'Blu-ray or Bust'
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015, PG-13, 141 minutes, MARVEL
STUDIOS/DISNEY)
When I first saw this film in theatres, I wasn’t a big fan.
I know, I know, I’m a douche-canoe. But going in, I didn’t really think that
director Joss Whedon would be pulling an EMPIRE STRIKES BACK move on us. I thought that, this being the Marvel
universe and all, such a move wouldn’t be needed. When you consider how vast it has become, you wonder that each
movie needs to try and outdo the last.
Each has to be bigger and better than the last.
So how the hell do you top the first AVENGERS film?
The answer is, you don’t.
You just amp up the darkness a tad.
You know: lop off Luke Skywalker’s hand and give him some serious daddy
issues.
The daddy issues in ULTRON come courtesy of Tony Stark and
Bruce Banner, who inadvertently create “Ultron”, an artificially intelligent
consciousness. Using the untapped power
of Loki’s scepter, which happens to house one of the Infinity Stones, they
think they are creating something that can protect the planet and give the
heroes time to indulge in a normal, non-hero life. But Ultron the “program” builds himself a body, and confronts the
Avengers in a lovely and maniacal way.
The rest of the film is a lot of traveling, a lot of action, a lot of
humor, and just the occasional moral chest-thumping concerning the creation of
the A.I.
The movie works (and yeah, it took me two viewings to figure
this out) mainly based on the performances of three people. Everyone in the film plays their roles
effectively and with great conviction, but the three that made the film almost
as enjoyable (the second time around) as the first are as follows, and in this
particular order:
1) James
Spader. Spader’s performance of Ultron
should be heralded as one of the best Marvel villains to date. Yes, he’s even better than Loki. He has a sense of humor, he has a sense of
self, and, most importantly, it is James Freakin’ Spader. Extra props to him for doing the motion
capture work, too. He gives just enough
of a human aspect to the character to make his actions understandable, unlike
most villains, who are evil just for the sake of being evil.
2) Paul
Bettany. As Ultron’s baby, Bettany,
whom has played the voice of “Jarvis” in the IRON MAN films, is a wonder. His portrayal of The Vision seems the most
honest and natural of the assembled heroes, and his delivery is spot on. An insightful actor playing an insightful
creation.
3) Joss
Whedon. He is a master conductor of the
world’s biggest orchestra. From the
lighting to the cinematography to the score by Danny Elfman, this is a big
movie that knows it is a big movie, and it doesn’t hold back. He sets up Phase III of the cinematic
universe expertly and with exceptional attention to every detail. He is a hell of a storyteller, Mr. Whedon
is, and the tale he spins as his final Marvel film is both creative and
generous.
The special features are pretty darn good, too. The gag reel is funny, and the first long
featurette covers the entire making-of with cast and crew interviews. There is also a nifty little seven minute
explanation of the Infinity Stones, which at this point is entirely necessary.
The Marvel Universe will miss Whedon’s skills, probably as
much as the THOR series misses Kenneth Branagh. Let us just hope that future Marvel filmmakers have half of the
vision he did. The next Avengers film
is scheduled for release in May of 2018, so they’ve got a few years to “iron”
out the bugs. Sorry/not sorry.
Film Grade: B+
Special Features: A
Blu-ray Necessary: Most Definitely
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