I saw Age of Ultron last night and I want to share some high level thoughts without revealing Spoilers (we have other articles that do that, so we are covering all the bases at Gabbing Geek). Now, my title says Spoiler Free, and I mean that, but since some people are VERY antsy about the definition of the word Spoiler (SEE: Garcia, Ryan), before you click See More, here’s what I mean by spoiler free: I will not ruin any major plotpoints or fun moments from the film. I will discuss broadly how I felt about certain characters and the overall action/story without getting too specific. Interested? Click on…
Overall, I liked this movie but didn’t love it. I wanted to love it, but Joss Whedon got in the way of himself in a manner he was able to avoid in the first Avengers movie. This movie could have been 20 minutes shorter and would have been a tighter, more compelling film. I liked it, but didn’t love it. For MY spoiler take, check out next week’s Gabbing Geek podcast.
What I liked:
- Ultron: A very interesting and manic villain. James Spader did really great voice work to flesh out a creepy antagonist.
- Vision: I have always been a big Vision fan and Paul Bettany’s take on the character was probably a top five MCU portrayal for me (FYI- The list starts was RDJ)
- Scarlet Witch: Elizabeth Olson captured the power, complexity, and fear of what the character should be experiencing. Really thought she was the best female MCU character yet.
- The Humor: Like previous MCU installments, the humor was right on. Especially a nice running joke about Cap’s rules on proper language.
- The Action: The set pieces were amazing. Ultron’s zombie hoards were incredible. The fights were really good; especially Chris Evans as Cap. This should do well in Asia where big CGI/FX films play well.
What I didn’t like:
- The Fact That I Said This Movie Will Play Well In Asia: Look, I liked this movie. At times I liked it a lot. But at other times it felt like the mature cousin of Michael Bay’s Transformer films.
- Some of the Subplots: There is a Black Widow subplot that kind of comes out of nowhere and doesn’t add ANY value. There are other scenes that explore the minds of the Avenegrs and what they fear that could have been cut or told in a quicker less clunky manner.
- Nick Fury: I don’t THINK it is a spoiler that SLJ shows up. I thought he was a little too expository and boring. That is not something you usually say about ANY part that SLJ plays.
- Quicksilver: He was so bland. His powers were pretty well portrayed but he was outshined by the rest of the cast.
- The Credit Scene: No spoilers but it was the lamest one in the MCU series. ZZZzzzzz…..
Where It ranks?:
It may seem like a negative review but I liked this movie. It just had some faults and disappointed when it could have been better. I am glad the Russo Brothers are taking over the franchise. Whedon had one piece of brilliance in him (Avengers 1), and everything else has been a miss for me. Where this film succeeds, it does so DESPITE Whedon and not because of Whedon. As for as this film’s place in the MCU, it is obviously ahead of both Iron Man sequels, the Hulk film, and both Thor movies. I place it just behind Cap1 for a “middle of the road” MCU film. It’s failings are mostly a curved grade as compared to the MCU quality. It is much better than most superhero movies.
OVERALL: 8.5 Mjolnir out of 10!
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