'Avengers:
Age of Ultron' - Secret mission gone awry (IANS Movie Review)
Rating:
***
The superheroes from Marvel comics have their own set of followers, thus making
the films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe cult movies. For the uninitiated,
these films would make little or no sense at all.
With most of the superheroes featuring in this film, the much awaited eleventh
film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- 'Avengers: Age of Ultron',
is a sequel to the 2012 released 'Avengers'. It is a fan's delight and
a layman's nightmare; trying to figure out these characters and relating to
them.
Showcased on a vast canvas, it is an epic tale of a secret mission going awry.
The lengthy prologue reveals that the earth is purported to be under attack.
In order to safeguard the planet, Stark aka Iron Man, secretly creates, 'the global peace keeping program to help Avengers to succeed' - a
robotic 'Iron Legion' - Ultron.
It is after he chances upon Hydra Chief, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's
Artificial Intelligence and a scepter which contains a powerful 'Infinity' gemstone that belonged to Thor's half brother Loki, he uses
it on Ultron, who becomes a mighty powerful entity.
It is Ultron's warped logic - that mankind is the enemy of the planet - which
eggs him on to bring about its extinction. Avengers - Iron Man, Captain America,
Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye along with Strucker's experiments - The
Maximoff twins; Pietro who has superhuman speed and Wanda, who can manipulate
minds and throw energy blasts, all join in to stop Ultron from causing mass
destruction, forms the crux of the story.
Though this is an action thriller, there is drama and humour in equal measure.
The performances of every character are typical and everyone has a decent amount
of screen time to shine. But it is the line-up of new individuals who add to the
novelty factor of the film.
Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the super powered Maximoff twins -
both struggle with their Eastern-European accents, but Olsen comes off better
with more graph to her tale and more interesting powers. But it is James Spader,
who steals the show. He lends his voice to Ultron and with his tone, both
chilling and affable; he turns out to be a formidable foe.
Writer-director Joss Whedon plunges directly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe
and unravels the complex plot with dexterity. There are numerous sub-plots and
back stories that tie up loose ends. Apart from the action adventure, the
director delves into the soul of the characters, thereby portraying their weak
points.
While the narrative is racy, with nothing constructive happening in the first
half, the pace drags. The narration only picks up momentum in the second half.
What keeps you glued to the screen are the visuals of the fast-paced,
well-choreographed action sequences. The mega setting of the destruction is
breathtaking and the effect is amazingly enthralling.
The razor-sharp edits too are flawless as they seamlessly blend motion capture
frames with the computer generated images. The 3D effects are an add on, but
they do not boost the viewing experience.
Unfortunately, the flaw with the film is that, it shares a familiar premise and
the consequences pale in comparison to earlier Marvel films.
Overall, this is a spectacular film, which fans will thoroughly enjoy.
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Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer
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Dolittle Robert Downey Jr, Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen.