Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron is chaotically fun

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is almost here but did it live up to the hype?

It’s been almost a year and since the media overload with Avengers: Age of Ultron started. From leaked images and clips to multiple trailers and TV spots, the anticipation for the film has been on a steady climb. It’s no surprise that this film will break records with all the hype, but now it’s time to deem this film as worthy or unworthy of all the hype.

Cinematics (Plot, Acting, Cinematography, etc.) – 3

Just like the previous Avengers film, “Age of Ultron” starts abruptly with no actual preface. If you haven’t been following the other films then this may be unsettling for you but if you’re an MCU buff then it’s breath of fresh air. The film jumps straight into the action and starts the fun. This time there’s no assembling either, all of the Avengers are fighting alongside each other with repulsors blasting, hammers hurling, shields soaring, arrows flying, and of course…Hulk smashing. These action sequences and those that follow are beautiful to watch and seem to have upped the ante on the choreography. Maybe taking a note from the popular Captain America: The Winter Soldier, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” focuses more heavily on the hand to hand combat.

The one downfall of the highly entertaining action is the sound. Particularly in the opening sequence, things seemed to be very quiet in comparison to most action-intensive blockbusters. While I do think that heavy sound in a film can be one of the most boisterous and distracting elements of a film, this is the first time that I wished they could have turned things up just a bit. I really felt that the sound mixing was subpar due to this but once you become engaged in the film and get past the opening, you learn to adjust to it.

After leaving the film I came out on a high. Once that high started to fade, I started to notice a few holes in the film. Reiterating what I stated earlier, if you have kept up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe films then the holes aren’t necessarily apparent, but as a standalone film and for the uninformed viewer, they definitely exist. The few holes that come to mind are the unexplained backstory between Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) and Bruce Banner’s (Hulk’s) relationship and how Ultron is created. The relationship between Banner and Romanoff is further developed and some could even say the mystery of its beginnings is intriguing but the lack of foundation also hurts the chemistry a bit. When it comes to Ultron’s creation, I could also deem this hole as subjective. They seem to fast forward Ultron’s development to a point where you just have to say, “Yeah Tony and Bruce are smart and doing ‘sciency’ things, so there’s no need to know the process.” This statement is basically true for general audiences and fits the film’s purpose of getting quickly into the battle, but for the select few that enjoy the scientific aspect, you may be a bit disappointed.

While there were a few cinematic flaws, there were also many moments that outweighed those flaws. With a high budget to work with, Joss Whedon definitely spared no expense. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” became a worldwide film with the variety of film locations. The transitions in scenery prove this fact and add to cinematographic eye candy present throughout the film. The characters may be the same characters you’ve been getting to know, but throwing them in places out of their usual element forces them to strive and grow into characters we love even more.

With that character growth also came new additions. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and The Vision were introduced sharing only a portion of screen time but perfectly balanced their time not taking away from the key members. They were each significant to the plot with an enriching story of their own. Overall with the amount of characters in this film, many worried about things getting stretched too thin. Fortunately for Joss Whedon, he was able to effectively balance everything despite there being so many layers to this film.

Entertainment Value – 5

Entertainment is where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” truly shines. It’s a fun ride from beginning to end and a lot of “cinematic fat” was cut to ensure its entertainment value. The scenery is beautiful, the action is plentiful, and the characters seem as if they were ripped straight from the pages of a comic book. There were multiple milestone battles that took place throughout the film and each one was as engaging as the previous leading up to “Age of Ultron’s” final moments.

The moments of dialogue followed that same level of entertainment focusing directly on progressing plot elements while injecting bits of humor to briefly lighten the mood. In particular, the scene where they are enjoying a party at the Avengers’ Mansion attempting to lift Thor’s hammer is quite amusing.

Overall I was fully engaged and fully entertained from beginning to end.

Rewatchability – 3.5

It’s difficult to gauge the rewatchability of “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” While I was highly entertained and consider it to be one of the most entertaining films I’ve seen this year, there are also some reused elements from the previous film.

Ultron and Loki are essentially the same villain with different origins. They both are a force that seems to be unstoppable with a never ending army. The Avengers are pushed to their limits once again going against what seems like impossible odds. They seem to follow the same formula as they did with the previous film adding just a bit more flair.

With that said, the formula is the same but that is also a formula that has been proven to be effective. The same elements that engaged us from the first film are used in “Age of Ultron” and then elaborated upon. So while I was entertained and will probably watch this film repeatedly, I can justify watching the same story only so many times.