So, the Marvel Universe is one of the great successful experiments of our time. They've managed to, through 11 movies now and counting, (The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Thor, Thor 2, Captain America, Captain America 2, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers) create what we would have thought just 10 years ago was impossible - a cohesive comic book-style universe through a number of related and interconnecting movies. They've done this by hiring a number of talented filmmakers and by hitting home runs with all of their casting decisions. (they grabbed Robert Downey Jr. off of the scrap heap and turned him into the biggest movie star on the planet) Above all, they've done it through a commitment to quality. Even the worst Marvel movies (looking at you, Iron Man 2 and Thor) are better than your average superhero fare, and they remain pretty darn watchable, despite their flaws.
Enter: Avengers: Age of Ultron. We're shown that our heroes have been kicking ass and taking names off-screen since their last adventure, as they are clearly much more of a team now than they ever were in their first go-around. The Avengers are hunting Hydra and searching for Loki's staff around the globe as they strive to keep the world safe.
The Good: Marvel can make these movies in their sleep at this point, and Joss knows how to write his way around an ensemble. The leads are so charismatic, RDJ and Evans in particular, and the characters so well-established and rounded after multiple movies that everything just sort of rounds into place. New characters are effectively introduced (Vision is especially memorable) while existing characters continue to have their development moved forward. (except for Thor, who really gets the shaft in both Avengers movies) The film's villain, Ultron, an evil artificial intelligence voiced by James Spader, is a better villain than most of Marvel's villains up to this point, and Spader fleshes out Ultron with a gleeful menace that really brings a sense of desperation to the plot. The action sequences are impressive, and the presence of a menacing villain really ups the stakes. (Let's be real, as fun as Loki is, he was never a match for the Avengers once they got together) This film is darker than any Marvel film to date - but still manages to poke Zack Snyder and DC in the eye by having the Avengers go out of their way to save as many civilians as possible.
The Bad: This flick is totally and utterly overstuffed and you can tell significant cuts were made in spots to keep the runtime manageable. As a result, parts of the film feel rushed and the plot jumps around in spots. I blame Iron Man 3, and here's why: Ultron is created by Tony Stark in an effort to keep the world safe. That's KIND OF what the plot of Iron Man 3 was, but it's also not, really... and Stark developing AI that would ultimately become Ultron would have 1.) made Iron Man 3 all the better in the grand scheme of the MCU and 2.) meant that this flick wouldn't have needed so much background to create its villain. Since the first third of the film is setting up Ultron, the rest of the plot (introducing new Avengers, saving the world, etc.) feels rushed and under-served, and there just isn't enough of the meaty part of the film. Somewhere there's a 3 hr. plus director's cut of this film, and that's the one I want to see. Additionally, this flick kind of feels like a placeholder. It doesn't significantly advance the "infinity gem" storyline that had gained so much momentum through Thor 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy and as a result it feels like it's Marvel treading water before the main event comes in a few years.
Ultimately, this is a well-done, fun, quality, if flawed, addition to the Marvel Universe. It's not the crowning achievement that its predecessor was, but that would have made Joss Whedon an all-time legend, so I'm happy with what it is - a fun time at the movies with a lot of fun characters, cool moments and quality actors. As a Marvel superfan, I'm happy, but not thrilled.
8/10.
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