Age of LuLtron

Rating: 7/10 (9 September 2015)

As others, I've heard generally bad stuff about the movie, especially compared to the first one. And myself I've felt it in the first few scenes... that... that stench of CGI. Many movies since Avatar have been reeking of it, but that's the benchmark. Unfortunately, this is more like a stench of 300:Rise of an Empire. It's the knowledge that everything you see is just that... pixels. Not even well-hidden, despite the technology. There's no acting, there's a ton of slow-mos and it cries: "suspend your disbelief". And it's not even in a good way, if there can even be one, it's just panorama, exposition. Eye popper type of candy. Doesn't work for everyone, though. To add to this, as many people have noted - the humor. Where DC is gritting teeth to try and sustain the Dark legacy, Marvel hasn't really matured past Iron Man 1. I love the jokes, I love the oneliners. Any normal person does. But just like Frozen, when EVERY other moment, every other situation - is backed up by a oneliner or by a stupid song... The picture is ruined.
People complain about plot and story, but I very much liked the insight and detail of almost every character. Sure, some minor characters were one-offs, like that doctor or arms dealer, and Captain has got two movies to flash in a spangled outfit - they can be disregarded. Who was given plenty of love are: Black Window, Hulk, Hawkeye. The backstory, the relationships - really made them more than the empty shells they were in the previous movies. Where Black Widow just had red in her ledger and couldn't figure which strong handsome man to flirt with in the next movie - she is now actually feeling something, acts open and reveals her background. And no, if there's one thing I disagree with people - is love story. It must NOT be there, and however veiled it was - that was ideal. I'd remove 3 stars from AoU if there was a kissing scene, seriously. Hulk keeps getting better and better, and receives more detail towards his mechanics than "I'm always angry". And while he finds some social ground to stand on, it's good that he still stays true to his solitary nature. Hawkeye... I was shocked. The amount of character expressed in him the movie is stunning. Previously he was what.. Legolas. Literally. Then there were Captain Hinds..., I mean America, who more or less "raidled" the Avengers, and there was Tony, who had to work out all the technical stuff, had to make the hard choices in Avengers, IM3... Now we get the daddy hero. And that tops it all. It tops any resemblance of care towards planet that Superman could every try to face cringe. Hawkeye, the father, loved and inspired by his wife, has to be THE leader. The motivator, the overseer, the guy who has the most important thing in life to protect, unlike anyone in the movie. Of course, I might be stretching it too far, but he did his job(c).
Add to that the god complex of Ultron and the story of the twins, and the comedy actually becomes sort of drama. I won't mention Vision, because he was just sort of piloted. Not much to say so far. Overall, the depth of characters is one of the best in MCU, and this more or less justifies the movie.
What I'd like to least as clear disadvantages are the villains\anti-heroes. While I did acknowledge the moral of Ultron and the backstory of the twins, their realization is awkward. I remember a good quote from the Chronicles of Riddick: "You know, you are supposed to be some slick-sh** killer. Now look at you... all back-of-the-bus and sh**." Perfect description. Just flawless. Ultron was proposed as an... endgamer. By none other than Tony himself. And that's after we've repelled an alien invasion, prevented some prehistoric freak from destroying the universe, stopped hydra from butchering the world... among other things. Now there's just another Transcended guy, and poor Paul Bettany has to kill him, again! What's more, he pulls more cranks and has so wild behavior - he reminds me of Funnybot, for those who get the reference. I just want to imagine some of Ultron lines followed by him saying:"...awkwaaaard!" I thought Malekith was the worst character design in MCU(and that's saying something), but damn, Ultron beats him(though he is still technically a better scripted character).
Then there are the twins... I dislike comics, and and I don't want Scarlet Witch to be some world nexus or something. But damn, can't a freakin chaos witch do something more than wave her arms and read the fears? Seriously, Tony did more damage by testing his repulsors in the lab in Iron Man 1. And if she didn't provoke the Hulk, all her mental powers would be nothing more than plot pushers. We need backstory? Yay, let's make her find their fears. We want to screencap Hulkbuster? Scarlet Witch is the gal for the job! Quicksilver... well, all his awesomeness spoofed in DOFP is used to merely parody the Flash. He is the single grumpy character in the movie. And all he does is whack stuff and get exhausted every now and then. Probably the actor had his contract revoked or something, because with all the stuff going around in the movie - Quicksilver felt like they wanted to off him before he did.
In conclusion, I can't say that the movie deserves a bad rating. It's not as bad as it gets. 6 is the red price. I'm giving it 7 on a fan parole basis. I waited for it, I enjoyed it, and I wasn't outright revolted. And if there's more good than harm, then that's where the scales will tip from my perspective.