The first Avengers movie brought about a refreshingly light-hearted laugh-out-loud feel, and this is not lost in Age of Ultron ,which picks up from where Captain America: The Winter Soldier left off. I.e. that whole End of S.H.I.E.L.D era. This means that the tone of the film is suitably darker, although the script will still have you frequently chuckling. The balance between impending doom and a bunch of talented people having a laugh and a drink is created well. Regarding the ongoing and never-ending theme of impending doom, it's by no means plain sailing, particularly right from the start. The introduction of twins Quicksilver (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) throws a real spanner in the works - I mean, super speed and the ability to move and control things with just your hands and get into their heads, have got to be the best powers ever! Anyhow, some trippy hallucinations courtesy of Scarlet Witch still possess a few elements of humour, perfectly proving the balance I talk about. The characters make a nice dynamic-changing addition to the franchise.
Assuming you are familiar with the other films in the Marvel family, by now, the characters we're so used to seeing are firmly forged by the actors who play them. No surprises there, when Iron Man has his own trilogy, and even this is the 4th time we've seen Black Widow despite her not even having her own series. The actors are masters of their craft - I also definitely have a soft spot for Chris Evans' Captain America. Yes, he does actually do more than run around with a fancy shield. It's nice to see Mark Ruffalo again although this time we see another side to Dr Science, and it's got a lot to do with chemistry...
In addition to the Maximoff Twins, who are well cast as long as you can take their Eastern European accents seriously, there's Vision (played by Paul Bettany who stretches his casting past J.A.R.V.I.S) and of course Ultron. Vision is this new naive but supercool and powerful android whose very existence still confuses me - it feels to me like the Avengers are cheating just a little bit but I might just need to revisit the cinema. Ultron, with his artificial intelligence being and confused god complex, is not your usual villain. In fact, he is a creation for world peace. And, well, you know where it's going to go from there.
You can't help but feel kind of feel sorry for Ultron as this unintentional villain. It raises questions about its maker Tony Stark; how powerful do the Avengers need to be? Regardless, he's capable of causing mayhem and is a sinister enough threat to make you jump out of your seat once or twice.
The Ultron storyline feels a little absurd at times, but then you think back to the idea of hundreds of aliens flying through New York on flying surfboards. Ok, they definitely weren't flying surfboards but it was pretty bizarre. And believe it or not, the level of chaos and destruction is upped in this sequel. A budget of around $50 million more than the first film was never going to be spent on pretty little details. On a few minor points, I felt the missing girlpower in the form of Pepper Potts and Jane (aka the other halves of Iron Man and Thor who clearly had better places to be). There were also lots of details you'd have to watch Marvel's Phase Two films to be clued on. If you went straight from Avengers 1 to Avengers 2, you'd be hella confused.
It often feels like the Avengers has entered into this new stage - new recruits and all - I miss the good'ol days of the gang! But it's still early days because two sequels in the form of The Avengers: Infinity War Parts 1 and 2 are yet to come. The title already suggests we're heading several shades darker and oh gosh heaven forbid could there even be a cliffhanger between Part 1 and Part 2?
As the obligatory during-credits scene appeared (ooh infinity stones!), I was almost a little sad to acknowledge that it'll be another 3 years until the next sequel. Age of Ultron, although not as superbly executed as its predecessor, was a satisfying film providing everything you'd want from an Avengers film. Plus, you leave the cinema taking with you a few new in-jokes. "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door...Yay!". Let the 3 year countdown begin!
- Monday, May 04, 2015
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