Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Meet FrankenStark’s monster...
The fan frenzy, smart marketing and merchandising around the Hulk-sized franchise that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe means sequel Avengers: Age Of Ultron would likely make a packet even if it solely consisted of the gang playing Marvel Super Heroes on Disney Infinity while eating Kellogg’s Avengers fruitflavoured snacks straight from the packet and wearing Avengers jim-jams lit only by an Age Of Ultron lamp for two-and-ahalf hours. Fortunately, returning director Joss Whedon understands how to craft a superhero movie just as well as Marvel knows how to sell one.
We rejoin the team mid-action as they tussle with Hydra agent Baron von Strucker’s (Thomas Kretschmann) men on a mission to retrieve Loki’s stolen sceptre. It’s an expert, epic sequence, a judicious use of slo-mo showcasing each Avenger’s skills whilst offering a lean recap of the main characters for anyone who’s been under a rock since 2012’s Avengers Assemble became the third-highest-grossing film of all time. It’s the first of several impressive action set-pieces yet AOU also establishes itself as primarily concerned with the personal and the political – a superhero movie grounded in the real world, focused on family, ethics and psychology. So, following on from the extra-terrestrial threat of the Loki-led Chitauri and Hydra’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., the world is a bleak place, with Cap (Chris Evans) et al fearing for the safety of the human race.
Double trouble
There’s a fresh threat in the attractive if unnerving form of mysterious twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff (Aaron TaylorJohnson and Elizabeth Olsen), genetic experiments harbouring a secret and a particular beef with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Stark himself is paranoid, relying on his ‘Iron Legion’ of mechanoid surrogates who look suspiciously like unofficial police-bots. He says he wants to “put a suit of armour around the world” but when that suit of armour becomes sentient, things get nasty...
AOU is Marvel’s about take on Frankenstein with unplanned-for Ultron as Stark’s hideous progeny. He’s a whip-smart, quipsmart, hyper-intelligent infant who resembles but resents his father and wants to rebel in the most dramatic way possible. James Spader, who voices Ultron, is perfect, oozing intelligence and sophistication tinged with raging righteous indignation. A megalomaniac who’ll pause for a perfect one-liner with which to wither Stark while destroying the rest of his race without a thought, he’s a genius sociopath who mirrors his creator, Whedon’s horror roots showing through magnificently as AOU becomes the first genuinely frightening entry in the franchise.
The price, though, is a serious tone which differentiates the film from the rapid-fire funny Avengers Assemble and warmly anarchic Guardians Of The Galaxy. There are gags but AOU is much closer to The Winter Soldier, laying ground for Captain America: Civil War. The Maximoffs – aka Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch – eschew Lycra but carry emotional heft; unlike X-Men: Days Of Future Past’s cheeky videogamer, Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver is serious and embittered while Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is more like a J-horror ghost than a superhero. High-flying synthetic being The Vision (Paul ‘J.A.R.V.I.S.’ Bettany, in a whole new role), meanwhile, is something else altogether.
The wages of fear
Six Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D mainstays, three flesh-and-blood newbies and a robot army, means it’s already a battle for screen time, yet AOU still manages to bring back a host of favourites as well as fresh supporting characters (including Andy Serkis, as an arms dealer afeared of cuttlefish). And, somehow, it works. There’s a love story, a tragedy, a shock reveal, eye-popping action, tear jerking and a crazy/creepy baddie who might prove too much for young fans. And there’s as much interior turmoil as external, as Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) struggle with their pasts, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wrangles responsibilities and Hawkeye ( Jeremy Renner) juggles his work/life balance.
If there are problems, they’re inherent to the genre. At 141 minutes it feels long, particularly the final act which, as in almost every superhero movie, involves a massive extended battle. Beautifully choreographed, expertly directed and edited so that every impact is coherent and clear, it’s still just a giant fight which, broadly speaking, can surely only end one way. (The mid-credits reveal is also slightly underwhelming but the tingle-inducing closing shots of the film will mean you barely notice.)
In short, Avengers: Age Of Ultron remains right at the top of its game. Forget the MCU, this is event cinema which puts Marvel right at the centre of our own, real-world cinematic universe.
THE VERDICT Part horror, part love story, part morality tale, Age Of Ultron is a smart superhero smackdown that raises the bar once more – this time it’s personal, political and petrifying.
› Certificate 12A Director Joss Whedon Starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo Screenplay Joss Whedon Distributor Disney Running time 141 minutes
‘Joss Whedon understands how to craft a superhero movie just as well as Marvel knows how to sell one’