REVIEW: Avengers: Age of Ultron

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

RATED: PG-13

RATING: *****/*****

 SUMMARY: (Via-IMDB) When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for a global adventure.

THE PRO'S: Stunning special effects, awesome use of its characters, absolutely complete and utter fun, fantastic use of its villain

THE CON'S: Some plot points seem unecessary.

THE REVIEW:

Ah, Marvel Movies, how I love thee. It's no secret I'm a huge superhero film fan, so I have been extremely pumped to see this movie. Not even some lackluster reviews could deter me, and I'm glad they didn't because this movie was just AWESOME.

NOTE: If you haven't been following these movies, the synopsis for this movie DOES contain spoilers for previous films in the series. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

The film picks up sometime after the events of "The Winter Soldier". The Avengers, now a fully functioning team, have just come off hunting down the remnants of HYDRA and Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are hard at work on a peacekeeping program: "Ultron". Unfortunately, their use of Loki's Sceptar from the first film to jumpstart the program has unforeseen consequences. And now, a self-aware, and extremely twisted "Ultron" has been unleashed upon the world, beginning a new struggle for our heroic team. 

ANY SPOILERS FOR THE UNIVERSE END HERE. The review for the movie itself is SPOILER-FREE both for the movie and the universe.

What results is a fun, action-packed thrill ride that totally kicked so much butt. I think this movie definitely topped the original for me for a few reasons. And one of them is that as a villain, Ultron is absolutely awesome. I genuinely love his attitude and his character, played by the great James Spader, is well-acted and done. As much as I love Loki, he is also the most formidable and interesting of the characters the Avengers have faced, and I think he even upped the ante and stakes to a point that made it awesome.

And that's another thing this movie gets right: the new kids on the block. With a movie that introduces SO many key players into the mix: Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision, it does them all so well. All three are given an excellent amount of screen-time, and each is developed so well you can't help but love them all. This film even managed to finally make a Scarlet Witch fan out of me, despite my "meh"-ness at her in the past. She was probably my favorite new character in the movie, followed by Quicksilver, and Vision. 

As far as acting goes, everyone gave great performances. I was especially impressed with Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who both pull off believable Russian accents and superb acting in their roles as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Everyone else gives off the same, well-done performances we are all no doubt used to. While Jeremy Renner, who is given FAR more to do here as Hawkeye continues to impress as an actor and make great strides.

But of course, the biggest part of the movie is the action. And does  it deliver? Oh yes, it DEFINITELY delivers! The movie is action-packed from beginning to end, with some amazing acton sequences and special effects abound. You're sure to love it if you're an action fan, there's plenty of it, and the effects only add to it.

The only minor complaint I have, without giving spoilers, is that some plot points seem forced or silly. There aren't many, but there are moments that just seem off or sort of like "Why do you need to be in here though?". But they are few and far between and easily overlooked at least.

So....

IN CONCLUSION:

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is yet another hit from Marvel! It's a fun, action-packed, well written, and acted summer blockbuster. I will definitely be excited to see what Marvel brings next in Ant-Man and Phase 3!

5 OUT OF 5 STARS

MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS