Review of Avengers: Age of Ultron

Written by Edgardo Acosta

5/5/2015

Okay folks, you've heard your friends talk about it, so it's time to hear my review of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Like a lot of the geeks, I too felt it was a good movie but not a great one. Sure there were some places we felt the story could have been done better but overall it was a good action film that only enhanced our love for the characters. Additionally, the film does a great job at setting up future plot lines for upcoming movies. It’s these connection between Marvel movies that takes the franchise to the next level.

Let's talk story. I'm not a hardcore comic guy, so I won’t compare it to the comic books or original story. The movie itself it was fun and very enjoyable from beginning to end. The effects, action, and the characters made it great. There is hardly a scene that does not have some kind of fight or brawl. Robots fighting Avengers. Avengers fighting Avengers. Everyone is always fighting. All the fights among the Iron Man sentries and other Ultron robots was fine. I guess since they weren't human or living organisms it was alright to tear them apart and disembowel them. Otherwise they would never get away with that being a Disney owned flick and being pg-13. If it was a rated R there would be a lot more violence, sex, and colorful language. All the good stuff I like. But until that happens I'll enjoy what's out there.

Now, you’ve heard us talk about it on the podcast and have likely seen it online, so let’s talk about it. The Hulk versus Iron Man Hulk Buster armor fight. It was awesome. The location alone was a surprise to me. For the longest time, almost everything took place in New York. With all the destruction those two would cause, I wondered where the fight was going to be. I was not disappointed to see a different city destroyed by the titanic fight between the Hulk and Iron Man. Now not only was Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor (see picture) awesome, but how it came together was pretty cool. To create the Hulkbuster armor Tony Stark and Bruce Banner adapted the Iron Man technology and how he gets and puts his armor on. I wonder how long it will be before you see the Avengers get involved with space. Maybe shooting Hulk to a new planet (see Planet Hulk)?

One of the best parts of the movie, besides the Hulkbuster scene, was everything the director did to make the Avengers feel more human. During one scene of the movie the audience gets a peak into several of the Avenger’s pasts and their personal fears. Of particular resonance was the way it was done with Black Widow. We got to learn more about her tragic past and some of her current issues that make her more relatable. It’s a great move by Marvel if they plan to spin her off into her own films or series.

So let's talk Ultron. He is the villain of the film. Comic geeks everywhere are probably throwing a tiff comparing Ultron’s comic creation and movie origin story. However, I just liked that Ultron had a personality. Ultron had some serious father issues and was not just a stereotypical robot with a mechanical voice. Also interesting was the somewhat love story between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff (The Hulk and Black Widow). Based on other movies and comics, it looked like Captain America or even Hawkeye would be the one to hook up with her. But I guess they are just working with what they have to work with.

Now, one of the great things about the Marvel movies for comic nerds are all the inside references and the connected storylines between films. Let's see, we were introduced to the twins (Magneto's Kids) the Scarlet Witch and Quick Silver. The movie shows the creation of Ultron and his connection to the android Vision. A brief mention of the Claw and Wakanda almost sent me into convulsions because of the Black Panther connection. That movie is slated to come out 2018. There are infinity stone references which point to plot lines that will be fulfilled in Avengers: Infinity Wars. There are teases for the possible plot for Thor’s new movie Ragnarok, release 2017. Additionally, Age of Ultron sets up character flaws in the team that will be exploited in upcoming films. The division between Captain America and Iron Man will become more prominent and will be very important in the Captain America: Civil War movie due to release 2016. The brief battle between the two in this film was just a small taste of what will occur in the next.

Now I waited to the very end, when the movie lights came on. So, the only thing I will ruin is this one thing.  While there is a brief story add on before the credits, there are no post credits ending clips. All it says after the credits is “The Avengers will return.” So until the next Marvel flick comes out. Go see Avengers: Age of Ultron. It is a lot of fun for the whole family. If you’re a geek, come chat with us about the details after you do.

References-Marvel Movie Lineup

http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/marvel/237462/full-marvel-movie-release-calendar