The Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opened at the box office in the United States this weekend and superhero fans everywhere were preparing to see the sequel to the first film that was released in 2012. Though many countries received it earlier and the internet was filled with spoilers if you weren't careful, I managed to avoid the talk of the film before getting to see it for myself on opening night. (This post will remain as spoiler free as possible, though very minor spoilers may be present.) 

Let me start out by getting one thing out there. I guess you could call it a disclaimer. I am in no way a film critic. I'm a 17-year old girl who loves superhero-related things. I'm a fan who enjoys sharing her opinion. So with that said, let's get into the review.

The film begins with a fight scene, and it is an action film, so let's start there. The fight scenes are incredible. They're amazingly choreographed and are one of the things that brings the sets a standard. They're exciting. The movie spends time on scenes, even though they tend to be fast moving at times. I didn't have a problem following them and that's important for a viewer. When there is so much going on in a scene, it's hard to decide what to focus on, but that wasn't an issue with this film. Each Avenger is given time for individual combat scenes amidst the scenes in which they share the screen.

CGI is a must with big films like this, but the quality of it is so important to making the film good. The effects were outstanding. The technology has advanced so much that everything is so clear and appears to be so real. It's fun to watch because of the quality it has. Ultron, his army, the Hulk, Quicksilver's speed, Scarlet Witch's powers, were all so well executed in addition to the fight scenes. I think the first thing my dad and I talked about were the effects and each of us just said, "Wow." If this is what the second movie looks like in comparison to the first effects-wise, I can only imagine Avengers: Infinity War will look like when it's released in 2018 and 2019 since it will be in two parts.

Time wasn't wasted on reintroducing characters. A person who saw the movie without seeing the first would still understand who the characters were and their personalities. The movie definitely drew more attention to Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Hulk. It's nice to see these characters get more screen time because they don't have films of their own. The romantic connection between Banner and
Natasha doesn't overpower the rest of the film. Sometimes the love interest can overshadow the true content of the movie, but that certainly wasn't the case here. It just existed. Also, I know a lot of people originally thought it would be Clint and Natasha who would get together, but this movie definitely answers the question as to why they don't and the value their relationship actually holds.

And how can you not mention the incredible cast? Chris Evans (Captain America/Steve Rogers), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man/Tony Stark), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye/Clint Barton), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff), and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk/Bruce Banner) all do an outstanding job playing their roles. Each person adds something to the film, but they all work together cohesively to produce such a great team. There were times where I had to remind myself that Steve Rogers wasn't an actual person, that I was watching Chris Evans act. This goes for the whole cast. They truly embody their heroes and portray them in such a way that makes them seem as though these characters are just being themselves on a movie screen.

While that covers the six leading players, there are three others worth mentioning. The first two being the Maximoff twins. Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch) does a really great job in her role. I was very impressed. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver) was good, as well. Although I will say that I feel as though his character wasn't given much to say, rather his actions were the way the viewer learned more about his character. That's one of two things I didn't particularly like about the movie, but I understand that with a limited amount of time to tell a story, you can't dwell on things of lesser importance to the main plot. I've also only seen bits and pieces of Evan Peters in the role in X-Men, so I can't make a comparison between the two. I liked Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the role, I just wish we got to see more of him before the film was over.

Ultron (voiced by James Spader) is the big bad but he doesn't necessarily steal away the screen time from the Avengers. Though not my favorite villain, I did enjoy his role. He's the strongest version of artificial intelligence in existence, which makes him interesting. He has an ability to think for himself, but with that comes a very twisted logic.

And finally, the humor and darkness of it all. This movie was definitely a bit darker than the first, especially due to the powers of Scarlet Witch. Dark pasts and fears are revealed, allowing you to know just a little bit more about each character and what lies inside them, instead of what you see on the outside. I really enjoyed these scenes. The humor broke up these darker aspects and the action, which was needed. At times, it seemed to be a bit too much that the lines fell flat, which is my only other complaint. Other than those very minimal scenes, there was a good balance between the two.

I've been thinking about which film I like better, the first or the second, and it's definitely a tough decision. Usually, it's easy to decide, but in this case, it's harder, which to me means that it's at the same standard, at least, from my standpoint. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend buying a ticket. Overall, I think The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great sequel. I loved it and would definitely pay to go see it again.

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