Avengers: Age of Ultron

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
2015 | Dir. Joss Whedon | 142 Minutes

"Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time."


The Avengers successfully retrieve Loki's Scepter from Hydra but Tony Stark is psychically coerced into using the power hidden within it to complete Ultron, a sentient computer program designed to protect the Earth from alien threats. Ruthless and unstable, Ultron decides the only way to protect the Earth is to create an extinction-level event to destroy the Avengers and rebuild humankind in his own image. With assistance from Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, siblings who had lost their parents to Stark weapons, Ultron sows seeds of discord among the Avengers.

A thoroughly humorous and action-packed ride, director Joss Whedon once again delivers an authentic comic book event film to the silver screen with all of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in that style of storytelling. Thrilling as it is for fans of the genre, Avengers: Age of Ultron is in many ways less satisfying than the first Avengers film, introducing several new story threads only marginally related to the main plot that are left unresolved by the time the end credits roll. The running time is slightly shorter than its predecessor but the narrative is much busier. It seems Marvel Studios has no interest in seamlessly weaving these elements into the picture to set up their next slate of films, despite potentially alienating the uninitiated.

Significantly upping the ante, the sprawling action sequences are ripped straight from the pages of the Marvel Comics that inspired this film. The picture opens with the team raiding an enemy base, featuring an digitally augmented extended tracking shot zipping from hero to hero as they demonstrate their respective talents taking down their enemies, leading to a slow-motion splash-page-style frame. Leading up to the film's midpoint, a psychically-manipulated Hulk rampaging through the streets of Johannesburg throws down with Iron Man equipped with "Veronica," a towering suit of armor that Stark and Banner designed as a contingency for such a situation. Another highlight is a kinetic battle in Seoul between Captain America and Ultron that quickly becomes a test of the heroism and the ultimate turning point and for Ultron's vengeful erstwhile allies Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. The final act of the film takes place in the fictional Eastern European country of Sokovia, where the Avengers and their new allies mount a rescue mission to lead the civilian population to safety while they battle Ultron and his massive self-replicated army as he enacts his diabolical plan.

Whedon's greatest strength is in his ability to humanize mythic characters using quieter moments, and while those are few and far in-between in this picture, several characters that were underdeveloped in previous films finally get their due. Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton is fully fleshed-out, incredibly likable and relatable as the comical voice of incredulous reason playing one of the two non-super-powered Avengers in the film. Adding extra depth to his character, Barton is revealed to be a family man when the Avengers seek refuge at his off-the-grid home and meet his wife played by Linda Cardellini in a affably natural performance. To further develop Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff, the filmmakers work in a touching romantic subplot between the two damaged souls, allowing Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson to inject a bit of pathos into their performances. Much of the film is driven by the irresponsible actions of Tony Stark when his personal demons resurface as a result of Wanda Maximoff's physic tampering, continuing and escalating a character flaw explored in Iron Man 3, and Robert Downey Jr. continues to excel in projecting Stark's obsession with protecting his world by any means possible through ill-advised technological experimentation with unpredictable results. Chris Evans' Steve Rogers runs perfect counterpoint to Stark, once again playing the unambiguous inspirational moral center of the team, his resolve so prominent that his aversion to foul language provides an amusing running gag. Thor is undoubtedly the least complex lead character in this film but Chris Hemsworth visibly has a lot of fun with the material, from an cute bit between him and Stark comparing the accomplishments of their respective girlfriends to the film's best recurring joke centered around what makes a person worthy to wield his hammer Mjolnir, although he provides enough gravitas to a side plot providing exposition for the Infinity Stones.

Supporting cast returning from previous Marvel Studios films are also allotted various brief moments to shine. Don Cheadle sees a decent amount of action as Rhodey, battling as War Machine with a selection of great lines. Cobie Smulders returns as Maria Hill, perfectly fitting in with the Avengers, now working for Stark. Hill's real boss Nick Fury is once again portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in a small but essential part of the film. Anthony Mackie turns in a brief cameo as Sam Wilson, providing an update for where his character has been since the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Stellan SkarsgÄrd appears as Erik Selvig in a similar limited role while Hayley Atwell and Idris Elba appear in hallucinations as Peggy Carter and Heimdall respectively. Thomas Kretschmann gets the short end of the stick, appearing briefly once again as Hydra villain Baron Wolfgang von Strucker only to be murdered off screen.

The already large ensemble is joined by several exciting additions. James Spader brings an eerie irrational humanity to Ultron, spouting some of the best quips of the picture while playing up his distaste for his creator and executing an convoluted evil plot straight out of an old-fashioned James Bond films. Elizabeth Olsen is perfectly cast as the psychic witch Wanda Maximoff, menacing and slightly mischievous but with an undeniable vulnerability. Wanda's arrogant speedster brother Pietro is played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson with gusto, blending deep-seated anger and comical sarcasm. Paul Bettany, whose role as Stark's computer system JARVIS receives a significant promotion when JARVIS becomes the super-powerful android called the Vision, delivers a mesmerizing and authoritative performance with a layer of innocence. Claudia Kim is great in a small supporting part as geneticist Helen Cho. Veteran motion-capture and character actor Andy Serkis appears very briefly in a memorable scene as criminal arms dealer Ulysses Klaue. Acclaimed French-American actress Julie Delpy turns makes a cameo appearance as Natasha Romanoff's black ops spy instructor in a hallucination.

When placed in the unenviable position of having to craft an equal or better follow up to The Avengers, Whedon succeeds in many ways despite a few inevitable shortcomings. Avengers: Age of Ultron is a film intended for the die-hard fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it is practically for them only. For the casual viewer or the average film buff, the picture is a jumbled convoluted mash of seemingly incomprehensible references to prior events, confusing sci-fi fantasy jargon, and over-the-top action. Meanwhile, the true believers delight in recognizing the continuing plot threads of Marvel Studios' shared universe, savoring every moment spent with their favorite costumed champions, and openly welcoming the new additions to the growing roster of Earth's mightiest heroes.


MID-CREDITS STINGER
Thanos equips a golden gauntlet, vowing to collect the Infinity Stones himself, implying that others in his employ have failed him.


STAN LEE CAMEO
Stan the Man plays a World War II vet at the Avengers Tower party who scoffs at Thor's Asgardian liquor only to completely succumb to it.


FRAGMENTS
- Bryan Tyler and Danny Elfman's musical score makes heavy use of the Avengers and Captain America motifs written by Alan Silvestri heard in the first Avengers film, as well as Tyler's themes from Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World

- Thor's subplot involving the Infinity Stones reveals that he is aware of the four that have been seen in the MCU films up to this point, and that the yellow stone under the Vision's protection is the Mind Stone

- Irish actress Kerry Condon, who played Octavia of the Julii on HBO's Rome and Mike Ehrmantraut's daughter-in-law Stacey on Better Call Saul, provides the voice of Stark's new operating system FRIDAY

- Aaron Himelstein returns as the communication officer on board Nick Fury's helicarrier, last seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier threatened at gunpoint by Brock Rumlow to launch the Project Insight helicarriers