The Avengers - Age of Ultron
10/10!
If super hero films are two a penny these days, then the 2012 Avengers film was the first in the genre to successfully turn it up to eleven. It was like the Fantastic Four, but with a dash more Magnificent Seven and a bit less Famous Five. The action charged along at nineteen to the dozen, pausing only to high-five itself with references to the other Marvel movies, and all the while hitting it for six in the effects department. It was number one; 5 stars, 4 aces…
If you are wondering why I’m flogging the number theme to death, it’s because this month sees the Avengers return in Age of Ultron, and so far it’s already the number one movie of 2015, with bigger International box office takings than any other Marvel film. In its opening weekend in the UK, it beat Iron Man 3 by 54%, and the first Avengers movie by 40%. See, big numbers indeed. But what did I think? Well, it’s difficult to talk about the story without giving away any spoilers. So I won’t. All I will say is that whilst the plot does have its holes, it has a hell of a job to fit in the storyline that it does in the running time that it has. Instead, here are three other reasons why you should go and see this movie.
1) The visual effects. This movie looks simply stunning. I was lucky enough to see it in 3d at the IMAX screen at the Odeon, and it was my favourite 3d experience yet. It was fast, but clear. It not only had great depth of field, but also stuff flying out towards your face, and the action is constantly directed to make the most of the technology at all times, not just on a few scenes. If fully immersive 3d movies are your thing, then forget about seeing anything else and see this.
2) The Avengers team. The range of characters and watching them all interact with each other was one of my favourite things about the first movie, and also this one. The old favourites are back, plus some great new characters to liven things up. The banter between characters is just as good this time around, and just because they all (mostly) start off as friends, don’t be fooled into thinking that one of the biggest “who would win in a fight between…” questions in comic book history isn’t going to be answered in this one. I won’t spoil it, but it’s a better fight than Mayweather Vs Pacquiao any day of the week.
3) Cameos and clues. As any fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will know, their films are rich in geek-coins or meow-meow-beanz or whatever the pop-culture currency of the day is, and this is no exception. Throughout I kept spotting clever references to previous movies, future plot hints/one-armed bad guys, and clues as to where the franchise will be heading. Nothing means nothing in this film, and the observant are well rewarded. If, however, you aren’t as much of a fan, then you can still join in by spotting all the clever ways that they try to hide the fact that Scarlett Johansson was massively pregnant when they filmed it, and don’t forget looking out for the special guest appearance of the UEA’s very own Sainsbury Centre in it’s first starring role. Excelsior!
So there you go, if you want to know more about what happens you will just have to go and see it. In 2d, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it was one in a million, but spend a couple of quid extra, put on the silly glasses, and it definitely gets 10 out of 10 from me.
