An Overblown, Overcrowded & Convoluted Mess!

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2015)

What actually made The Avengers click so amazingly well with audience around the globe wasn't its simple accumulation of many superheroes in one feature but the flawless manner in which director Joss Whedon blended the elements of action, humour & drama into one perfectly balanced extravaganza that offered plenty of laughs, spectacle, emotions, entertainment & satisfaction throughout its runtime.
Riding on the wonderful platform provided to it by earlier instalments, the second phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a smooth run in both critical & commercial departments until it all came down to the chapter everyone had been waiting for since the past 3 years. And even although at first Avengers: Age of Ultron may seem like another success story for Marvel, it is unfortunately way too messed up in actuality.
Sequel to The Avengers, penultimate chapter of Marvel's Phase Two plan & eleventh film in Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Age of Ultron brings back the team of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow & Haweye under one roof once again for this time they face an adversary they never saw coming as Tony Stark's dormant peacekeeping program goes horribly wrong, resulting in the birth of Ultron who's hellbent on human extinction.
Written & directed by Joss Whedon, almost all the things that one suspected to go wrong in The Avengers goes wrong in this sequel as Age of Ultron is an overblown, overcrowded & extremely convoluted mess of an action-adventure that neither succeeds in finding the perfect balance between its different elements nor provides a smooth flow to its narrative like the way it did in its predecessor. And even his direction looked tiresome as if he simply wanted to finish the film anyhow & go home.
While the story does head into a darker territory this time, adds greater depth to the arcs of subordinate members of the Avengers & brims with cleverly executed moments of wit, it's the complete lack of coherence that hurts this film most. The heaviness of the opening act, the nonsensical incarnation of Ultron, the over-reliance on CGI action, the uneven switching between different plot points & several wrong turns that ultimately lead to an uninspiring finale are a few things that negatively affect the whole experience.
The writing is another culprit for the new characters are poorly handled, the plot line is quite banal, the action is soulless and although the screenplay boasts a few interesting ideas on paper, its execution on the film canvas is an absolute disappointment. Camera-work is pretty chaotic but the visual look is commendable, Editing is bothersome for the story isn't supposed to be this long n tiresome, and even the background score is simply a rehash of the original that brings nothing new to the table.
Coming to the performances, there isn't really much to add about the reprising cast except for the characters of Scarlett Johansson & Jeremy Renner, as we find out more about their backgrounds. Among the new additions, James Spader plays Ultron & even if his voice brings a compelling quality to his character, its poor conception in the script prevents him from becoming a formidable villain while Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Elizabeth Olsen do a fine job in the role of Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch, respectively.
On an overall scale, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a disappointing follow-up to The Avengers that collapses under the burden of its own ambitions in a spectacular fashion. Even though it never advertised itself as anything more than a popcorn entertainer but it is only sensible to expect a sequel that's on the same radar as its predecessor. I don't know if it's the after- effects of Mad Max: Fury Road that had me totally numb to the CGI-heavy sequences this film had in store or if those moments really are lifeless but purely from storytelling aspect, Avengers: Age of Ultron certainly isn't one of Marvel's finest offerings.