by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have returned to face evil and save the world! Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) continue their heroics in the newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The gang is back together for another outing with Director Joss Whedon (Marvel’s The Avengers), who pits them against one of their fiercest adversaries: the robotic being known as Ultron. Our heroes will be tested, alliances will be questioned, and new heroes will arise. With the unparalleled success of the first film, how does Whedon handle these heroes on their second outing?
Team-Effort
The Avengers team has definitely come a long way since the “Battle for New York”. The opening sequence fully demonstrates the progress the group has made together. Whedon uses this to play up the fan-boy moments with some power team-ups (shout out to the Cap/Thor tag-team moment). The narrative also allowed the “Science Bros” (Tony and Banner) to use their talents to their fullest. Sure the group still has conflict, but what group of friends or co-workers doesn’t?
Hulkbuster Iron Man Armor
You know that amazing fight that has been teased in the trailers? It is much more extensive than we originally would have guessed, AND it is pretty damn cool. The reasons for the battle are logical within the narrative of the film, and Whedon really made sure this was the shining moment we were waiting for. This sequence (and the parallels later in the film) demonstrates how much a tragic character Banner truly is.
The Vision
Holy crap did they get The Vision right. There was a 99% chance that this character could have been a complete disaster on the big screen, but the approach was beyond perfect. From the build up to his creation, to his first encounter with the heroes (best moment in the movie), to the third-act action sequences, The Vision was perfect. Paul Bettany’s performance was one of the best surprises of Age of Ultron, and we couldn’t be happier with his portrayal of the fan-favorite character.
Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch
Avengers: Age of Ultron featured the MCU introduction of two more famous Avengers, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. “The Twins” (as they are frequently referred to) are two “enhanced” humans that Hydra has been experimenting on. We never get a full explanation as to how they became enhanced (implications of Loki’s staff and alien tech from the first Avengers are around), but we are given a clear picture of why they dislike Tony Stark and his friends. Their initial alliance with Ultron is treated as “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. When Ultron’s true intentions are revealed, they attempt to rectify their actions by joining forces with our heroes.
Both Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) and Elizabeth Olsen (Oldboy) are strong additions to the Age of Ultron cast. Johnson provides us with a very intense version of Quicksilver, but the CGI never quite reaches the same quality that we saw in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is a force to be reckoned with. Wanda can definitely hold her own in the film, and the setup in the film leaves plenty of room for her to become a power-house addition to the team.
Hawkeye
Jeremy Renner has stated on multiple occasions that he wasn’t thrilled about how Clint Barton was handled in the original Avengers movie. This time around, Hawkeye gets a surprising back-story that is very grounded and personal. No spoilers on this one, but I will say that it was a welcomed addition to the film.
Black Widow and Hulk Relationship
One of the elements introduced early in this story was that Black Widow and Bruce Banner really like each other. It seemingly comes out of nowhere, and viewers are just expected to understand that the bond happened off screen. Whedon does give it a shot at making it work, but we never got to see the initial connection. Maybe some of these moments were cut from the running time, but I think we needed a bit more in this development to be completely sold on it.
Ultron
Now we get to the titular character himself: Ultron. James Spader (Stargate) voices the big bad robot, who in this story is created thanks to the efforts of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. After reacquiring Loki’s staff from Hydra, Tony discovers that there is an alien artificial intelligence lingering within the technology. He takes the tech and applies it to his own concept for world-wide protection, and thus Ultron is born. In a matter of minutes, Ultron takes on a life of his own, rebelling against his creators. Ultron’s exterior form does evolve throughout the story, but his own personality seems to be fairly inconsistent.
The creative team decided to humanize the robotic threat, giving him a personality and dialogue that were rather uncharacteristic from his comic counterpart. I understand that they were trying to demonstrate that this was the creation of Tony Stark, and wanted to show that Ultron himself was a rebellious child in many ways, but this threat never reached his full character potential. Vocally however, Spader was an excellent choice and I was very happy with his performance, despite the character notes I mentioned above.
The Larger MCU – Phase 3 and Beyond
While the Avengers work to confront the immediate threat of Ultron, there are several puzzle pieces included in the narrative that didn’t quite fit into this specific tale. It is quite obvious that the Powers-That-Be at Marvel made sure Whedon included several setup components for Phase 3 of the MCU, but it unfortunately did impact the seamlessness of the main Ultron story.
Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok get a bit of a setup throughout the film, but the largest setup was for the upcoming Phase 3 release: Black Panther! The King of Wakanda is definitely going to have some words with Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), who is dealing in stolen Vibrianium. Serkis was a great addition to Age of Ultron, and will be a very credible threat in the future.
I was really hoping that there would be some reference to Hank Pym (Ant-Man) in the movie, as he was the original creator of Ultron in the comics. In this version of the story, Tony creates Ultron after combining the alien tech with some of his original work. It would have been very easy to name drop Pym, and mention that he had done some initial work in this field. This was just a missed opportunity for a tie in for Phase 3, and also acknowledgement of an original Avenger who has been M.I.A. in the MCU.
We are also treated to several guest appearances throughout Age of Ultron, including Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), The Falcon (Anthony Mackie), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Heimdall (Idris Elba), and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). Each of these players helped to set the stage for what happens next on the big screen. We won’t spoil the fun of the cameos, but the Phase 3 is definitely shaping up to be a very different beast.
Overall
Avengers: Age of Ultron is one more solid addition to the growing catalog of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film manages to balance a crazy amount of plot with some memorable character moments, and sets the Avengers franchise on a new trajectory. There is plenty to be excited about in this release, and it is sure to leave fans ready for more.
Lastly, I wanted to address Mr. Joss Whedon, who will be leaving the driver’s seat of The Avengers franchise following this film.
Joss (we’ve met a few times, so we are on a first name basis),
You are a man with a vision. You made all of this work in ways that we couldn’t have predicted. We (the fans) greatly appreciate everything you’ve done to shape the overall Avengers story, and the future of the MCU as well.
But seriously man… the cut to black at the end of the film? You are truly evil. I’m sure you are happy with yourself… You bastard.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Avengers: Age of Ultron – 4 out of 5 Ultron heads.
