Everyone seemed bowled over when Joss Whedon’s first foray
into the Marvel Cinematic Universe hit screens three years ago, but upon
re-watch it felt (at least to some) that the gags well all loved the first time
fell a little flat and the spell was somewhat broken: maybe people were shocked
that a superhero film could have any margin of wit beyond endless
self-referential satire? Regardless, the majority still left the cinema after Avengers Assemble with a smile wide
enough to put the Cheshire cat to shame: so, does Age of Ultron meet the standard?
First, the plot: after several successful missions to
bring the remnants of Hydra to justice, less-than-satisfied Iron Man Tony Stark
(Robert Downey Jr.) asks Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to help him kick-start an artificial
intelligence programme, Ultron, to take over from the Avengers and ensure world
peace. It all goes up in smoke and the Ultron programme has taken on a life of its
own (voiced with honeyed evilness by James Spader) and it’s up to the Avengers
to save the world again.
Strangely, everything that worked so well in the first Avengers feels empty here, and everything
that’s great about Age of Ultron is
what was missing in its predecessor. The bright, pristine colours of the 2012
film are gone, replaced with a total visual mess. The unimaginative cinematography
rarely pauses to take in the scenery and spends a lot of time thrust up against
the actors’ faces, which becomes such an issue that there are some moments
where we get the Transformers problem
(read: a lot of stuff happens very loudly and incomprehensibly). There is a
fine line between delirious and dizzying, and Age of Ultron crosses it way too often.
But where the Transformers
comparison (thankfully) falls away is that not only can you follow the
story and the characters, you enjoy
spending time with them. The gags feel a lot less forced and will definitely
stand up to a second viewing, and the script is much more streamlined, giving every character has their
time to shine. Standout moments are gifted to Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and
Elizabeth Olsen as newcomer Scarlet Witch, and James Spader's Ultron is gleefully nasty, a dark side reflection of his creator.
For those not fortunate enough to have caught up with the
standalone pieces (and if you’re one of those, check out Iron Man 3 right now) then don’t fret, as the script ties up the
small character strands (such as Tony Stark’s fear of the wormhole) rather neatly. I only wish that the musical flair of
the solo pieces transitioned so smoothly. Brian Tyler – whose scores for Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World I bought the moment I left the cinema after
each respective film – has been hired to work the decks here, and has failed
spectacularly: despite assistance from Danny Elfman, the music is dull and
uninspired, saved only in the moments when tAlan Silvestri’s
superior work from Avengers Assemble is hastily spliced in.
However, nit-picking the faults in the music or
complaining about the jumbled visuals feels like taking pebbles from a beach in
the face of such a gigantic film firing on all cylinders. This is a film made
by someone who really enjoys the source material and wants the audience to have
fun too. Whatever faults Age of Ultron has
(and there are many), it’s still an entertaining, funny, light-footed action romp that
doesn’t feel the need to stoop to the lowest common denominator.
There are enough of those ‘wow’ moments; those iconic shots when
the group stand together in the face of unimaginable odds, and the music swells
and Tony Stark drops a clever quip, to keep you engaged and grinning. That’s
what you want in an Avengers movie,
and when it works, it really works.
★★★½☆
