Spoiler Warning: Proceed at own risk (It's not too bad #Itried.)
It was always going to be a task to top the Avengers first outing with all its explosive action and charming characters. Luckily, Age of Ultron doesn't buckle under the weight. Nor does it match the previous action. It betters it, but with the characters suffering in the process.
From the offset, it's obvious that Age of Ultron is a much more emotional affair, mostly with some unexpected romances and dreams throughout making a big bulk of the film. The problem is, is that it's Black Widow trying to force a romance with Hulk that just shouldn't happen. It feels far too orchestrated for it to be believable.
Some characters benefit from the deeper connection Whedon tried to give the heroes with the audience. Especially Hawkeye, who could have been seen as one of the most useless Avengers (having 24 arrows to shoot when you want is not helping.) But, you see a whole different side to him, which may well have been one of the biggest twists in the film because it came from nowhere.
There were two new characters for the Avengers this time around. Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) joined as the Maximoff twins. First seen in the post-credits scene in last year's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they were pleasant additions to the team, but lacked much impact. Although both had their time to shine. As did all the characters thanks to a good on-screen balance for each character. Vision (Paul Bettany) makes an appearance too. His far too charismatic persona for his own good doesn't appear as much, but will hopefully emerge in later films.
Ultron (James Spader) provides the perfect balance of supervillain. With Loki's charm and the Winter Soldier's pure physical intimidation, Ultron commands the screen whenever he's on it. Hopefully, we'll see this great villain in future films because it'd be a shame to waste him on just one.
The action is unparalleled to any other Marvel film. There's such a variety and intensity to it that really adds to the overall spectacle needed in an Avengers film. But it's not just these massive events that occur throughout, it's the smaller moments which Marvel films are renowned for. Especially with humour mixed with some of the darkest moments in the film. Mostly it's when the heroes are relaxed or in their zone that these little gems appear.
There's little explanation as to why (Iron Man 3 Spoilers ahead) Tony Stark got all his suits back after he 'retired'. Or why Nick Fury appeared out of nowhere after joining Stark in the pipe and slippers. Just a few little story blips throughout are definitely more frustrating than anything. Or if people would like to retire when they say they are retired that'd be great, thanks. Also where were Pepper Potts and Jane Foster?! They have such important roles in their beau's individual films but as soon as its the Avengers, no sign of them. They do get a cheeky mention in a rather humorous scene of testosterone-fuelled manliness, but is it enough?
One massive issue in the film was whatever Thor was doing. In his lil'dream that most of them had, it made the least sense. The only explanation for this is that it's setting up for the next Thor film, Thor Ragnarok. It can either be seen as a bad thing or a nice preview, but most of the film is a trailer for things to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The most notable are the clashes between Captain America and Iron Man which are set the foundations for Captain America: Civil War. It's much more important for the audience to understand what's going on in the film they're watching, not films coming in the next 5 years.
At the end of the day, Age of Ultron was never going to beat the first Avengers film. And it probably won't beat future Avengers film since one of its purposes was being a preview for a flurry of future Marvel films. With it's amazingly intimidating villain, charming funsize scenes and successful new characters, Age of Ultron makes for an attractive stepping stone into the individual Avengers journeys.
8/10
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