Review
Cluttered 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' still entertains
May 6, 2015
The wait is over and fans can suit up again in their Marvel-print shirts to watch "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in theaters, which despite being weaker than its predecessor, still manages to be entertaining in every way.
The Avengers have faced many troubles themselves in the past years and are still fighting battles for the world to date, and after claiming a lost artifact that slipped from them in the past they feel primed to celebrate. But that celebration is against the backdrop of a new experiment in artificial intelligence that Tony Stark/Iron Man is working on, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s gone awry.
This new intelligence he’s created, dubbed "Ultron," has seen the destruction caused by the Avengers wherever they go and sees no solution in their actions, so with a new body and the help of two siblings (who may or may not be related to X-Men villain Magneto) he’s going to rebuild the world in his image, and it’ll be up to the Avengers to face new challenges and take down this new adversary.
Needless to say, I was among the people out there excited to see "Age of Ultron" by the sheer fact that the previous movie was so well done and because director Joss Whedon has not failed film-goers in making a good superhero film. This film didn't live up to all my expectations of what makes a good film, but I can see "Age of Ultron" as being a sufficient enough sequel to the previous blockbuster.
For starters, the writing of Age of Ultron works but is faltered by a few things. It does get in all the character development for its characters, but some arcs by the end really didn’t feel as fulfilled as the previous film. A lot of good points were going for all the Avengers but not all of them felt satisfying in the end. This is especially noted for the new Avengers brought into the film, which don’t get nearly enough lines or screen time to warrant themselves as good characters. But I think the acting from the main cast still holds the film until the end, satisfying even me.
As odd as it may sound, the action scenes also didn't feel as up to snuff with the previous film. There are plenty of good, creative and well-shot action scenes in "Age of Ultron," but some felt a little too crowded with the many heroes they tried to have in this film and some scenes got a little disorienting. But the effects still complimented that and the characters well. As I had hoped, the villain Ultron in this film looks amazing, along with another big name android hero they introduce later. Visually, "Age of Ultron" feels like they polished up a bit from the last film, but just needed some work in the editing department.
To some, "Age of Ultron" may feel cluttered, and the plot to some may even feel choppy in areas and underdeveloped. When you see Ultron’s master plan in this film even you might be shaking your head in disbelief. But "Age of Ultron" makes good enough use of its properties and characters to deliver an incredibly entertaining 2 1/2 hours of superhero action.
Though it may not need saying, I definitely recommend seeing this film. Marvel has itself another great chapter in its film universe and though it may stumble we may still invite ourselves in and love this great superhero resurgence that keeps on giving.
Ryan Funes is a lover of all things movie, TV, video games and stories and wants to become a television writer someday. In his spare time he enjoys hanging with friends, tapping into his imagination, and watching cartoons of all kinds.