power, and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) calls on Tony Stark's (Downey Jr.) expertise in understanding the power that Loki may now wield. Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) is sent to Calcutta to round-up Bruce Banner, while Thor moves in after Rogers and Stark capture Loki. Soon enough, the group are bickering on board S.H.I.E.L.D.'s giant Helicarrier, while's Loki's grand plan comes to fruition.

Joss Whedon clearly loves his comic-books. While the film in absolutely no way isolate's newcomers, this is a film for the geeks. Ever wanted to see the Incredible Hulk fight Iron Man? Or the Hulk punching Thor thity feet through the air? Iron Man mocking Thor with Shakespearian venom? What about the Hulk repeatedly smashing Loki against the floor (in possibly the most inspired moment of the film) by his legs? Well, nerds, you better start thinking about your gran before you spray your pants as The Avengers has them all and then some. It's a true indication of how the balance of power in Hollywood has shifted of late, with Internet chat-rooms providing a medium for many an uber-nerd to vent their opinions and approvals/disapprovals. With directors like Peter Jackson, Edgar Wright and Zack Snyder (as well as Whedon) amongst the directorial A-list, films no longer need to be bogged down with added romance or morality lessons to please the 'wider audience' producers thought existed, but instead go back to the source of what made the subject so beloved in the first place.

But the film is far more than great special-effects and action scenes (though they are here in abundance), and shows that a film doesn't have to simply ejaculate in your face a la Michael Bay to make mega-bucks. Whedon's screenplay is the key to the film and the scenes in which the group verbally interact (especially in the early scenes where they despise each other) provides plenty of wit and genuine heart. No character is forgotten either - Whedon has experience handling an ensemble with the tragically cancelled Firefly series, which led to the terrific film adaptation Serenity (2005) - and The Avengers' 140+ running time allows them all to breathe, without anyone being lost amongst the enormous personalities and emotional complexities.

Although it's not the best superhero film ever made, it's certainly the most fun. And with the darkness and psychological menace of The Dark Knight Rises still lingering in my mind, The Avengers offers a funnier, more care-free alternative in the genre (although The Avengers does have its share of genuine shocks). If there were any concerns about the film living up to its hype, they have been well and truly laid to rest, with Ruffalo's Bruce Banner providing yet another casting masterstroke after negotiations between Marvel and Edward Norton broke down (they can stop changing him now after three Hulk's in as many movies). Even though it does move a bit too frantically for its own good sometimes, Downey Jr. and co are just too magnetic for this to become a problem. The film offers yet another post-credits nipple-erecter, opening Marvel's universe even more, so hopefully there will be more of the same to come with The Avengers 2 (due 2015 according to IMDb) and Edgar Wright's Ant-Man (probably out next year).


Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Samuel L. Jackson
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie