Avengers : Age of Ultron Review

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

The most anticipated movie of the summer is finally here. The stakes couldn't be higher for the mighty Avengers. However while the stakes are raised higher, the feel of intensity is not there. Avengers: Age of Ultron is a filmed made well done, but taste medium rare. Does Age of Ultron live up to expectations? Yes it does. Does Joss Whedon deliver on the action, story and direction? Yes and no. 

As stated in the synopsis above. Tony Stark (Iron Man) has created a peacekeeping program, to ensure better protection of the planet. When the program becomes aware of its existence, it revolts and Ultron begins to plot his own plans for peace. However not without a price, which is human extinction.

Joss Whedon nails the overall story arc for the film. The film has the classic "Frankenstein" feel to it. The feeling of I have created a monster weighs heavy on Tony Stark. When this dynamic is front and center the film is amazing. The relationship between Ultron and Tony is a rocky one and explored in depth. Since Ultron is Tony's creation, his actions are a reflection of Tony's true feelings. What I love most is how the Avengers questions Tony's motives, especially Captain America. Who gave Tony the authority to take such an action? Why does he feel compelled to be the policeman of the world? This causes a rift in the relationship between Cap and Tony, which is a nice set up for Civil War.

If the movie kept this momentum I would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately the film releases the tension in order to keep with the tone of the overall cinematic universe. What started as a great character arc for Stark gets toned down to focus on Black Widow's rushed, underdeveloped relationship with The Hulk. The love story would've been better if it had built up to it like how she flirted with Captain America in “Winter Solider.” Nothing was truly hinted in previous films that they would be together. This leaves the relationship coming off as random. It takes away from the high stakes established by Ultron. That feeling of intensity I had was lost when the film had to focus on individual story arcs. This is the biggest problem with Marvel Cinematic universe. It tends to focus on the later than the now, which makes the films feel like a setup than an actual complete story.  The film had to play the role of sequel and origin story for some characters such as The Vision, Black Widow, Ultron and Quicksilver. Whedon does the best he could, giving us a sequel for established characters, while balancing enough time for us to connect to the new ones. It was nice to learn more about Hawkeye who finally get his shine. Jeremey Renner shows us a Hawkeye that is more than an archer for hire. Exploring his life was refreshing but it could have easily been a one shot deal. 

Overall Age of Ultron is a fun ride. The action delivers on what you expect. However, with no real intensity, you get the feeling the Avengers will all make it out. The tone constantly shuffling from dark to family friendly gives a feeling that Marvel is trying to play it safe. 

Final Rating