Review: Avengers: Age Of Ultron Is Better Than You Think
- Feb 7, 2018
- 2 min read
Avengers: Age Of Ultron is often described as overstuffed, like Batman V Superman, trying to fill in plotholes from the past and set up future movies. I'm here to tell you why that's not the case, and why it should instead be considered a modern masterpiece.
The Avengers reacquire Loki's scepter and begin to study its potential. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) are trying to build an AI to protect the world, but end up accidentally extracting the mind from the Mind Stone, and creating one named Ultron (James Spader) that wants to destroy the world. He attacks the Avengers, then enlists the help of two superhuman Hydra experiments, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) Maximoff to acquire a huge stash of Vibranium.
From square one, this movie is philosophical. The very first battle of the movie ends up focusing on Tony's concern over how easily the Avengers were overwhelmed at the Battle of New York (in The Avengers). Then there is Ultron, built to protect the world, which turns into a conversation about morality. Ultron's entire plan is driven by his own philosophy about the value of human life. And one of the last plot beats is a discussion about humanity and the place of artificial life. Is this a movie I would recommend as "thought-provoking" or "a philosophy movie"? No, but its got more behind it than flashy fight scenes.
As for the film itself? It's way more action-packed than any other Marvel film, because its so much longer. But I like that. 142 minutes really isn't that long when you consider that this movie features 6 main characters and represents such a massive turning point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The villain is fully formed, unlike in some MCU films (*cough* December 16, 1991 *cough*). The new characters truly improve the story and the team. Ultron's plan is fascinating to watch. And each Avenger has their moment to shine, which could easily have been forgotten and left numerous characters underdeveloped.
It may be pretty long and chock-full, but it is always fun, always philosophical, and always respectful of its characters and their development. And after growing up on superhero films obsessed with love stories and drama (X-Men, Spider-Man) at an age where I just wanted to see action, I'm really happy to see a superhero movie that is mostly action, while still being smart.
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