(This piece originally appeared on my blog, Chocolate Films)
A bloke approached me before the showing at the Odeon in Hatfield (A cinema here in the UK) and said something like this: “I’m here with my dad for my birthday, what should we watch, Furious 7 or Age of Ultron?”
I didn’t hesitate by telling him to watch the new Avengers film.
Age of Ultron is the perfect summer blockbuster. I don’t regret spending 8 quid (I love off peak prices) to watch it at all as it met, and in some cases exceeded, my expectations. But I understand why some maybe disappointed.
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The thing is, Whedon tried to do so much with so little time at his disposal. In a way I respect the effort but it left part of Ultron feeling odd and unbalanced. The romance between The Hulk and the ever gorgeous Scarlett Johansson came out of left-field for me – the film tried to give the relationship depth but it felt rushed and forced. The revelation that Hawkeye is a family man was very interesting but, yet again, it felt rushed and undeserved because there was not enough time to develop that thread. Don’t get me started on Thor… his little mini side quest made no sense at all – why the hell was it in the film?
RDJ and Chris Evans stand out though. I don’t know what it is but they bring a lot of class, gravitas and authenticity to every scene they appear in. They both seem to completely disappear in their character to the point where I am convinced Disney have an issue when it comes to replacing them.
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But I have to emphasise, there is more good than bad in this film. As an action film, this is top standard stuff. I loved every action sequence in this film and by the time it got the Hulk fighting it out with Iron Man, I felt overwhelmed. I envy kids of today – how the hell did we get so good at making make-believe?
Ultron himself is perfect as a villain – I love the concept of him. The idea that he is the product of Tony Stark’s paranoia is fascinating and I wish they developed this a lot more. In fact, Ultron would have made a great standalone Iron Man movie villain.
This film will be just fine – it will make Kajillions. Fan boys will love it and critics will try and pan it, but it is what it is. It is a summer blockbuster and a damn good one at that.
Just a normal everyday bloke writing about films.