Avengers: Age of Ultron

Flawed but fun  -by Matthew Cooper

Marvel's The Avengers was a cinematic event unlike any other that had come before it. The team up of six characters from four smaller franchises was a massive risk and it paid off. Not only was The Avengers the third highest grossing movie of all time, it was a masterpiece of popcorn entertainment. It would be an understatement to say that its sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron has a lot to live up to. Does it deliver? For the most part, yes. Age of Ultron may not quite be on the same level as its predecessor, but that doesn’t stop it from being a ton of fun.

Age of Ultron wastes no time getting into the action. The film opens to the team raiding one of the last remaining Hydra bases and retrieving Loki’s scepter from the first film. After studying the mysterious alien device, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) develop Ultron, an artificial intelligence designed to protect the world. Immediately after birth, he gains sentience and, of course, wants nothing more than human extinction. The only thing standing in Ultron’s way is Earth’s mightiest heroes.
The lineup of superheroes is much larger than in the previous film. Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are all back and as great as ever. Newcomers Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are never given quite enough screentime or development to stand out, but are at the very least, adequate. In addition, there are cameos from nearly every supporting character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Including so many faces is a dangerous game and Age of Ultron almost crumbles under the weight. Luckily, the screenplay is just strong enough to tie everything together and make things appear coherent.

Marvel Studios has always had difficulties creating compelling villains. Fortunately, Ultron is an exception. Voiced by James Spader, the towering robot is intimidating, sarcastic, and imposing. He is a worthy foe despite his cliched upbringing. 

Ultron’s introduction to the film seems rushed, with only a montage of lab work to explain it. Director Joss Whedon claims that there were many scenes cut from the film and it’s noticeable. The pacing is too fast at times and too slow at others. Sometimes scenes feel missing and certain subplots only exist to set up later sequels.

There are also several technical aspects of the film that needed more work, despite the $250 million budget. While the action scenes are mostly spectacular, a few are edited with too many cuts, making them difficult to follow. Composers Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman also copied most of the score from Alan Silvestri’s excellent work on The Avengers without implementing any noteworthy changes. In that film, the music was a driving force that increased the adrenaline of the fighting. In Age of Ultron, the sound mixing is so poor that the themes can barely be heard.  

But despite several flaws, Age of Ultron does what it sets out to do -- be a fun time at the movies. Whedon is able to recreate the fantastic chemistry between characters that made the first film so special. There’s a sense of collaboration between team members that works so well. Two or more heroes fighting side by side, combining abilities is pure comic book joy and the best part of the movie.

Phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its ups and downs. It has shown the best and the worst that this franchise has to offer. Avengers: Age of Ultron is not a perfect movie. It isn’t as good as the its predecessor or last year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. But that’s ok, because it is still a blast to watch and a great way to kick off the summer movie season.