MCU Rewind #11 - Avengers: Age of Ultron - Review
Release date (US): May 1st, 2015
Directed By: Joss Whedon
Rating: PG-13
Directed By: Joss Whedon
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Claudia Kim, Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis, James Spader
MCU REWIND REVIEW EXPLANATION: In these reviews, I will be going back to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that have been released to date, reviewing each one in a retrospective manner. Expectations and background will detail how I felt about the film before the repeat viewing. This review will contain spoilers for these movies. You have been warned.
Previous Rating: 8.0/10
MCU REWIND REVIEW EXPLANATION: In these reviews, I will be going back to all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Films that have been released to date, reviewing each one in a retrospective manner. Expectations and background will detail how I felt about the film before the repeat viewing. This review will contain spoilers for these movies. You have been warned.
Previous Rating: 8.0/10
Expectations/Background: First going into this highly anticipated sequel, I had such high expectations. And walking out of the first time seeing the film, I wasn't disappointed; I loved it. But since then, I rewatched it countless times, and to be honest, it got stale. Every subsequent time I saw the movie, I liked it less and less, and found myself enjoying it less and less. So form late 2016 through early 2018, I didn't see the film again in its entirety. I just didn't feel like dragging myself through what I remembered being a slog of a film. I knew it wasn't a bad movie for sure, but for whatever reason, I didn't like watching it at all. But...
The Movie: I was stunned. I was absolutely STUNNED. I loved this movie. Yes, I will acknowledge right off the bat that it's not close in quality to the first one, and yes I will acknowledge that there are some scenes that I think should be cut, and yes I will acknowledge that it's nowhere near a perfect movie. But after I went through the entire movie again, I loved it.
Positives: What I found myself really enjoying this time around with the film were the characters. Perhaps since the last time I had seen the film I had grown to appreciate them even more because of the new films that have been released. But whatever the case is, whenever the Avengers were onscreen, I enjoyed it so thoroughly. They felt like a team this time around. What I thought was great was that they started out the movie as a team, midway through they splintered apart, but they set aside whatever differences they had and band together for an epic showdown.
Speaking of epic showdown, yes I understand that this film ends with a CGI army (more on that later), but let's not kid ourselves. The action sequences (and there are many) are awesome. I think that there are some scenes that are some of the best in the MCU in this movie, such as the Hulkbuster scene, or the fight scene in Korea.
What Joss Whedon does so well, and subsequently the Russos as well, is taking these characters and using their fears against them. As much as seeing the physical dangers pummel the Avengers, what you also see is a team fractured from within, each member with their own insecurities.
The new additions are great as well. The accents of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver weren't great, and to this day I don't really like Olsen's accent in the film, but that's just a minor gripe that doesn't detract at all. Vision is instantly a fan favorite when he appears onscreen, with Bettany's subdued charisma as JARVIS transitioning over to this role.
Let's talk about Hawkeye for a minute shall we. Whedon strongly urged Marvel to keep the farm scene in, which they obliged begrudgingly. Many people debate about whether or not it has a place in this already crowded film. And to his credit, I am one of the people that agrees with Whedon - I think humanizing Hakweye and giving him a family was one of the best things that they could have done. I think that not only does it help in this film where you see Hawkeye in a completely different way, but also in the next film he was in, Civil War, where he would make throwaway lines like, "Disappointing my kids" that would instantly add another layer to Clint Barton. (I also loved the "not a fan" of the mind control line).
The CGI in this film, for the most part, is fantastic. Hulkbuster looks like a formidable, tangible hulking (no pun intended) machine that can easily stand toe to toe with Hulk, who by the way, thanks to some help with Motion Capture genius Andy Serkis, looks better than he ever has before. Ultron's motion capture also looks great in most scenes, and is an intimidating force.
And overall, the films moves forwards, it doesn't really drag, the one scene where it "drags" I happen to really like, and it rushes forward to a fun, epic conclusion. I just had so much fun with this movie.
Negatives: Much like other films, as much fun as I did have with this film, there are quite a number of things that could have been better.
Going back to the CGI, while it looked absolutely fantastic in some scenes, there were a couple scenes where I thought that the Ultron character looked very fake and computer generated.
And yes, there are a lot of unnecessary subplots in the movie, for sure. Thor's cave search, as many point out, is not needed at all and should have been cut (although it was the compromise for the farm scene). There are side visions of Ragnarok, there's the mind stone which turns into an Infinity Stone, there's a whole scene about vibranium. The film does feel very crowded at times, though thankfully, Whedon swoops in and brings a little levity and steers the ship right back on course.
Another thing that wasn't quite as annoying as it had been in previous viewings was the number of jokes and quips. What I really didn't like about the film the more I saw it before this viewing was that there was no real sense of stakes as the characters would make jokes when, apparently, their lives were on the line. And granted, this time I enjoyed it a lot more, but I will admit that it does lower the stakes quite a bit at certain points in the film.
And lastly, the end fight is again a jumble of CGI. I feel as though Whedon just wanted another group shot, and he got an epic group shot that looks so fantastic on its own. But unlike the last one from The Avengers, this one has no real purpose. It's just there for fan service. The other one really symbolized the Avengers banding together at last after Loki had split them apart and fighting the Chitauri as one unit. This one was just everyone showing off their powers against a giant, faceless CGI army.
The Villain(s): Baron von Strucker is barely in it and is used as a gag. So that was a thing. Ulysses Klaw made his grand entrance in this movie, and I loved every scene that Serkis was in. He had a dripping level of charisma that he carried over into Black Panther, which absolutely made the film even better. And then there's Ultron. Say what you will about him, but I really think he's an interesting villain to watch. Is he very deep? No not really. Does he have motivations? Debatable. But he is one of those maniacal villains that makes you enjoy seeing him on screen. He has flair and personality, something Ronan, Malekith, and Aldrich Killian all sorely missed. James Spader makes this character fun to watch.
Positives: What I found myself really enjoying this time around with the film were the characters. Perhaps since the last time I had seen the film I had grown to appreciate them even more because of the new films that have been released. But whatever the case is, whenever the Avengers were onscreen, I enjoyed it so thoroughly. They felt like a team this time around. What I thought was great was that they started out the movie as a team, midway through they splintered apart, but they set aside whatever differences they had and band together for an epic showdown.
Speaking of epic showdown, yes I understand that this film ends with a CGI army (more on that later), but let's not kid ourselves. The action sequences (and there are many) are awesome. I think that there are some scenes that are some of the best in the MCU in this movie, such as the Hulkbuster scene, or the fight scene in Korea.
What Joss Whedon does so well, and subsequently the Russos as well, is taking these characters and using their fears against them. As much as seeing the physical dangers pummel the Avengers, what you also see is a team fractured from within, each member with their own insecurities.
The new additions are great as well. The accents of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver weren't great, and to this day I don't really like Olsen's accent in the film, but that's just a minor gripe that doesn't detract at all. Vision is instantly a fan favorite when he appears onscreen, with Bettany's subdued charisma as JARVIS transitioning over to this role.
Let's talk about Hawkeye for a minute shall we. Whedon strongly urged Marvel to keep the farm scene in, which they obliged begrudgingly. Many people debate about whether or not it has a place in this already crowded film. And to his credit, I am one of the people that agrees with Whedon - I think humanizing Hakweye and giving him a family was one of the best things that they could have done. I think that not only does it help in this film where you see Hawkeye in a completely different way, but also in the next film he was in, Civil War, where he would make throwaway lines like, "Disappointing my kids" that would instantly add another layer to Clint Barton. (I also loved the "not a fan" of the mind control line).
The CGI in this film, for the most part, is fantastic. Hulkbuster looks like a formidable, tangible hulking (no pun intended) machine that can easily stand toe to toe with Hulk, who by the way, thanks to some help with Motion Capture genius Andy Serkis, looks better than he ever has before. Ultron's motion capture also looks great in most scenes, and is an intimidating force.
And overall, the films moves forwards, it doesn't really drag, the one scene where it "drags" I happen to really like, and it rushes forward to a fun, epic conclusion. I just had so much fun with this movie.
Negatives: Much like other films, as much fun as I did have with this film, there are quite a number of things that could have been better.
Going back to the CGI, while it looked absolutely fantastic in some scenes, there were a couple scenes where I thought that the Ultron character looked very fake and computer generated.
And yes, there are a lot of unnecessary subplots in the movie, for sure. Thor's cave search, as many point out, is not needed at all and should have been cut (although it was the compromise for the farm scene). There are side visions of Ragnarok, there's the mind stone which turns into an Infinity Stone, there's a whole scene about vibranium. The film does feel very crowded at times, though thankfully, Whedon swoops in and brings a little levity and steers the ship right back on course.
Another thing that wasn't quite as annoying as it had been in previous viewings was the number of jokes and quips. What I really didn't like about the film the more I saw it before this viewing was that there was no real sense of stakes as the characters would make jokes when, apparently, their lives were on the line. And granted, this time I enjoyed it a lot more, but I will admit that it does lower the stakes quite a bit at certain points in the film.
And lastly, the end fight is again a jumble of CGI. I feel as though Whedon just wanted another group shot, and he got an epic group shot that looks so fantastic on its own. But unlike the last one from The Avengers, this one has no real purpose. It's just there for fan service. The other one really symbolized the Avengers banding together at last after Loki had split them apart and fighting the Chitauri as one unit. This one was just everyone showing off their powers against a giant, faceless CGI army.
The Villain(s): Baron von Strucker is barely in it and is used as a gag. So that was a thing. Ulysses Klaw made his grand entrance in this movie, and I loved every scene that Serkis was in. He had a dripping level of charisma that he carried over into Black Panther, which absolutely made the film even better. And then there's Ultron. Say what you will about him, but I really think he's an interesting villain to watch. Is he very deep? No not really. Does he have motivations? Debatable. But he is one of those maniacal villains that makes you enjoy seeing him on screen. He has flair and personality, something Ronan, Malekith, and Aldrich Killian all sorely missed. James Spader makes this character fun to watch.
The Verdict: Again, I will reiterate how absolutely shocked I was to have liked this film this much. Is it as good as the first Avengers, absolutely not. But from start to finish, there is so much to take in and enjoy with this film, from the great characters, snappy dialogue, awesome moments, awesome action scenes, and satisfying conclusion. While not living up to many fan's expectations, this film is worthy of the Avengers title. Letter Grade: B. Number Score: 8.7/10
Should I Skip?: Seeing as this is an Avengers film and it introduces some great new returning characters (sorry Quicksilver) and an infinity stone, I would say no. See this one on your way to Infinity War, definitely.
9-10: Nearly Perfect
Should I Skip?: Seeing as this is an Avengers film and it introduces some great new returning characters (sorry Quicksilver) and an infinity stone, I would say no. See this one on your way to Infinity War, definitely.
**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.
A- to A+: Amazing
B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed
C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed
D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws
F: A Failure of a Film
8-9: Very Good
7-8: Good
6-7: Okay
5-6: Average/Mediocre
4-5: Apparently Flawed
3-4: Heavily Flawed
2-3: A complete and utter mess
0-2: A Failure of a Film
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