Friday, May 1, 2015

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON MOVIE REVIEW


The biggest thing that Marvel Studios did right was the way they set up the first Avengers movie in 2012.  They didn’t rush it.  They gave all the key stars their own movies so that we could be introduced to each one of them individually.  By the time The Avengers came out, we were all ready for it.  I enjoyed that first movie, although I thought it was a little overrated.  Now, in 2015, with Avengers: Age of Ultron, the challenge for Marvel was to meet or exceed the lofty expectations they have set for themselves. 
 

                In this movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) set out to create an A.I. that will protect the earth from potential enemies from other worlds.  Their intentions are honorable enough but, as is often the case in these situations, things don’t quite work out as planned.  Ultron is the result.  His plan is to protect earth by wiping out humanity and starting over with beings more like him. 

                Any time you put together a cast like this, the acting is going to be a high point in the film.  How can you go wrong with names like Downey, Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader…….the names go on and on.  This is the definition of an all-star cast.  When the stars have the kind of chemistry together that these do, it is something truly special.  Downey clearly stands out as the star once again.  Ruffalo and writer/director Joss Whedon have brought a humanity to the Hulk character never before seen.  The only complaint I have with the acting in this film is that Elizabeth Olsen’s accent is off and on at times, but she is a good actress and her performance as a whole is pretty good. 

                I thought going in that my biggest problem with this film was going to be the main villain, Ultron.  I was wrong about that.  He turned out to be a great villain.  James Spader does a great job with this character.  His motivations were very clear and his dialogue was on point with a sarcastic note that fit very well with the tone of this film. 

                Speaking of dialogue, all of it is written very well.  There is a lot of humor in the film that seems very natural and never awkward or forced.  Whedon wrote a very effective screenplay here.  The word efficiency comes to mind.  Even with so much going on and so many characters to work with, the movie stays focused and never gets the least bit bloated or confusing. 

                While some of the action in the film is over-edited, the majority of it is handled very well.  There are a couple of really good fight sequences in the movie including a very entertaining one between Iron Man and The Hulk.  The final fight scene is designed very cleverly and executed well also.  This extended scene is broken up by tidbits of dialogue that seems relevant to the moment so as not to be intrusive, but also breaks up the action just enough to keep it from getting boring.   

                Not only do I think this movie is very good, but I actually think it is quite a bit better than the first one.  Joss Whedon and this cast of amazing actors, much like The Avengers themselves, met their challenge head on and obliterated it.  This is easily the most entertaining film of the year.  Good luck to all the other comic book movies set for release in 2015.  This one will be hard to top.  The Movie Man gives it 4 out of 5 stars. 
 
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