Earth's greatest entertainers....

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2015)

The imminent darkness looms just outside the nine realms with evil forces conjuring greater power to seize control. Back on Earth, after New York, the Avengers have been busy eradicating HYDRA from their secret lairs in an attempt to establish peace. With innocent lives being lost to worldwide terrorism everyday, Earth needed many more protectors and there was but one solution in Tony Stark's genius mind. His artificial intelligence program was to be duplicated using the neuron flow from Loki's scepter to create a sentinel army of droids. It was thus, that his plan backfired and the 'Age of Ultron' threatened the existence of not only the Avengers but also of the planet. Joss Whedon's challenge was to keep the mayhem from becoming another Michael Bay extravaganza while also making it disparate from The Avengers. There are new characters, more powerful villains and of course, more Smash!
An introduction to our heroes was completely unnecessary and therefore, the film begins in hyper-active mode in Sokovia, where the Avengers make their way through a Nazi hideout to retrieve Loki's scepter. We are already seeing signs of evolution with their enhanced weapons and in certain cases, relationships. During the raid, they discover two new super-villains who have been enhanced to become Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). While they were unable to capture them, they decide to celebrate the success anyway and throw a lavish party at Stark's downtown apartment. Meanwhile, Stark and Banner secretly attempt to harness the nucleus like energy from the scepter and combine it with the A.I. of Jarvis. At the end of a hilarious scene where the superheroes gather around Thor's Mjolnir to try lifting it, their party is interrupted by a half built robot that not only speaks intelligently while threatening them but escapes through the internet to gather its own destructive army. Ultron (James Spader's voice) is perhaps the sharpest of villains and in his impeccable robotic body, poses as a menacing form of evil that desires mass extinction. The enhanced twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff already have an established hatred for Stark and his allies. Ultron fuels this hatred and unleashes their power of speed and mental manipulation upon the mightiest heroes to subdue them and send them into hiding. In that process, Hulk goes berzerk in Johannesburg, only to be challenged by Ironman's Hulksmasher. Their vulnerability has caused the loss of lives and property and it's great to see that the Earth's mightiest heroes show such concern.
Ultron's need to evolve brings the action to Seoul, where he builds his perfect body but is intercepted at just the right time by the Avengers. Stark's overconfidence in his genius then leads to the creation of a super-hero that has a human-like A.I. and Asgardian worthiness. Now as part of his plan to cause human extinction, Ultron literally uproots a Sokovian city, to bring it down like an asteroid that would send shockwaves across the globe. It's Ultron's centries of robotic perfection against Earth's mightiest heroes who are now more responsbile than ever for human life.
3 of the Avengers have had sequels since they were first united. Astutely, Whedon chooses to focus on the rest of the members along with the newbies. That does not mean that our heroes haven't evolved during this period. Tony Stark feels more responsible for his team's success and pushes his limits both mentally and physically. Captain America seems stronger and his shield now acts like a boomerang too! As the team leader, he is the moral pillar who dictates battle strategies that reduce collateral damage. Thor senses some greater powers being responsible for the recent attacks on Midgard and linking the infinity gem in the plot only corroborates his suspicion. Bruce Banner's guilt ridden conscience is the result of all the lives lost during the big guy's rampage. It makes him distance himself from Widow's affection which is quite irresistible. Black Widow appreciates this vulnerability of Banner and the fact that he's a superhero who doesn't want his power. Clint has a surprising reveal and that is a successful play by the film makers to divert some attention to the human side of the Avengers. James Spader's devillish voice makes Ultron all the more sinister. Sophisticated, evolved yet sly in his verbal attacks with the heroes, Ultron makes a menacing villain for being a robot. Perhaps the most striking new character is Vision, with his calm, composed voice that makes him seem ethereal. More powerful than the rest, he doesn't exude those characteristics but can defeat most beings in a battle. Newcomers Aaron Taylor-Johnson and the ravishing Elizabeth Olsen are excellent as the Maximoff twins.
Joss Whedon keeps the action frenetic yet stays with his characters so the audience isn't overwhelmed. Just like Tony Stark, this movie pushes the limits and in a good way. There's more destruction and nerdy fun than many movies put together but it also has a softer human side with characters that are very well developed by now. The humorous banter, genuine threat to their existence and compassion for human lives make this film's core. The superlative CGI (apart from the opening sequence), detailed action sequences and overall mayhem make up the delicious outer layer. Age of Ultron takes us deeper into the Marvel Universe and lays a solid foundation for whatever is in store with the future installments. The elevator may not be worthy of Mjolnir but the Avengers are worth repeated viewings.

9.219 on a scale of 1-10.