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| From left: Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey, Jr., and Mark Ruffalo in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" |
Warning: This review contains a few minor spoilers.
Big things have happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and big things will continue to happen; it’s just the way it’s always been. With every new film, our favorite superheroes battle evil, more characters are introduced, and major events shape what will come next.
After directing the first “Avengers” film three years ago, Joss Whedon returns to bring cinema’s famed team of superheroes back to the forefront of adventure. In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Whedon delves into his love of the Marvel Comics lore once again and delivers a satisfying sequel.
After fighting their way through the stronghold of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), the Avengers, which include Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), manage to steal the mystical scepter of Thor’s adoptive brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston, though he doesn’t appear in this film). Realizing the power that this item contains, Tony Stark (Iron Man’s alter ego) decides to use it to finish his “Ultron” defense program.
Once Ultron (voiced by James Spader) awakens, he realizes that, because of all of the destruction that humans have done to each other throughout history, the only way to save the world is if humanity is extinct. Discovering that Ultron and his army will stop at nothing to achieve their plans, the Avengers assemble once again for battle.
As with the previous Avengers film, the six main cast members have the connection that you would come to expect from a superhero team this big. Each Avenger possesses their own wildly different persona, all of which mix into a role-call of a very fun and heroic team-up.
James Spader offers memorable voice work as the film’s main threat. He’s definitely better than most of the MCU’s antagonists, and he falls within the ranks of Loki and the Winter Soldier. With Ultron’s character, Spader makes him equal parts sinister and darkly comical, a villain who’s filled with personality.
One of the most notable accomplishments with Whedon’s screenplay is how he gives the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye considerably more material to work with. When you look back at the first “Avengers” film, it definitely seemed like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America were the big three in the group. In this sequel, the other three members are given their chance to break out with a blossoming romance between the Hulk and Black Widow, as well as the discovery that Hawkeye now has a family.
The screenplay by Whedon doesn’t waste anytime in setting up the story; he just places the audience right into the propulsive action, and it’s because of this that you’ll definitely want to catch up any MCU movies you might not have seen yet, just so it’s easier to follow the story. He begins the film with the Avengers’ raid on Baron von Strucker and his army, and then the story keeps building from there. Although the film follows some of the same story beats as the first, it does enough world-building to compensate.
Speaking of world-building, there’s a factor in the film that has its positive and negative sides, and it’s the fact that it offers so much in terms of other Marvel stories, those from previous films and those that are coming soon. The upside is that we’re getting tastes of what we can expect in other films as the MCU continues to expand as it goes from movie to movie. The negative is that it all seems cluttered at times, and the MCU has the potential to get more crowded as it continues to introduce more and more characters as Phase Three begins next year. Either the MCU will have to start letting some characters go, or it will really have to form a strategy on how to handle so much interconnected material because, if it isn’t careful, everything will get bogged down by all of the new additions.
As a director, Whedon expresses the same amount of enthusiasm and knowledge for these characters that he displayed with the first “Avengers” film, and he stages some all-out thrilling action set-pieces, particularly the exhilarating opening scene and the epic fight between Iron Man and the Hulk. Whedon has done much to bring the two biggest chapters of the MCU to life, and his dedication to this mythology is clearly seen.
The Avengers will be back together in May 2018 and May 2019 for the two-part “Avengers: Infinity War,” but Anthony and Joe Russo will replace Whedon as directors. The Russos have helmed “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which is one of the MCU’s best films, and will direct May 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War,” a storyline that is hinted in Whedon’s film. Although Whedon will be missed, the Russos will surely make him proud when they bring the heroes back for their next battle.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is the penultimate chapter in Phase Two of the MCU, with “Ant-Man” capping it off this July. Until then, this sequel will surely appease your hunger for knowing where the Avengers are now and where they will go next.
Final grade: B+
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