Avengers: Age of Bloated

Rating: 5/10 (3 May 2015)

Avengers: Age of Ultron is the official start to the summer blockbuster season. And what a start it is. Undoubtedly one of the most hyped movies of the year, it had a lot to deliver, especially after the amazing trailer we saw and all the awesome footage, we were in for a treat.
Or at least we hoped so. Or at least I hoped so.
Well, from the rating I gave it, you would probably think that I certainly enjoyed it. And I really did, actually, I had a lot of fun with it. But fun is not the only thing I look for in a movie. A movie can be fun in a lot of different ways. This movie did it with its great and vivid action scenes, the dynamic CGI, the snarky and smart dialog, and a compelling although rushed villain.
But other than that, I felt something was missing. The first Avengers benefited from a more organized story, the characters had more interaction, and there was more of a conflict, which fleshed the characters out even more (that and that every hero had his own movie) and of course our favorite villain, Loki. Although I gave the first Avengers the same rating, I do think Age of Ultron is a bit of a letdown.
There is not really a story with a lot of surprises, just a string of events that lead to another. This is not really something new in a Marvel movie. We always have the same pattern of a story. A villain that has an evil plan and needs to be stopped. This is not a problem as long as the movie keeps the viewer invested with other points. Here, the only thing it has going for other than seeing our heroes interact, is one action scene after another that all feel kind of the same. In fact, the action is so bloated and loud, that it was exhausting and boring after a while. Ultrons robot army was just not exciting as a menace at all, they felt weak and useless and not like a threat to the Avengers. The love story between Black Widow and Bruce Banner was something that felt way too forced and out of place. At some point people chuckled because the dialog felt like it was something out of a soap opera. I really hope they improve their character arcs in the following movies.
By now you probably have already seen the movie and made up your mind. As for me, I expected more of a darker and grounded movie that didn't need to feel like every other superhero movie we've seen before. The hype for these movies to me, is very questionable. I'm still looking forward what this series has to offer in the following years, just please, change the formula.