Thursday, April 30, 2015

Review: Avengers Age of Ultron

IMDb

Title:
Avengers: Age of Ultron

Distributor: Marvel Studios (Disney)
Director: Joss Whedon
Writer(s): Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader (Voice of Ultron), Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Paul Bettany. 
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments. .
Running Time: 141 min
Synopsis: When Tony Stark tries to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.


What Others Are Saying?


Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 75% "Fresh", Top Critics: 73% "Fresh", Audience: 99% "Want to See It"
Metacritic: Critics: 67 out of 100, Users: NA out of 10
MRQE Metric: 75 out of 100
My Review

Source Material: Based on characters and story elements created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.     

Entertaining Value:

  • Action Elements: This film doesn't really stop, it jumps from one fight sequence to another seamlessly. If you are worried about action fatigue, don't, this film isn't, Man of Steel.     
  • Comedy Elements: This film has the charm of the first Avengers film. There is one running joke throughout the film that keeps you laughing. Ultron also has some good lines.      
  • Dramatic Elements: It is very much a summer blockbuster movie so the intense drama doesn't really shine.  
  • Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: We are back in the MCU and Marvel superheroes reign supreme. They don't hold back on the Sci-fi / Fantasy goodness.        
Cinematic Value:
  • Acting and Dialogue: 8: I thought the acting was solid across the board, generally speaking. I think that Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen needed to have better Russian accents. I really enjoyed the banter between each team member. It made the team feel cohesive.          
  • Cinematography: 7.5:  There were a good number of action sequences, so much so, that there was a bit of a sensory overload. With that being said, the film wasn't sicking, but there was a lot happening. I really liked when the film would take a break from the intense action to show the mental wear and tear the battles had on the characters. I think the cinematography capture those moods well. 
  • Direction: 8: I think Joss Whedon did a fine job as the director. You can tell he was in command, by the performance the actors gave. I could have lived without some of the "Whedon-ism" but that's more of a writing complaint. 
  • Editing: 7.5: I did like the balance between action and "drama" I felt it was a little bit on the fast paced site of the spectrum.       
  • Screenplay: 8: I'm glad we got full back stories and character development in this film. Each superhero in the film felt human and not like a god. SPOILER-ish I'm not sure why Thor went on his "spirit quest", that scene felt out of place. The information gathered becomes more or less exposition later in the film.   
  • Sound and Music: 7:  The music was good. 
  • VFX: 9: Avengers: Age of Ultron has the most vfx shots in the MCU to date, topping out at over 3,000 shots. Every bit of those shots was in full color, meaning they look great.    
Overall: 8: It barely missed the mark of overtaking the first Avenger's film, but overall its a  great film. I plan on seeing it again. I highly recommend this film.         

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