Movie: The Avengers: Age of Ultron (Avengers #2)
Release Date: May 1, 2015 (Dutch: April 22)
Language: English
Director: Joss Wheden
Based on: The Avengers (comic) by Stan Lee
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen
The sequel to The Avengers (2012) is finally here! Considering I am in love with Marvel, I thought I’d share my opinion on the movie that has the most visual effects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“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.” (IMDb)
As a sequel to The Avengers that came out in 2012, people have been expecting big things and it is definitely not wrong to say that Marvel has not disappointed! I was, for once, lucky to live in The Netherlands, where the movie came out April 22nd, which is, surprisingly, earlier than in the US!
So the movie starts off with the Avengers (Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Hulk) raiding a Hydra outpost led by Strucker, where Strucker and his scientists have been experimenting on humans with a scepter that Loki used to control SHIELD agents in the previous movie. Two of those humans are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, who are also a part of the X-Men universe but due to rights and all that –ish they aren’t mutants but “inhumans”… doesn’t really change anything, they have the same powers. Pietro is incredibly fast and Wanda can manipulate others and she does this really cool telekinesis thing.
So Tony breaks in, Wanda gives him a vision with her spooky-powers, Tony takes the scepter and in Bruce his lab, they find artificial intelligence and Tony wants to use it to complete his global defense program called Ultron. Great plan, right?! Except for the part where this artificial intelligence turns evil. I, myself, didn’t really think he is being evil… rather misunderstood. You see, he overheard Tony mention “peace at our time” while he is building Ultron. Ultron figures out that the only way to accomplish that, is give humanity a chance to evolve by first making them extinct.
As Wanda and Pietro believe that Ultron will defeat Tony Stark, they go along with him. A discovery is made and they decide to switch sides and join the Avengers. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are officially Avengers! Well, kind of. They help, which I was super excited for, since Quicksilver is one of my favorite Marvel characters! In this movie, his character is brought out as it should be; protective of his little sister (apparently, Pietro is 12 minutes older), funny and charming. Also quite the badass. Wanda’s personality is portrayed perfectly and extremely well. I love the dynamic between the twins. Their individual scenes are just as amazing.
While a lot is happening, Ultron gets a new body which he never actually gets to use, we sneak a peek into Hawkeye’s background and a glimpse into Black Widow’s past.
The Avengers get a hold of the body that was built for Ultron before he gets to use it and this body is now under control of Vision, who is a great help in the end-battle and kind of a big deal in the comics.
Once Ultron’s plan is getting to its finishing point, the Avengers work together in an attempt to stop it all from happening, so that humanity can live on. Every single scene that leads to this is breathtaking, beautiful, thrilling and overall the best it could be. In fact, there is one scene in which all the Avengers are seen, protecting the device that is critical to Ultron’s plan but also to keep the earth safe. In this scene, a lot of visual effects are going on, this scene is so well-directed that I just sat there, silenced by the perfection of the effects, the way the characters are presented and just all the action going in on.
This movie was simply the most amazing Marvel movie I have ever seen. Be warned, though. There is death. That is all. Saving you the pain until you see the movie, all I’m saying is that I was heartbroken.
In a nutshell:
Liked it: Absolutely!
Loved it: More than love, I want to marry this movie.
Re-watch: Yes, probably a hundred times.
Cinema worthy: Absolutely
