'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Review
Reflection- Avengers: Age of Ultron is a curious MCU entry for me. At the time of its release, I was absolutely engrossed with it and even declared it to be my favorite Marvel film. However, I find myself torn between loving it and passively enjoying it with each rewatch. There aren't many things that I legitimately "hate" about Age of Ultron, but I like it a little less each time I sit down to watch it. I think there are a lot of reasons behind this, but I'll dive into those in a second. At the time of release, I could hardly contain my excitement for this film as the trailers has already won me over and I simply couldn't wait for the sequel to one of my favorite superhero movies. It felt like a cinematic blockbuster event just like the first. However, the film failed to outgross the original and didn't receive as splendid of a critical reception. It even managed to divide many MCU fans. Not nearly to the degree that Star Wars: The Last Jedi did, but it was divisive nonetheless. It was actually a very similar reaction to the one Iron Man 3 received two years prior and I find it funny that I had the opposite experience with that film, as I appreciate it more and more with each viewing.
Review- At the onset of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers are a fully-functioning team mopping up the remnants of Hydra. After an assault on Hydra's elusive base of operations bodes well, the team retrieve Loki's scepter. Upon analysis, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner discover the scepter's gem could be the key to creating an artificial intelligence capable of operating a global peacekeeping initiative. The two scientists work to reconfigure the matrix, but their experiment soon goes awry when the Ultron A.I. becomes self-aware and plots to destroy the planet. Earth's Mightiest Heroes are then tasked with reassembling in hopes of preventing the maniacal Ultron from enacting his evil scheme.
After knocking the ball out of the park with The Avengers, Joss Whedon returned to write and direct Avengers: Age of Ultron with the end goal of making a worthy superhero sequel. However, as I alluded to earlier, the sequel wasn't as warmly received as its predecessor. While it was by no means a failure (earning over a billion dollars in box office receipts and debuting to favorable reviews), it didn't quite reach the heights of the first film. Whedon himself has spoken out on numerous occasions to say that the project was a stressful undertaking and cite creative differences as a source of the film's lukewarm reception. Upon further analysis, I believe the film was overcrowded, plain-and-simple.
It's actually not that difficult to tell what plot-points were studio-mandated and which ideas stemmed from Whedon when you examine Age of Ultron in relation to the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's crystal clear that Whedon was asked to lay groundwork for Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and, of course, Avengers: Infinity War. Some of this set-up comes naturally within Whedon's narrative, but occasionally these plot elements feel like side-quests. Thor takes a bath to showcase Chris Hemsworth's abs and provide Thor with the necessary knowledge to educate his fellow Avengers about the Infinity Stones. Meanwhile, Whedon appeared to be much more interested with fleshing out these heroes and their team dynamic. In short, the burden of paving the way for future MCU entries proved detrimental to the film as a whole due to the sequel's imbalance of plot points.
Putting that aside, there's an immense ensemble Whedon had to work with, and introducing four important new characters didn't do the man any favors. It's a daunting task to balance all those characters in a way that everyone can contribute to the story at hand, so the results were mixed to say the least. While characters like Hawkeye and Hulk finally get their due after noticeable absences from Marvel's preceding Phase 2 films, Captain America and Thor essentially become background players in comparison. This isn't to say they don't have a role in the Avengers' second outing, but neither character has a substantial arc in the context of this film itself. The outcomes contribute more to their overarching development than their growth throughout this film. Whedon just had a lot on his plate, and sadly, it shows.
While some elements in Age of Ultron may be a bit problematic, there's certainly grace in Whedon's failures. I find it hard to fault the guy for what happened because it's challenging to capture lightning in a bottle a second time, even if you happen to have the God of Thunder at your disposal. Regardless, there are many things I greatly appreciate every time I watch Age of Ultron. The team dynamic continues to delight, the action sequences are entertaining, and there are plenty of fascinating concepts which Whedon toys around with. It's just a shame not all met their full potential.
Age of Ultron is a prime example of a Hollywood product plagued with "sequelitis." There was clearly an effort to make the sequel bigger and better than the first wherever possible. While that idea in-of-itself isn't harmful, great ambition doesn't always pan out when all is said-and-done. What audiences are then left with is a blockbuster that prioritized spectacle over story. Again, this isn't necessarily a "bad" thing... However, it has only made it easier for me to look beneath the visual noise and notice underlying issues with each successive viewing. Maybe Age of Ultron was initially my favorite MCU film because of the "newness" of it. Perhaps, it was because my anticipation shot through the roof. Whatever the case may be, I've reevaluated it all and none of it really holds up quite as well as The Avengers has.
The action delivers in regards to entertainment value, but is almost instantly forgettable. There aren't many stand-out moments because it feels like every moment of action is meant to be a stand-out moment. Instead, it's digested as empty spectacle because it doesn't feel as rewarding to see these characters fight together when the whole film's been littered with that. The visual effects are also inconsistent as a vast majority of the action beats were clearly computer-generated. If you disagree, I understand where they're coming from because I once thought as you did. I'm not trying to convince you that you're wrong. I'm just elaborating as to why Age of Ultron hasn't held up for me as much as I'd have liked it to. Anyways, at this point you're probably sick of reading my gripes, so let's dive into my positives.
Across the board, the ensemble brought their A-game. There's not a weak link to be found in terms of performances as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner each offer ideal embodiments of their characters and spout Whedon's quippy one-liners to great effect. Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, and Anthony Mackie also appear in varying capacities to the delight of many Marvel fans.
Meanwhile, MCU newcomers Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen proved to be great additions as the super-powered twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch respectively. Unfortunately, Taylor-Johnson's time is short lived due to Quicksilver's sacrifice, but it serves as a meaningful contribution to the story and his sister's arc.
Last, but certainly not least is James Spader in the role of the rampant robot Ultron. Spader's voice and motion-capture performances lend themselves well to the psychotic, yet somewhat sarcastic bot and I find Ultron's sadistic sense of humor to be a highlight of his personality becasue it stems from his creator. My main issue with Ultron isn't so much with his depiction as it is his rushed development. After a minute long montage, Ultron's created and he upgrades himself so often that the upgrades don't really feel like subtle progressions of his pre-existing design. Each upgrade is a drastic change from the last so the evolution of his aesthetic doesn't quite feel natural.
All in all, Avengers: Age of Ultron is an entertaining, albeit overstuffed superhero affair that also serves as a sufficient sequel to a landmark crossover. However, it has failed to stand out as a unique entry in the ever-expanding genre of comic-book movies so its reputation wears thinner with successive viewings as a result.
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