WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
The unfailing genius that is director Joss Whedon once again takes the captain’s chair for this second outing of everyone’s favorite team of heroes in all its visual and bombastic glory. Launching right into the action, the team known as The Avengers is finishing off a mission against arch enemy Hydra in order to retake possession of Loki’s staff. Once completed, the team heads back to home base for some much deserved R&R. But, unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) have been working on a new initiative that could bring a more secure peace to Earth after the threats faced in their previous alien encounter. But, even as Stark believes it to be a foolproof plan to bring harmony to the planet, the experiment goes woefully awry, creating a new immensely powerful for in Ultron (voiced by James Spader), a power mad, psychopathic, yet highly intelligent A.I robot who has his own plans for the world. With the emergence of this new foe, the alliance and friendships among the Avengers begins to fracture, as warring ideologies start to surface, especially between Tony and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Taking advantage of the chaos and dysfunctionality he’s helped to create, Ultron sets in motion his master plan along with the aid of two new mutants, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen & Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Once again, the Avengers must settle their differences, fight as a team, and defend a world hanging in the balance.
Let’s be honest, as filmgoers, we are wanting the kick-off to the Summer film season to be that wonderful bit of escapist fantasy, presenting stunning visuals, engaging heroes, witty banter, great action, and a villain you love to hate. “Age of Ultron” does most certainly deliver all of these elements successfully like the first movie. This is a good thing, but yet could possibly find a way to disappoint some fans who might have wanted this second installment to trump and/or improve on the initial chapter. Now that these characters have all been established between the preceding solo films and the first “Avengers“, this effort quite simply carries on the tale with the same level of exuberance albeit with a much darker tone overall. Ultron is especially wonderful to see come to life, thanks to the fantastic visual rendering and resonating voice of Spader giving the robot his needed edgy sense of humor and anarchic personality. And of course, all the Avengers have returned in this, and everyone brings out the best in their individual characters via their quirks and dialogue. The introduction of several new characters is a joy as well. As also anticipated, the visual scope of the film is solid and great for IMAX 3D viewing pleasure. The overall story presented definitively sets up the next solo films, and the trademark mid-credits “stinger” will please fans to no end. Overall, this was a great effort, equal to its predecessor, though not better than it. A worthy way to start the Summer.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
