The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2015)

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is simply amazing
When it comes to superhero movies such as this, I always try to look beyond whether or not the adaptation is faithful to the material, because the audiences who'll be watching this movie aren't just comic book nerds, but also some of us who may have been a late bloomer or may have been only fans of just the movies, or still would have to wikipedia things to catch up. And I'm glad that writer/director Joss Whedon has that ability to make his "Avengers" movies engaging and inclusive, like an open door inviting everyone to come in instead of saying 'Well, if you don't know what's up, then tough luck.' If you've seen 2012's blockbuster, "The Avengers" which showed the rough start of how these individuals tried to work together as a team, well, you'll be glad to know that in the opening sequence of "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" we see them working in harmony as a team, they have a clear plan, everybody's got their job and everybody knows what they're supposed to be doing, Cap is leading, they all have each other's back, the whole sequence is like a well-oiled machine. But because of that, Whedon knows that he has to throw a curve ball, these "Avengers" movies are about teamwork, and so as a coach, Whedon has to throw in some kind of challenge that would make or break this team, to see if they could grow through obstacles and at first those obstacles come in the form of the twins: Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who had a rough background, a rough upbringing, they're motivated by spite and distrust towards others, which is why when Ultron comes along, they share something in common or so they think.
In the comics, Ultron, as I understand it, was created by Hank Pym, but in Marvel Cinematic Universe, in this movie, Ultron is created by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) Do you remember the old saying "The road to hell is paved with good intentions," that's the theme that Whedon is going with for this sequel. In the name of peace, Stark and Banner create an artificial intelligence that they hope would help them protect earth from any impending threat. But this A.I. blames humanity for everything, for not being able to reach such targeted peace. Refusing to be Stark's puppet, Ultron manufactures himself, regenerates himself, in other words clones himself into an army of killer robots. In "Avengers: Age Of Ultron," you'll also get to see tension rising between Cap and Stark, at one point it got so bad, you're like "Whoah, Whedon, save some for the Russos and their 'Civil War' movie, will ya" but it all boils down to that teamwork again. Taking it upon yourself because you think it's for the greater good VS. talking it out as a team and respecting the collective decision.
The movie is way bigger than the first one, not just in terms of scope or locations, because it's more than just one major city in the United States, it has gone global now, and you can just feel it that the battlegrounds would only go even more colossal from this point on, it expands from one place to a few different places and it's eventually going to be about the whole planet and even outer space, I just can't wait for how much more epic it's going to be in "Avengers: Infinity War" movies. But "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" is also bigger in terms of the cast. Whedon had a daunting task of making sure that each of the characters has their moment in the sun. The film's runtime is no longer than 2012's "The Avengers" but I think fans will be divided on how they would receive some of the ways Whedon explored the characters in this sequel. The romance between Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Cap vs. Stark, Ultron Vs. Stark, The Vision (Paul Bettany) trying to prove himself worthy of being part of the good guys, the twins and their dilemma, some fans might try to analyze which of those subplots seems forced or balanced and some fans may favor one over the other. But I think fans will be happy to see that Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) gets more story this time around. And I think fans can agree that James Spader as Ultron could not be a more perfect choice. Obviously, this is not the first movie in the history of cinema to introduce a killer robot, but Spader infuses his charisma, his commanding voice, he's so articulate, he can persuade, influence, and convince you, this Ultron makes such a strong case, a strong argument, you can't help but somewhat agree with him to a certain level and I don't think anybody other than Spader could've better delivered that.
Is "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" as equally spectacular as 2012's "The Avengers?" Not quite, but it's still an amazing feat nonetheless. It's got outstanding VFX, really cool cinematic set pieces and awesome cinematography that make this team look and move seamlessly like a work of art. It's a great blend of visual and story. It's action-packed and it's fun. The tone is way darker than the first movie but it's still got tons of that Whedon's sense of humor. If you're invested in the comic books, or if you're invested in only the previous Marvel movies leading up to this, you will all get catered to. "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" is one of this summer's most anticipated movies and it lives up to it.
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