Avengers Age of Ultron Now in Theaters

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Age of Ultron Review

Age of Ultron Review

The Avengers are back in Age of Ultron and I was invited to the early access screening. The bloggers viewing was in 3D IMAX.  Usually, films add 3D just to sell higher priced tickets, adding little to nothing except the occasional “throw something past the camera” bit.  While the Avengers sequel will do just fine in standard 2D viewings, they have done something with 3D that I have been saying for some time.  Take the audience through the scene, passing characters and explosions and whatnot.  This would be the best use of 3D in movies this side of a full on holodeck.

After the Marvel logo, we are dropped into a full on battle with the camera moving in and around combat like nobody’s business.  There is a hero moment during the first fight with everyone that made this inner fan boy squeal.  (A word of warning, if you get motion sickness from fast moving things on screen, you may have an issue with the first battle and maybe some later.  It was not a problem for me, but I did feel a little of it and the twinge of vertigo may have been augmented by the 3D.  YMMV.)

Pepper Pots and Jane Foster are absent from this movie, but that is not unexpected as this is about the Avengers.  Personally, I would have liked Pepper to join the Avengers with the extremis powers, but that may be wishful thinking.  Their absence is addressed and the story moves on.  Several of the supporting characters from the other movies are brought in as well as new characters.  Falcon proper only shows up at the end, but we see Sam Wilson in a few shots before then.  The great cameo actor Stan Lee makes a showing and it gets a laugh.  Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch make their entrance in a big way on this movie.  It is unclear if their father Eric has any feeling on this or if this is one of the many Marvel story lines familial ties are not established.

Ultron is the main bad guy, as the title implies.   Starting off small, he quickly becomes god-like.  His true goal is somewhat disturbing, but as a villain, would you want it any other way?  He definitely knows how to hit the Avengers where it hurts.  While team is working through their issues, we get some good backstory on the main group, including Black Widow.  I am not a huge follower of the comic books, so this may have already been brought to light, but you get to see sides of the characters that the movie audience has not been privy to.

With all the fighting and chaos, there is still room for a romance arc.  I will let you guess who it is between.  You will find out relatively early on in the two hour plus film.  Ultron and Jarvis get into it a few times, eventually out of the cyber world.  You will have to go see the movie or watch a spoiler youtube video for more.  And that Hulk buster armor from the trailer is pretty sweet.  There are so many things going on, one might be forgiven if this was split into two movies.  I personally dislike the cash grab movie split, but sometimes it is needed.

Early on, there is a passing of the torch feeling to the movie.  The folks that are added to this round seem to lend to the West Coast Avenger series, which I had to do some homework on.

Overall, the movie was a good time.  Action, Jokes, conflict (internal and external), super/mutant powers and tragedy.  Bad guy is punished, good guys win.

The post credits thing is a mystery for me.  Typically, on early viewings, they hold that back so you “have” to see it on release day.  There is something just at the end before the credits, but that might be it.  I will definitely be there this weekend to watch it again to make sure I didn’t miss out on the end credits…and to watch it again.  As I said, there is a good deal going on in the film.  Comic book followers/walking Wikipedia knowledge banks may get more out of the film, but the average movie goer will not be left out of a good time.

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