ultron
Three years ago, a film debuted that many critics believed wouldn’t work. Tying together multiple blockbuster franchises into a star-studded superhero team-up seemed impossible. How could so many storylines come together without resulting in a Michael Bay-esque mess of explosions and hubris? Somehow, Marvel’s The Avengers turned out not only to be a box-office smash, but also a critical success, entertaining fans new and old and ushering in a new age of the superhero on the big screen.
Hollywood’s most successful experiment returns with The Avengers: Age of Ultron, bringing back the beloved heroes from the first incarnation of the series while adding in some fresh faces. The film is a lackluster but worthy follow-up to its predecessor that does little to flip the script on superhero films but does set the Marvel Universe stage for years to come.
The moviegoer’s perspective: We might be reaching the edges of this universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has done a remarkable job over the past 10 films in building a cohesive world that makes sense even without comic-book knowledge. The MCU’s intricately connected universe is unlike anything ever done before on film, and so far, it’s working remarkably well. Even as the films pile on more and more heroes, it seems likely that the system won’t collapse. Yet, the true mark of whether the next films can be good is MCU’s willingness to try new structures, which right now doesn’t seem promising .
The Avengers consisted of a charismatic villain leading an army of identical CGI aliens attempting to destroy the world while fighting in a large city that they mostly leveled by the end. The Avengers: Age of Ultron consists of a charismatic villain leading an army of identical CGI robots attempting to destroy the world while fighting in a large city that is mostly leveled by the end.
Can a Marvel movie ever have stakes less than the fate of the world? Or is that just an element of superhero stories that can’t possibly change?
Under the helm of Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and more), Age of Ultron definitely shows his fingerprints: witty zingers fly back and forth in the midst of action scenes, groups of heroes hang out while goofing off, and the villains are just as, if not more, entertaining than the main characters. This is where the film is strongest, with some genuinely hilarious moments and the sense that these characters are not just good people, but friends you’d want to spent time with.
It’s hard to know whether this is a result of Whedon’s work or the studio meddling with his script, but Age of Ultron seems less a Whedon project than the previous Avengers. Many of the fight scenes ultimately don’t matter much, and no character really gets an in-depth exploration.
Ostensibly, this film is about the Avengers warring against themselves, but it doesn’t really earn its weighty themes. Ultron is “born” and immediately rebels, becoming, for all his wit, another force of pure evil. Scarlet Witch’s dream powers had the potential to be truly scary and destabilizing, but instead our heroes essentially just walk through slightly more menacing versions of their own worlds.
Despite these problems, Age of Ultron is still a decidedly fun action film and the most superhero-y of all the Marvel films so far.
Still, it’s hard not to imagine a better version of this film, where the quantity of action is lessened, Ultron is more morally conflicted, the characters have more of a chance to bounce off one another and grow, and the film itself has more time to breathe.
— Jonathan Raeder
The comic-book fan’s perspective: The Avengers grow up (in fits and starts)
Comic purists will certainly find their feathers a bit ruffled by Age of Ultron.
Though fans have come to expect significant changes to the source material in these films, this story took liberties that make noticeable changes to our beloved heroes.
Many of these changes are a total shock even to those accustomed to adjustments. Film rights distribution has resulted in several crucial changes to the Avengers lineup. Some characters and their histories have been altered almost beyond recognition, which will no doubt cause some fanboy jammies to be twisted, but die-hard comic fans might genuinely relish the long-lost element of surprise in these films.
Fans of the comics who are invested in the continued success of the MCU will undoubtedly enjoy the way the film manages to foreshadow upcoming movies, namely Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: The Infinity War Part 1 and 2. The story is loaded with digressions that allow for world-building beyond the immediate storyline, which is both a blessing and a curse in this case.
Characters constantly separate from the group to work out their individual problems, which causes a lot of unwieldy and unnecessary side plots. There are subplots devoted to relationships between characters that feel shoehorned without real purpose. These drag out the pace of the movie at parts, and as Jon mentioned, do not feel as fully fleshed-out as is necessary to provide catharsis to the exhaustive CGI action.
On the other hand, it is quite comforting to see the setup for a grander story within this film. Naysayers claiming that the universe will collapse upon itself might be pleasantly surprised by the fascinating world-building that punctuates seemingly ordinary conversations between characters. There are also plenty of cameos that serve to remind audiences the studio hasn’t forgotten how big the MCU world is. More than that, the film demonstrates that there is a world to come, though it might be some time before it is fully realized.
Perhaps that is the biggest tragedy of the movie; it feels like a second part, not something entirely standing on its own. It relies on the base set by The Avengers and the second wave of the MCU, but lacks the levity that allowed its direct predecessor to become such a smash hit. Though the Earth’s well-being was at stake three years ago, there was no air of dread.
In time, the gritty and gloomy Age of Ultron will be recognized as a lovely bridge to future films. For now, though, the Avengers series seems to be going through its dark phase.
— Zoë DiGiorgio
