Avengers: Age of Ultron - A Spoiler-Free Review

When the first Avengers movie came out three years ago, I was in the midst of a boycott of all things Marvel following Spider-Man: One More Day. I relented only because of my love of Joss Whedon's writing.  Afterward, I agreed to limit my boycott to Spider-Man related materials, since it wasn't fair for me to punish myself by avoiding the works of creators I liked in the name of proving a point against a single publisher.

I mention this because the thing that astonished me most about The Avengers was how accessible it was. Despite my not having seen Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger or anything after the first Iron Man movie, I was still able to follow the plot without any issues.  Whedon took care to introduce all the players and relate all the information we needed quickly and subtly.



Age of Ultron doesn't manage the same feat. How can it?! At this point, The Marvel Cinematic Universe is fast becoming as complex as the comic books that inspired it and to miss one movie is to lose a piece of the puzzle. In this respect, it is a weaker film than its predecessor because it cannot stand on its own merits.

That being said, it does have a lot of merits and the good far outweighs the bad.  In fact, I'd say it does improve upon the first film in one respect by giving Hawkeye and Black Widow some much needed definition. Ironically, the newer heroes don't get that much development in comparison but that may be rectified by the longer director's-cut that has already been promised for the Blu-Ray release.

This is a Joss Whedon movie, so you should all know what to expect: witty dialogue and lots of humor amidst the action. Unfortunately, a lot of the best moments have already been spoiled by the trailers but there are some good moments that aren't. One of these involves the greatest Stan Lee cameo yet and I shan't say a word beyond that.

Well, I will say one thing.  There is a mid-credits scene to wait around for.  There isn't anything at the end of the credits, apart from a note that The Avengers Will Return.

In the end, the best thing I can say about Age of Ultron is this. I had a royally bad day before I went into the movie theater.  Two hours later, I had forgotten my troubles. And once I remembered them on the drive home they didn't seem quite so worrisome.

This movie lightened my heart at a time when I needed a pick me up. And when you get right down to it, isn't that the mark of all good escapist fiction? I think it is.  And Age of Ultron is very good escapist fiction.

Birdemic 2 Trailer Released!

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Bad enough he shamelessly ripped off Alfred Hitchcock. Now James Nguyen dares to "parody" Joss Whedon?! I SAY THIS SHALL NOT STAND!

Avengers: The Movie - A Review

  
I'm going to keep this short and to the point.

Joss Whedon has not created the greatest comic book movie ever made.  Avengers: The Movie goes far beyond that.  It is so much more than we have seen in any comic book movie before now.  Avengers: The Movie captures the essence of everything that makes good comic books enjoyable and conveys it in the form of an amazing movie.

There is action, yes, and it is well-played and well-paced with only a few moments where the CGI is obvious and intrusive.  But what really sells this movie is the characters and the relationships between them.  Whedon's script is full of these little moments - bits where the characters stop being characters and start being people.  Bruce Banner and Tony Stark geeking out in a lab.  Black Widow's silent vigil over Hawkeye's sickbed as she worries over the man who saw something good worth saving in her that she never saw in herself.  Thor's pleading with Loki to put aside his anger for the good of their family.  All these little moments that are nailed by a wonderful ensemble cast. 

This is a good movie.  It is a good comic book movie but more than that it is a good movie.  You don't have to have seen any of the other Marvel Comics movies leading into it - everything will be explained for those who are new to these characters.  The characters are new to one another, so there are plenty of natural introductions as the film progresses. 

My one bit of advice?  Stick around through the all the credits.  There are two extras for those with the patience to wait.

Coming Soon - My Review of The Avengers Movie

 

Regular readers know about my personal boycott of Marvel Comics and the reasons for it.  So it might surprise you all that I've decided to lift my ban, this one time, so that I can review The Avengers movie.

Is it because I'm a big fan off Joss Whedon and don't want to miss the project that - if early reports are accurate - may finally give him the mainstream success and recognition he deserves?  No.

Is it because I don't want to miss out on what may be the biggest cultural event for geeks all year?  No.

No, it's because I realized that I have a unique opportunity that I don't think any other film critic or comics blogger has at this point. 

Having not seen Iron Man 2, Thor or Captain America, I have the ability to view the film objectively as an independent work rather than a continuation of these other films.  And given that the first negative review of The Avengers made great play of the fact that the story would be largely inaccessible to those who hadn't seen all the other Marvel movies... well, I feel a need to test that. 

So sometime towards the end of this weekend... I will be seeing The Avengers.  And for good or ill, I'll be reviewing it here.  Mark your calendars.  Tell your friends.  And be sure to support your local comic book store this Saturday when you're getting your free comics.