This is going to be a longer post than usual. Mainly because I feel that there is so much to talk about with this movie that I don't feel my usual length can do it justice. I am a comic person. I grew up reading comics, almost exclusively Marvel. I know a lot of these characters by heart. And I was always hoping that the rest of the world could see these characters for how awesome and interesting they are. Which is why I was so excited when they announced this whole Marvel Cinematic Universe that they were planning. Despite being excited, I was also concerned about how they would translate to the screen. Not just could they keep the spirit of the characters and material intact, but could they also do it to where a normal person could understand it and go with it without just laughing at it. And they have a very strong track record of doing that so far, and Age of Ultron is no exception.
Now that the Avengers are all teamed up and comfortable with each other to where they know each other's next moves without having to say them out loud, the next logical step is "Can they stick together, or is having all these different personalities together the worst idea imaginable?". Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) creates a program meant to be a peace-keeper named Ultron (James Spader). Ultron instead sees humanity as a threat to the evolution of the planet and begins a plan to wipe out all of mankind. When he teams up with Eastern European orphans with newfound superpowers, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff/Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch(Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen) to enact his dastardly plans, the Avengers must overcome their differences and reteam to stop the ensuing chaos.
Before I go further into the characters and performances, I'm going to post a series of GIFs so that you can understand the point I am about to make;
The thing that all of these images have in common that I love is that they feel like you are watching a moving comic book. The angles, the composition, even the way it's lit, feels like reading a panel in one of those old Stan Lee/Jack Kirby comics from back in the 1960s. You can tell writer/director Joss Whedon loves these characters and wants to do right by them the best he can, and it really shows, not just in the direction, but also the writing. And while it isn't completely slavish to the material that it's drawn from (the aforementioned Lee/Kirby comics, in addition to a lot of material being drawn from Mark Millar's "Ultimates" series), it succeeds by getting the soul and spirit of the characters and the comics pitch perfect. Iron Man is the egotistical billionare with a drinking problem, Captain America (Chris Evans) is the man from another time who is born to be a strong leader, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the god whose customs do not fit with Earth's, Hulk(Mark Ruffalo) is the Jeckyll and Hyde archetype where Jeckyll is horrified of what Hyde is capable of, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is the mysterious assassin with trust issues, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, whose role in this film will prove the naysayers towards him completely wrong) is the sarcastic archer we all know and love and is pretty much the human heart of the team. Quicksilver is arrogant and over-protective of his sister, Scarlet Witch, whose powers make her more than a little unhinged. And while Ultron is created Iron Man instead of Hank Pym/Ant-Man (soon to be played by Michael Douglas), and he's much more snarky than in the comics, they get the Frankenstein's monster aspect of him and his hatred for the Avengers PERFECT. Every actor brings their A-game to this film and are no doubt helped by the strong writing and great characters. Which leaves us with one more character I have yet to mention...Vision.
The Vision comes into being as Ultron creates him in attempt to fight back against the Avengers. Things don't naturally go according to plan, and Vison ends up teaming with the Avengers. He knows that even though he is not human, the humans have a reason to exist, and he truly cares about them and wants to save them (even to the point of a very strange romance between him and Scarlet Witch, which I'm secretly hoping they actually go through with in future movies). At first I was confused as to why they would want Paul Bettany to play him. He's a great actor and he looks the part, but he had already had a role in the Marvel universe as J.A.R.V.I.S., the artificial assistant to Iron Man. But once you see the movie you'll understand why.
Every piece of action in this film is mind-blowingly incredible. Cinematographer Ben Davis (who also shot Marvel's own "Guardians of the Galaxy) frames every sequence as if it's a work of art. And the editors do a great job of making sure you can see the action. And the special effects are beautiful, especially on the Hulk and Ultron. I almost want to see it again in 2D, because in addition to giving me a headache, which doesn't usually happen with me, I feel like the 3D actually prevented me from seeing some small parts of action that I am still dying to see. I have heard some people criticizing the movie for having the action go on for too long, but I felt that it was the prefect length, and every fight scene is very well choreographed and shot, with the Hulk vs. Hulkbuster sequence being a particular standout. And in addition to that, they make sure that you see the team evacuating and saving every civilian possible, even when they are in the middle of a life-threatening situation (the movie feels like it's constantly, not-so-subtlely kicking Man of Steel and the Transformers series in the balls). But despite all that, the story is still intact. I almost don't want to talk about that aspect anymore because there are so many great, small reveals about certain characters that makes you root for them that much more.
Some people are going to complain about the fights going on too long and an overabundance of characters. I either disagree completely with these points, or I understand where they're coming from, but I'm having so much fun that I just don't care. This is everything I would want to see not only in an Avengers movie/sequel, but also what I would want to see in a summer blockbuster. It's funny, it's exciting, it's emotional, it's well-acted, and it pleases the comic fans while keeping casual viewers entertained. And the ending is pure perfection in my book. I am not afraid to admit that there some small parts where I felt like I was about to start choking up (in tears of both joy and sadness). I love this movie, I love where this series is going, and if this really is the last Marvel movie that Joss Whedon directs, he went out on the highest note imaginable.
I give Avengers: Age of Ultron 10 out of 10 vibranium tipped arrows.
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