The Avengers are back, called back into action by another threat to humanity. In the same way that soap operas have more than their fair share of drama, the Marvel Universe is riddled with things to grab us. Luckily, we have our own hand-picked team of superheroes ready to fight the good fight.
In the first movie, 2012's. The Avengers , our heroes managed to defeat an alien army intent on subjugating Earth at the command of Loki, Thor's Asgardian brother. This time the threat is even greater, with an artificial intelligence known as Ultron seeking to wipe humanity off the face of the planet in order to achieve (a sick kind of peace).
It's Avengers:Age of Ultron worth seeing? Read our spoiler-free review for geeks below to find out.
Things start off with a bang, as we join the Avengers - Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow - midway through a mission that sets off the chain reaction of events that make up the bulk of this movie. It's the perfect way to reintroduce us to the team, and reminds us of the fun interaction between the characters. Which is where writer/director Joss Whedon excels.
Unfortunately, things slow down very quickly, and that explosive start quickly turns into a wail. By the time the next big montage piece arrives, it feels way overdue, even though we're still only 30 minutes away from a movie with a running time of 142 minutes. These breaks in the action reveal the biggest problem with Avengers:Age of Ultron .
The characters adopt a tired, "here we go again" attitude as they realize their tour of duty as an Avenger can never really end . Tony Stark, in particular, doesn't want to spend the rest of his life fighting bad guys. And while this is quite an important plot point, he seems to have fed on the mentality of the actors themselves, as most of them call their performances for their overly generous paychecks..
It feels like Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) are getting tired of these characters after appearing in at least four movies each. Which leaves Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) needing to up their game to compensate. They do, but not enough.
The current plot of Avengers:Age of Ultron it mainly focuses on Ultron, an artificial intelligence. What is artificial intelligence? What is not artificial intelligence? Aren't intelligent and sentient robots going to take over the world? Not today, and maybe never. Read More
Ultron, brilliantly voiced by James Spader , is designed to help keep order in place of the Avengers. However, after consuming all the information he can get, Ultron decides that the best way to bring peace to Earth is to destroy humanity and start anew...
This goes against Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, which we cover briefly in our list of Fantastic Books With Memorable Robot Characters 4 Fantastic Books With Memorable Robot Characters 4 Fantastic Books With Memorable Robot Characters Robots have appeared in everyone the media that humans have ever seen created, but literature is where you'll find the greatest treasure trove of automaton characters with depth and complexity. Read more.
The first law states that, “A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” But Ultron achieves true sentience, at which point no human law has any bearing on his mentality..
As he puts it, "There are no strings on me," an obvious reference to humanity's treatment of robots like puppets forced to do exactly what they're told to do.
Ultron is brought to life in a way that wouldn't be believable in our own universe, but this is the Marvel Universe. Discover Marvel Comics and Marvel Characters on the Web. Discover Marvel Comics and Marvel Characters on the Web. Marvel Comics was founded in 1939 as Timely. Comics before becoming Atlas Comics in the 1950s, and finally the company we know and love in the 1960s. This was the time when Jack Kirby, Steve... Read More The characters explain how Ultron became quite clumsy, but this is a movie aimed at people of all ages, so the use of simplified language should be expected.
The character itself is physically very well done, being an amazing build that you wouldn't want to find in a dark alley. This makes him a suitable villain to fight against the Avengers. from the film's bold start to the rather unsatisfying conclusion . And, since the actors don't express much more than boredom, Ultron may be the most human character to appear in the film.
Hollywood Has Been Tackling the Subject of Artificial Intelligence How Hollywood Has Represented Artificial Intelligence Over the Years How Hollywood Has Represented Artificial Intelligence Over the Years Humanity has always had a love-hate relationship with technology , and robots are no different. Over the years, there have been hundreds of movies about intelligent robots, and the portrayals have varied wildly. Read More the plot is a fairly timely plot. The world's leading technologists are beginning to publicly express their concerns about the technological singularity. Here's Why Scientists Think You Should Care About Artificial Intelligence Why Scientists Think You Should Care About Artificial Intelligence Do you think artificial intelligence is dangerous? Can AI pose a serious risk to the human race? These are some of the reasons why you may want to worry. Read More is really happening, and Marvel thus mirrors our own thoughts on AI with this ridiculous popcorn movie.
When the likes of Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Elon Musk are worried about the future , the rest of us should probably listen, and then pay attention to what they have to say about it. Otherwise, Ultron, or at least our own version of him, could become a reality. And whatever I get out of this movie, that's not a reality any of us should willingly accept.
Avengers:Age of Ultron it is a strange film, in which all the elements are present, but only something is missing. The plot works, but it still ends up feeling messy and fragmented. Your favorite characters are there, but none of them really stand out. There's a bit of humor, an adorable love story and much more. But none of that fits the same way as the first Avengers movie.
This is due to a mix of a) unreasonable expectations, which could also impact Star Wars:The Force Awakens , and b) the film feels like a stepping stone between previous and future films.
Whedon tries his best, but this time he fails to elevate the source material to an above-average level. The result is The comic book equivalent of paint by numbers. .
We may have reached the best comic book movies here, with Avengers:Age of Ultron Putting us on a long, slow decline to no one else caring.
The number of movies being released is increasing, but the quality is going down. And soon there will be a definite and undeniable feeling of, “Been there, done that” permeating the entire genre. That is unless Guardians of the Galaxy 2 bring something fresh to the table .
The Avengers since 2012 it was an epic adventure starring your favorite comic characters 9 Action Packed Comic Pack Subreddits You Have To See . they're no different. Right on Reddit there are several communities dedicated to just about all of your favorite comic book superheroes. Best of all,... Read More And it worked. Age of Ultron is an average adventure starring all-too-familiar versions of your favorite comic book characters. And it only works by the thinnest of margins.
Avengers:Age of Ultron It's not a bad movie. Unfortunately, it's not a very good one either. You will keep yourself entertained while consuming your own body weight in popcorn, but you'll leave the theater Cinema is dying:how theaters can ensure your survival Cinema is dying:how theaters can ensure your survival Cinemas need to offer more than just a way to watch the latest movies. They need to stop competing on "convenience" and start focusing on "experience." That is how. Read more wanting more. Not more action, more humor or more danger for the characters, but more effort on the part of everyone involved. Which, for a summer hit, just isn't good enough.
MakeUseOf Fees Avengers:Age of Ultron 3 stars out of 5 .
