Avengers : Age of Ultron
Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 24th April, 2015
Time : 142 minutes
Director & Writer : Joss Whedon, based on characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Music : Danny Elfman
Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, James Spader (voice), Paul Bettany (voice), Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Idris Elba, Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgard, Claudia Kim, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis (whew, some cast, isn�t it�.)
If you havent seen the first one, you could read my review here
Wasn�t it in Megamind where someone said, a superhero movie is only as good as the villain ? Leaving aside the irony of the fact that such a profound thought, about the balance between good and evil, comes from a children�s animated film � and the fact that its true vice versa � what villain do you think could seriously challenge our team of superheroes, make them sweat ? They were almost cocky in the opening sequence � cutting through a mini-army, destroying tanks, mashing missiles � with an arrogant ease�And that is why, you�ll like the villain the makers come up with�Ultron�who provides more than a fight for our Marvels�
In the beginning its about an organization called Hydra. Then its about Loki�s Sceptre. Then two fascinating twin mutants (Aaron & Elizabeth). Then Ultron. And then something else�At times you may even feel its all of the above�but even the ever-changing nature of the villain is a thrill, keeps us and our planet�s Guardians (sorry, that�s another Marvel series, no ?) on their toes.
They retain certain key elements from the first one (and why not, it worked, didn�t it ?) � the slight edge-laden banter between them; the differences in opinion, especially on the big stuff; the secretiveness, the cliques; how each of them has a role, no one really shortchanged (not an easy writing task, as anyone who�s written a multi-character story will tell you); and the Hulk continuing to be the joker in the pack�
There are jaw-dropping action sequences. Good music. An overall storyline that is interesting enough to keep you entertained despite the many obvious flaws (which superhero film is without them). But its the repartee that keeps you hooked � some excellent, crisp dialogue � the mini-battles between some of them : Ironman vs Captain America (�He�s the boss�I only pay for, design everything and make everyone look cooler�); The twin mutants vs Hawkeye (�You didn�t see that coming?� and jibes about his age); Black Widow and Hulk (singing lullabies�); Ultron�s philosophical musings about human frailty, dripping with sarcasm and the song he hums (�I�ve got no strings to hold me down�); And a really hilarious sequence about Thor�s hammer�which doesn�t exactly end as you would expect�
This isn�t the first film about artificial intelligence and doomsday scenarios�Terminator, i,Robot, even Transcendence� After a while, with most films around robots, it does get a bit mechanical (pun intended), watching them fight, get beaten � the mid section does flag a little � but overall, its still quite enjoyable, there is plenty of flair, panache to keep things interesting. Am going to be a bit generous and go with possibly a slightly higher rating � just because its not easy to pull off a sequel with so many superheroes, super villains and still manage to entertain !