What is it about ?
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for a global adventure.
Who directed it ?
- Joss Whedon, first a director (and screenwriter) of TV shows (Buffy the vampire slayer, Firefly), started directing movies in 2012 and released the first Avengers. He loves science fiction and super heroes, and we love him for it!
Who’s in it ?
The same people as last time:
Chris Evans = Captain America; Robert Downey Jr = Iron Man;
Mark Ruffalo = The Hulk; Scarlett Johanson = Black Widow;
Chris Hemsworth = Thor; Jeremy Renner = Hawkeye;
And the newbies:
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver)
- Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch)
How was it ?
The super heroes movies: you like them or you don't. And when you appreciate the genre, especially when it's MCU, you have to expect certain clichés, either patriotic, cheesy and over the top speeches, or improbable action sequences. You just have to get used to it. But the magic of Marvel creates between the speeches and the fights, a great deal of humor. And Age Of Ultron has plenty of it! Speeches, fights and humor! Marvel applies this recipe to every film, and it works. But for how long? Will we get tired of it? No one knows.
The funny retorts, the "one-liners " (often said by the one and only Tony Stark/Iron Man) are almost too numerous and little natural, too well placed to punctuate destruction -uh I meant action- scenes. It didn't prevent me from laughing, but they might have to be more subtle. As for the fights and special effects, they're always great at it, especially in 3D! It doesn't reach the visual beauty of Guardians Of the Galaxy, but it's still technically impressive. The opening sequence is really amazing; that Joss knows how to captivate us! He actually raised the level here, but perhaps there is too much of everything? The movie is slightly even too long (2h22) and not perfectly rythmed.
Another slight drawback, but rather in touch with the story (approximately the same as the comics' I suppose, I did not read it): the villain (Ultron). It is once more a smart (also psychopath of course) who rebels against his creator when he realizes that the human beings are lame self destructive idiots, who obviously do not deserve to live and must naturally be exterminated. This schematic feels familiar, it's a shame. However I didn't hate the idea of the "evolution" that Ultron talks about: he explains that the human race is stagnating and must evolve, and like what God wanted to do with Noah and his arch, etc, Ultron wants to delete and reboot the Earth to allow men to really evolve (as part-men part-machine then). Isn't that beautiful! I still prefer Loki (even if his villain ambition wasn't that much more original).
Ok with what I wrote so far, you must be wondering why I rated it 4 stars. Well because I actually loved it! Here's why:
First, I love every character, they each have their personality and independent background (even if not everyone gets to have their own movie). There is less self-mockery and more serious in this film, but it's not a bad thing. Indeed we find more darkness in the characters, who have to face their fear and face each other. Certain characters and their relationships are more developed. We discover more Clint Barton (Hawkeye) and I was really surprised and I appreciated to know more about him, since he wasn't developed at all in the first Avengers. We also follow the romantic plotline between Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner (wait, I thought there was a thing going on between her and Clint? Or was it with her and Steve, after that? Well now it's with Bruce, why not!); it's actually rather sweet and moving, I ship it! As a result their personality is more developed too.
Then, I was a little afraid of the arrival of the Maximoff twins, played by two American actors who have to take a Slav accent, but they actually did a good job, and the characters are rather interesting. I knew Aaron Taylor-Johnson was good, but I'm discovering Elizabeth Olsen, and she's also very good in this role! Still on the new characters, I am however sceptical about "The Vision" and its role, but well, we shall see with the next movies (I hope)!
Finally, I who don't read comics, I don't know the stories before seeing the movies. I loved that we find certain characters or objects more or less important for the plot, referencing the various Marvel movies; everything crosses and connects perfectly (more than usual) and it is really great! I had some other small surprises, and I was delighted!
Verdict ? ★★★★
You like Marvel Cinematographic Universe, especially The Avengers ? Then RUN TO THE THEATRES! It's funny and sometimes moving, it's action packed and there are a lot of hotties! We expect no more no less from Marvel (maybe from Joss but I'm glad he directs these super heroes films, I hope he'll continue); it's a very good entertainment.
