With the aftermath of S.H.I.E.L.D's downfall still having an affect on the world, and Hydra hard at work with the alien technology left over from the Chitauri invasion all those years ago, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) decides to use the materials of one of their schemes to create a peace-keeping program which allows the Avengers to have more rest. However, that all goes wrong when the program is activated and begins to take over some of the Iron Legion - crashing a party taking place in the newly-rebuilt Avengers tower in New York. Now with the power of Loki's sceptre and the help of two of Hydra's experimentations who have a grudge against Stark - the Maximoff twins (Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro) - Ultron's (James Spader) decision on maintaining peace depends upon the destruction of his creators and constantly upgrading himself. But they pose a true threat to the Avengers, with Wanda's mind-control and telekinesis powers causing visions and distrust between the team members whilst Pietro's quick wits and agilities make it difficult to pin down and Ultron's ability to redownload himself into a new body every time meaning there is no foreseeable end to this foe. With these three highly-powerful enemies and a mysterious being known as the Vision (Paul Bettany) also on the cards, can the Avengers remain victorious, or is this the last hurrah?
Age of Ultron - not based on the comic arc of the same name - is a film which opens with possibly the most fun and most extravagant set piece that a film on this scale can do, with Joss Whedon's superb direction immediately bringing huge levels of anticipation and adoration and then slows down to make way for the main story. Basically following on from the mid-credits scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and spearheading the way towards the events of this film, it's possibly the most enjoyable 20 minutes of the entire picture. Sure, it's pure popcorn fun as you witness the team interact once again with joyous results, but perhaps because it’s so well done that the rest of the film falters by comparison. That said, what follows is still a belter, as the film is less of a huge Transformers-like blockbuster but more of a character driven story, with sprinklings of action set pieces woven in every so often. You of course get the odd bit of predictability - and those who've been eating up every bit of news and rumours regarding the film may be disappointed, as whilst not all of it is true knowing about some of them can make some of the more key moment less emotional or exciting - but with any blockbuster that's to be expected. At least here the Marvel formula which has been heavily criticised as of late for how often it's done has been altered for the purpose of adding more, with the team occasionally splitting away for their own exploits and emotional turmoils, most important of which is Thor's (Chris Hemsworth), who goes on a journey of his own following the manipulations of the Scarlet Witch. All in all, it's a story which doesn't exactly go in various twists and turns, but is a refreshing change to the formulaic approach often complained about. It's has the basic huge battle at the end that comic book films are most famous for, but at this point that's pretty much mandatory for the genre, so there's no reason to complain there.
In a film where pretty much every hero is a main character, it's hard to single out just one as being the primary protagonist. That said, Tony Stark - the man who causes all the kerfuffle in the first place - plays arguably the most pivotal role in the film bar the titular A.I, and It's something of a change of Downey Jr's part. Because the film takes a more serious step against the fun of 2012's Avengers Assemble or the fun-but-dark hybrid that was Iron Man 3, seeing the character in a mostly dark place is an interesting turn of events against the usually fun-loving philanthropist. It's not that he lacks his usual quips and cheats - they're still sprinkled throughout, and featured mainly in the incredible opening - but because of his later actions he lacks in his usual charm. A good thing though, considering that the whole thing rests on his shoulders as the one who caused the mess in the first place - and Downey Jr sells this newer side to the character really well. He isn’t contempt with what the others believe is right, and that is something which costs him severely, which the actor shows brilliantly through his performance. As for his right-hand man in the science department sits ticking time-bomb Bruce Banner (still played by Mark Ruffalo, a first for the character), who's given the new angle against previously where it was him unsure whether to trust the organisation that hired him for his brains rather than his unusually-green muscles by not only having awareness over when to or to not Hulk out with a special code to both bring out the beast and to put him away again but also adding a romantic angle with fellow broken being Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). Ruffalo is still proving naysayers that he is the right man for the job, as both sides of the coin (which does thanks to motion capture) are done with great dedication, and the character is still charming when he's on screen or amazing when breaking buildings. With Captain America, Chris Evans represents the other side of the Stark currency, as the two often butt heads against one another over how things should be done, and it's clear that it's a big leeway towards next year's Captain America: Civil War where the two are destined to battle it out. That being said, Evans does go in guns blazing to repeat the believe that Cap can be a bad-ass and a key player to the team. Completing the big four is Thor, who isn't given as much to do by comparison but has his own minute storyline which contributes both to the finale but also to what's to come in the Universe as a whole, and Hemsworth still shows that he's a great asset to the team as he adds more of the laughs to the team than even the usually fun-filled Stark.
What's most surprising is that those heroes often criticised by the public for not having powers are given the more to take on, as both Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner (Clint "Hawkeye" Barton) are given a tremendous amount to do. Johansson has both the romance angle with Banner - an angle which has the odd laugh but is mostly played out seriously with strong results - and the confrontation of her own past courtesy of Wanda Maximoff, which is rapidly edited but done in a fashion which fits the dark tone presented and not taking up too much of the 140 minute runtime. Considering that the mass bulk of her scenes had to be done first due to Johansson's pregnancy, she does well in a presumably-rushed environment. Renner is the one who gets the most presence though. As a character added for a cameo in 2011's Thor and being used as a henchman in Avengers Assemble, the actor's complaints about the lack of sustenance to the role has clearly had some affect on the script as he becomes the relatable player on the team. Whilst there's still no backstory given to the archer, there's more insight into the man himself given in the second act, and he expresses how different he is compared to the rest of the team ensuring his likability - and it works. Perhaps a little forced, but at long last we see purpose to root for this character. That said, there's a constant feeling of being given this insight for later emotional purposing, with the reveal midway through adding more heat to the fire. I won't delve into whether or not it occurs or not, but when it gets hinted at you get the basic idea of what the screenwriters mean. There's also fleeting appearances from former S.H.I.E.L.D alum Nick Fury and Maria Hill (Samuel L. Jackson and Colbie Smulders) who do well with the little they have, what with Fury being the confidant for the team and Hill his right-hand woman, and various cameos from characters from the previous films, including Anthony Mackie and Don Cheadle, which adds a bit more to what we've previously seen. As for the mysterious entity known as the Vision, his appearance is rather late in the game but worthwhile, adding a surprising amount of heart to the android character and almost immediately fitting in with the rest of the cast. Claudia Kim also has a role as the medic for the team, with a creation which is used against both the Avengers and Ultron, and is well-performed - if a little unmemorable against the mega cast numbers battling for screentime.
As for the other players on the opposite end of the spectrum, big bad Ultron is a maniacal creation who comes across his schemes in a plausible and well-calculated fashion. As someone unfamiliar with James Spader's work, it was pleasant and well-decided on Marvel behalf to cast the actor for the role as his vocal tones just reeked of greatness. From his first appearance as a broken-down droid with little power to the incredibly powerful behemoth that the team confronts at the end alongside his incredibly large army of Ultrons, he comes across as a force to be reckoned with, and his ties with Stark really play into the character despite his pleas against the notion. As for the Maximoff lackeys, both Olsen and Taylor-Johnson bring a lot to the roles, but Olsen has all the more presence out of the duo because of how unique she is to the universe thus far. She's a key player in what leads to what happens, and the accent is an admirable attempt. As for Taylor-Johnson, you can't help but compare him to Evan Peter's portrayal of the same character in last year's X-Men: Days of Future Past. It's hard to pick a favourite out of the two, seeing as they are different versions of the same character, but at least he's used for more than one set piece. Peters has more of a boyish charm to him, whilst Taylor-Johnson has more of a character to him. Performances are on par to one another though. The siblings do have strong chemistry, likely thanks to being a married couple in last year's Godzilla, and the backstory given to them sells the reasoning as to why they'd join forces with Ultron to take the Avengers down as well as a later development which was inevitable but well-done. There's also a brief appearance from Andy Serkis sans motion capture suit as Ulysses Klaue, who's there solely to introduce audiences to the world of Wakanda. By comparison of his stand-out performances in Lord of the Rings, Tintin and Planet of the Apes, it's rather simple but still works in the context given.
Joss Whedon is well known as being a god amongst nerds, thanks to his contributions to the likes of Firefly, Toy Story and of course the first Avengers film. As his last hurrah for the franchise, Age of Ultron is his most ambitious to date in terms of both visuals and screenwriting. The action scenes are great spectacles under his wing with great levels of love given to every shot - a particular one-shot will have audiences frozen with glee - and the quieter scenes look equally gorgeous. It'll be a tragedy to see him go onto pastures new on such a high in his areas, but with battle scenes as epic as the Hulkbuster sequence or the Seoul scenes, he leaves on a big hurrah. As for the music, an improvement has been made on the slightly-dull interpretation made by Alan Silvestri three years prior, with the combined efforts of Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman making some truly memorable tunes alongside some integration of individual themes from the various films and a more upbeat version of the Avengers theme.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is an interesting film. It has a lot to love: a great cast who work well with one another; a darker tone which comes across as very Winter Soldier-esque without being a copy of it; a good balance of jokes and emotional drive, and a great aesthetic feel. But why do I still feel a little disappointed by it? Perhaps it's because of just how large expectations were thanks to the marketing campaign, or by how much I read into things beforehand. But that's not to say that it isn’t a massive success on Marvel's behalf, as Ultron sits as one of the great thus far. Weaker than the first film, but thanks to its character-driven storytelling it feels like a suitable follow-up to the blockbuster hit. 9/10.
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