Chris At The Pictures

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. 

Godzilla is the new film from British Gareth Edwards, who broke onto the scene in 2010 with the low-budget creature-feature Monsters. Fifteen years after an accident at a nuclear power plant which claimed the life of his wife, Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) and his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) become entangled in a conspiracy to harvest power from a mysterious life form found on the Japanese coast. Before long, all hell breaks loose and the creature escapes as humanity is confronted with an enemy that could send them 'back to the Stone Age!'

On a purely visual plain, the film looks extraordinary. The realistic colour palette of iron greys and cold blues means that when the inevitable flames of battle appear, they are remarkably striking. The special effects of the Godzilla creature and the destruction that occurs in its’ wake are truly something to behold. We’ve gotten so used to movies with big alien monsters (Avengers Assemble, Transformers) crashing into buildings that you’d think this would be nothing special, but when those buildings become a stream of splintering dominoes, then you have a reason to gasp. The word ‘epic’ doesn’t begin to cover the sheer scale. If you don’t see it in IMAX, you’re missing out. The sound design (provided by the ever-reliable Skywalker Sound) is incredible, proving simultaneously that explosions don’t have to sound boring and repetitive, and that the Godzilla roar is one of the greatest sounds ever used in a movie. 

Perhaps the most noticeable thing about the film is that, in a similar vein to Batman Begins, the film earns its ear-splitting finale by spending the proceeding hour/hour and a half doing its best to actually develop characters that you will still care about by the time the fighting starts. There is a great deal of screen time devoted to exploring their motivations, getting a feel for where they’ve come from, and then uses this to examine the climax from their perspective. The action set pieces are almost entirely shot either directly from a character’s own point of view or pans down from the monster to show the human characters interaction with it all. The air-drop sequence in particular (as shown in the preliminary teaser trailer) is a prime example of this.

While we’re on the subject of trailers, steer clear before seeing this film, because one or two of them will spoil some of the key surprises, and having only seen the teaser and initial theatrical trailer I’m glad I wasn’t in-the-know regarding certain elements of the story. The first half of the film itself feels like a teaser, and it is a long time before the Godzilla beast is fully revealed, but it was more than worth it. When he finally appears, it’s awe-inspiring, paying faithful homage to the 1954 original whilst avoiding the problems of the 1998 version.

As for the characters we spend time with before the crashing and banging starts, there’s plenty to enjoy here. Bryan Cranston proves once again that he is one of the greatest actors working today, his performance early on in the film creating a strong foundation from which the others can build. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is maturing into a fine actor, his uncertain but strong-willed demeanour reminding the viewer somewhat of his appearance in Kick-Ass, but with a gruffer edge. Elizabeth Olsen, taking a break from appearing in subversive, artsy films gives a functional appearance as Fords’ wife, and Ken Watanabe is great as usual, if a little underused.

While it’s certainly true that the plot jumps about the place a lot for the first half, dropping one character arc for another at a moment’s notice, it is this focus on character that elevates Godzilla above most monster schlock. Featuring an extremely enjoyable final act and a developing sense of threat throughout, it is a fitting rebirth of the ‘king of the monsters’ and gives director Gareth Edwards another chance to showcase his talent.

4.5 stars