Avengers: Age of Ultron - directed by Joss Whedon
* embargoed until 22/04/2015 10am and spoiler free!
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L Jackson, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Cobie Smulders, James Spader
Running Time: 141 minutes
Rated: M - Standard Marvel level violence but some blood from gunshots
Obviously this is a juggernaut of a movie- a genuine blockbuster.
It follows the massively successful 2012 movie that became the third top grossing movie of all time.
The opening weekend alone clocked in at over $207,000,000 in the US and it would ultimately earn 1.5 billion dollars worldwide.
Insane money.
And in fact an insanely good movie.
It's success we've seen before of course with "Iron Man"- the movie that set Marvel studios off on its hugely successful current journey making it if not quite the first studio to bring dignity to a genre often looked down upon then certainly the main contributor.
The problem with the Iron Man example was that the sequel just wasn't very good (a situation fortunately corrected with Shane Black's rather excellent "Iron Man 3").
Which means that "Avengers: Age of Ultron" comes with a couple of interesting questions....
How big will it open and will it be as good as the first Avengers outing?
I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Sunday night premiere at Auckland's IMAX cinema and one thing that is very clear from frame one is that this is a much bigger movie than its predecessor.
Starting with a jaw-droppingly well executed team action sequence that culminates with a slo-mo hero shot as the gang leap out across the screen this film hits the ground running.
The twins seen in the first after credits sequence of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" - Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver enter the fray too- an early introduction to a couple of major players.
It's a great opening that achieves far more than just thrilling us with the effects laden kinetic action.
It serves to instantly snap us back into the Avengers universe.
The affect for me was to remind me exactly which Marvel property is the 'big one'.
Once things quieten down it is no less enthralling.
The film introduces a few new character details along the way and fortunately one of the main recipients is Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye.
He was sidelined for too long in the first film and this puts things right in some surprising ways.
It's a trait of writer-director Joss Whedon's work that multiple characters are balanced very, very well and Hawkeye's welcome new attention is not to the detriment of any of the other Avengers- each is given an arc that will change them by the time the credits roll.
There is more than one romance, friendships are broken and one notable one is mended.
The events of the last Captain America film are taking their toll too - most noticeably on Natasha Romanoff - Black Widow.
She is unsure of her place in the world as always but she is starting to figure it out as she takes her first tentative steps towards a 'normal' life.
The real secret to the success of these films- all of them, not just the Avengers- is that the characters are so strong and so beloved.
No further proof is needed than the early party scene which is effectively a proper re-introduction to the gang.
We've seen this in pre-release trailers as the team all take turns trying to lift Thor's hammer off a table.
Ultron gatecrashes of course but some of this scene will pay off later in the film- why just make a funny scene filled with terrific little character moments when you can also toss in the protagonist's introduction too?
You can count on Joss Whedon to make every moment count.
In fact it is impressive how much is crammed into a two and a quarter hour movie. It still follows the accepted genre structure of opening action, plot setup, setback and then big action finale but there is a clearly a plan here to drive the plot and the characters towards certain places.
In many ways this is pretty much a remake of the first film- no criticism intended.
In The Avengers the team had to be brought together.
In Age of Ultron they may still be a team but there is the sense that all is not well before Ultron even arrives.
That villain is in fact created by Tony Stark as an artificial intelligence security system that goes wrong and his evil intentions seem bourne from the flaws of his creator.
This leads to the already simmering tensions rising within the team as Tony is blamed for the predicament.
Black Widow and Bruce Banner circle around each other romantically and of course there is that whole sticky S.H.I.E.L.D being broken up thing that happened in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".
It starts to feel as if the film has too strong a requirement to adhere to the path of the Marvel universe -where it has been and where it is headed.
Obviously there are the Infinity Wars parts 1 and 2 coming in 2018 and 2019 but before then there will be another Thor, another Captain America and a host of newcomers including Black Panther, Dr Strange and in a couple of months- "Ant Man".
I wonder if the strains of keeping to the plan are not starting to restrict what can be done in each movie. There are signs in this one.
It hops all over the globe and starts to feel like some of the excesses of Iron Man 2 are creeping in.
We meet an arms dealer in Africa, see chunks of Johannesburg destroyed, spend time on a country estate, pop into South Korea and that is just the start.
And in any other hands the sheer number of characters used could have proved fatal but Whedon is ever reliable and he reins it in and sets the course right to set up a big finish.
A Huge finish.
Marvel films usually cost around $170,000,000 but this one must have been thirty to fifty more.
The action is ramped up and Whedon seems to have allowed himself more flash in his shots and editing than usual.
More than once I audibly approved of what was being served up in the action stakes.
Those good old slow motion hero swirl shots are here but some of the tracking shots that Iron Man gets are amazing and then there is what is the highlight for me - the truck top fight between Captain America and Ultron with the awesomely good entrance and intervention from Black Widow.
And the contributions of newcomers Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver shouldn't be ignored.
Elizabeth Olsen is a remarkable, beautiful actress and her mind clouding telekinetic character is truly powerful. Creeping out of shadows and into the heads of the heroes with a wave of her hands and a burst of red energy she is a creepy little minx and Olsen delivers a fearsome character that could have come off as silly in lesser hands.
In fact so captivated by her was I that I didn't notice that her Russian accent slipped away halfway through (or so I was told by a fellow viewer)
Quicksilver is nicely played too but doesn't get the flashy, killer scene that Evan Peters got playing the role in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" - comparisons are not therefore kind to poor old Aaron Taylor Johnson and it's less his fault than it is bad timing.
But these criticisms are small ones.
There is more than enough humour and action here to populate two movies.
(The 'whose girlfriend is better' scene is a riot)
No doubt it will make an absolute fortune and that Avengers record opening weekend is seriously under threat.
But for all of the spectacle the characters remain the focus and every bit as much as "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" this film changes the course of the Marvel Universe.
It is subtler though - driven by changes in characters motivations rather than earth shattering revelations.
Some are humbled, others seem resigned to fates they had always denied and yet others are determined to change theirs.
Every actor owns their character and they clearly love playing them.
Special mention too for James Spader's stellar work voicing Ultron - he must have relished some of the lines he gets.
And that might be the key to Marvel's current astounding success- everyone seems to care a great deal about the final 'product'.
With "Avengers: Age of Ultron" that care is apparent.
After just one viewing it is too soon to announce that it is better than "Avengers" but the weight of expectation will not be a factor when I see it again on Wednesday night and who knows- maybe that will be my feeling then.
For now I can say that this is massive fun, loaded with laughs and spectacle and is in no way going to disappoint this series' many, many fans.
NOTE: There is one credits bonus scene in mid credit and nothing right at the end - you can leave after the very brief cameo from a familiar face.
RATING: 90 / 100
CONCLUSION: Funny, loaded with spectacular action and of course a bunch of characters that everyone loves this is great - of course it is. In Whedon we trust and he delivers again.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L Jackson, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Cobie Smulders, James Spader
Running Time: 141 minutes
Rated: M - Standard Marvel level violence but some blood from gunshots
Obviously this is a juggernaut of a movie- a genuine blockbuster.
It follows the massively successful 2012 movie that became the third top grossing movie of all time.
The opening weekend alone clocked in at over $207,000,000 in the US and it would ultimately earn 1.5 billion dollars worldwide.
Insane money.
And in fact an insanely good movie.
It's success we've seen before of course with "Iron Man"- the movie that set Marvel studios off on its hugely successful current journey making it if not quite the first studio to bring dignity to a genre often looked down upon then certainly the main contributor.
The problem with the Iron Man example was that the sequel just wasn't very good (a situation fortunately corrected with Shane Black's rather excellent "Iron Man 3").
Which means that "Avengers: Age of Ultron" comes with a couple of interesting questions....
How big will it open and will it be as good as the first Avengers outing?
I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Sunday night premiere at Auckland's IMAX cinema and one thing that is very clear from frame one is that this is a much bigger movie than its predecessor.
Starting with a jaw-droppingly well executed team action sequence that culminates with a slo-mo hero shot as the gang leap out across the screen this film hits the ground running.
The twins seen in the first after credits sequence of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" - Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver enter the fray too- an early introduction to a couple of major players.
It's a great opening that achieves far more than just thrilling us with the effects laden kinetic action.
It serves to instantly snap us back into the Avengers universe.
The affect for me was to remind me exactly which Marvel property is the 'big one'.
Once things quieten down it is no less enthralling.
The film introduces a few new character details along the way and fortunately one of the main recipients is Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye.
He was sidelined for too long in the first film and this puts things right in some surprising ways.
It's a trait of writer-director Joss Whedon's work that multiple characters are balanced very, very well and Hawkeye's welcome new attention is not to the detriment of any of the other Avengers- each is given an arc that will change them by the time the credits roll.
There is more than one romance, friendships are broken and one notable one is mended.
The events of the last Captain America film are taking their toll too - most noticeably on Natasha Romanoff - Black Widow.
She is unsure of her place in the world as always but she is starting to figure it out as she takes her first tentative steps towards a 'normal' life.
The real secret to the success of these films- all of them, not just the Avengers- is that the characters are so strong and so beloved.
No further proof is needed than the early party scene which is effectively a proper re-introduction to the gang.
We've seen this in pre-release trailers as the team all take turns trying to lift Thor's hammer off a table.
Ultron gatecrashes of course but some of this scene will pay off later in the film- why just make a funny scene filled with terrific little character moments when you can also toss in the protagonist's introduction too?
You can count on Joss Whedon to make every moment count.
 |
| No matter who your favourite was in the first film you may have a new one this time |
In many ways this is pretty much a remake of the first film- no criticism intended.
In The Avengers the team had to be brought together.
In Age of Ultron they may still be a team but there is the sense that all is not well before Ultron even arrives.
That villain is in fact created by Tony Stark as an artificial intelligence security system that goes wrong and his evil intentions seem bourne from the flaws of his creator.
This leads to the already simmering tensions rising within the team as Tony is blamed for the predicament.
Black Widow and Bruce Banner circle around each other romantically and of course there is that whole sticky S.H.I.E.L.D being broken up thing that happened in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".
It starts to feel as if the film has too strong a requirement to adhere to the path of the Marvel universe -where it has been and where it is headed.
Obviously there are the Infinity Wars parts 1 and 2 coming in 2018 and 2019 but before then there will be another Thor, another Captain America and a host of newcomers including Black Panther, Dr Strange and in a couple of months- "Ant Man".
I wonder if the strains of keeping to the plan are not starting to restrict what can be done in each movie. There are signs in this one.
It hops all over the globe and starts to feel like some of the excesses of Iron Man 2 are creeping in.
We meet an arms dealer in Africa, see chunks of Johannesburg destroyed, spend time on a country estate, pop into South Korea and that is just the start.
And in any other hands the sheer number of characters used could have proved fatal but Whedon is ever reliable and he reins it in and sets the course right to set up a big finish.
A Huge finish.
 |
| Along with new additions like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch some existing characters get new aspects |
The action is ramped up and Whedon seems to have allowed himself more flash in his shots and editing than usual.
More than once I audibly approved of what was being served up in the action stakes.
Those good old slow motion hero swirl shots are here but some of the tracking shots that Iron Man gets are amazing and then there is what is the highlight for me - the truck top fight between Captain America and Ultron with the awesomely good entrance and intervention from Black Widow.
And the contributions of newcomers Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver shouldn't be ignored.
Elizabeth Olsen is a remarkable, beautiful actress and her mind clouding telekinetic character is truly powerful. Creeping out of shadows and into the heads of the heroes with a wave of her hands and a burst of red energy she is a creepy little minx and Olsen delivers a fearsome character that could have come off as silly in lesser hands.
In fact so captivated by her was I that I didn't notice that her Russian accent slipped away halfway through (or so I was told by a fellow viewer)
Quicksilver is nicely played too but doesn't get the flashy, killer scene that Evan Peters got playing the role in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" - comparisons are not therefore kind to poor old Aaron Taylor Johnson and it's less his fault than it is bad timing.
 |
| As good as the action is (and the Hulkbuster scene is great) it is the character moments that make this film work |
There is more than enough humour and action here to populate two movies.
(The 'whose girlfriend is better' scene is a riot)
No doubt it will make an absolute fortune and that Avengers record opening weekend is seriously under threat.
But for all of the spectacle the characters remain the focus and every bit as much as "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" this film changes the course of the Marvel Universe.
It is subtler though - driven by changes in characters motivations rather than earth shattering revelations.
Some are humbled, others seem resigned to fates they had always denied and yet others are determined to change theirs.
Every actor owns their character and they clearly love playing them.
Special mention too for James Spader's stellar work voicing Ultron - he must have relished some of the lines he gets.
And that might be the key to Marvel's current astounding success- everyone seems to care a great deal about the final 'product'.
With "Avengers: Age of Ultron" that care is apparent.
After just one viewing it is too soon to announce that it is better than "Avengers" but the weight of expectation will not be a factor when I see it again on Wednesday night and who knows- maybe that will be my feeling then.
For now I can say that this is massive fun, loaded with laughs and spectacle and is in no way going to disappoint this series' many, many fans.
NOTE: There is one credits bonus scene in mid credit and nothing right at the end - you can leave after the very brief cameo from a familiar face.
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