Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Review

OH. MY. DEMIGOD.

The Avengers are back. And by god, I can not get this stupid grin off my face. 

3 years ago, Joss Whedon's Avengers Assemble broke all the records, grossing over $600,000,000 domestically, and over 1.5 billion worldwide. It was widely praised for it's humor and pure fun, as well as it's amazingly entertaining action. Since the 2012 hit, the MCU has grown and evolved; taking on many different genres and characters. Now, the superhero team reassemble- and in amazing fashion. Let me get this out of the way- I do NOT know if Age of Ultron is better than the first Avenger installment. It's a tall order, for I feel Avengers is the greatest comic book film ever made. While I don't know if it's the BEST superhero movie of all time, I sure as hell know it's up there with the greats. Avengers: Age of Ultron is amazing. It is fun, emotional, action-packed, and completely engrossing. There were several times in this film where I forgot I was in a theater packed with complete strangers- I was so focused and drawn-in. This is mostly due to these amazingly fleshed-out characters. I hesitate to even call these characters "Characters", we've spent so much time with them they are beginning to seem like real people. It's...kinda weird. There have been many critics that are bashing this film. They are throwing around words like "Disappointment" and "inferior", which I completely disagree with, but I can somewhat understand it. 2012's Avengers was a completely unprecedented piece of cinema; we have simply never seen this type of thing before. The films leading up to Avengers were Thor, Iron Man 2, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Overall, these films are considered the least amazing films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It set the bar kinda low, and people weren't hoping for the greatest superhero movie of all time, they were hoping for a movie that wasn't a complete disaster- and it worked. Man did it work. In 2015, following The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, the bar is set in freaking space. Now people aren't expecting a good flick, they're expecting the best adventure/action film ever made- which, it's not. But it is still SO AMAZING!!!!! It's not a perfect film, there are a few moments that drag on, there are some confusing character motivations, and it even felt a bit rushed at times. But the amount of pure fun you have with this movie should make you forgive all these flaws. The action is some of the best I think I've ever seen. There is a lot of action, but it never really felt gratuitous like in other superhero films *cough*Man of Steel*cough*. Sorry I was coughing- it wasn't stupid and gratuitous like Man of Steel. It was utilized well, and was placed at the appropriate times. But the action isn't the best part of the film- it's the heart. I went into Avengers 2 expecting a fun action film with great characters and great humor. I had no idea it would make me feel the way it did. There are some really emotional and intriguing scenes in this movie. People tend to claim that superhero movies don't display the true acting talent of the actors- well those people can shut their mouths now. There is some great acting and amazing character moments in the movie. Whedon is so amazing at balancing his characters, delving in their back-stories and making them more vulnerable. That is what I love so much about these movies. These characters are portrayed as super and heroic, while also being so incredibly human. All these characters have their moments to shine- especially Hawkeye. The first Avengers film was really well-balanced, but you can't deny that Hawkeye's character was greatly side-lined. Whedon makes up for that, big time. Hawkeye very well may be the best character in this film; and there's a lot of competition. The whole main crew is back, with a few new additions. In the post-credit scene for Winter Soldier, we were introduced to super-twins Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). They're the product of Hydra scientific experiments, and they have a bone to pick with Tony Stark. The two make great additions to this film. They bring great heart and sympathy. You want to detest them for what they do to the Avengers, but as the film progresses, your feelings for them may change. Changing feelings, however, will not be had for the films baddie Ultron (voiced and motion-captured by the great James Spader). Ultron is a creation of Stark and Banner gone wrong; but Ultron is all kinds of right. He's menacing, sarcastic, maniacal, and totally committed to see the world destroyed- and only the Avengers can stop him. 

Avengers 2 is a flawed film, but it is entertaining and well-made. Writer/Director Joss Whedon was exhausted after making the film, and you can see why. There is so much going on in this movie. A lot of good, a LOT of great. You care about the characters, there are some really great character moments, and the pace is fast and fun. The action is amazing and unlike the Transformers movies, you actually know what's going on. If you don't like superhero films, this movie won't convert you. However, if you enjoy these stories, and you have cared for these well-developed characters, this film is far from a disappointment. It's extraordinary. And I cannot wait to see this again, and again..and again. Final Rating- A- (needs repeat viewings).