**This review does not spoil the movie or tell you anything you wouldn't know by watching the trailer.**
In the first Avengers film, the gang must learn to work together in order to overcome a familiar foe and stop an alien invasion from destroying New York City and the world. The second film begins with our heroes tying up the last loose end from the so-called Battle of New York, which is to secure Loki's scepter so it's mystical energies can be harassed for mass destruction.
In Age of Ultron, we finally meet Wanda and Pietro, which are the "captives" seen in the post-credit sequence after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Winter Soldier showed us that Hydra had been running SHIELD almost since it was the Selective Scientific Reserve and Baron von Strucker is one of Hydra's "top thugs." Having volunteered for Strucker's experiments on human subjects using Loki's scepter as a catalyst, Pietro has superhuman metabolism that allows him to run at speeds that render him a mere blur to the human eye while Wanda is granted the powers of telekinesis as well as mind control and presumably others that are pseudo-mystical in nature. In Age of Ultron, we see that Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (referred to by most others as "the twins") are being groomed to be big-hitters for Hydra. The Avengers have their first encounter with the twins and, though most come out relatively unharmed, consider the Maximoffs to be a major potential that.
Having retrieved Loki's scepter and returned to Stark/Avengers Tower in NYC, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner decide to experiment in the jewel in the scepter before Thor returns to Asgard with the jewel in tow. On analysis, they realize that the jewel isn't a mere energy source like was previously thought, but that the jewel houses some sort of mystical artificial intelligence. This prompts them to discuss the Ultron initiative, which is their theoretical project that would put artificial intelligence into an army of Tony's suits so that the Avengers could essentially retire. However, with Jarvis being the most advanced AI available the concept had insofar been only theoretical or hypothetical.
Tony convinces Bruce that this "vulnerable blue planet" is in dire need of Ultron, so the two begin trying to adapt the AI in the jewel into something that could run the "Iron Legion." Unsuccessful, they retire to a party the Avengers are hosting to celebrate the end of the search for Loki's scepter and the end of the threat of another alien invasion, at least in the way it had occurred previously. Meanwhile, as Jarvis runs simulations trying to figure out how to adapt the AI in the jewel into the Ultron program, suddenly the AI in the jewel invades Starks computer systems, destroys Jarvis, and attacks the Avengers before making off work the scepter. Arriving on the other side of the world, Ultron begins creating an army of his own with the goal being to rod the world of the Avengers and force humanity to "evolve."
One of the things that I really liked about Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron was that the major threat Ultron owed it's existence to the recklessness of an actual Avenger rather than being some third party with a grudge who decides to destroy the world. Instead, Tony Stark's brainchild, which was intended to be the final solution for world peace and safety, became the near-cause of humanity's destruction.
Another thing I really liked about Age of Ultron was that it really highlighted the differences in the perspectives of Tony Stark and the other members of the team, especially Captain America, which most will know is central to the plot of the third Captain America film, subtitled Civil War. Tony Stark has always been a self-serving, egotistical and reckless genius who, over the course of the MCU to date, has taken baby-steps toward being somewhat more heroic. However, despite his growing concern for the safety of others he remains unable to assess certain situations objectively. In Age of Ultron, he foresaw that the other Avengers would be against trying to put the jewel's AI into suits of armor, but his pride resulting in his belittling that perspective and in not lending it any credence. As a result, he impulsively played with forces that he knowingly couldn't completely control and almost caused the destruction of the Avengers and the world.
I also really loved some of the characters introduced in this film. More specifically, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) as well as the Vision. In the case of the latter, Stark took the android body Ultron had intended for himself and instead put an "improved" version of Ultron's base AI into the suit after hybridizing it with Jarvis. The result was a new character that recognized that the situation isn't black and white, one side against the other; instead, the Vision is on the side of life and peace with his stance landing on the side that fights to protect those two things. Vision regrets having to kill Ultron because of Ultron's uniqueness, but resigns to Ultron's destruction since Ultron wants to destroy humanity.
Unfortunately, Age of Ultron was slightly less well-received than the first Avengers film, which many still hail as one of the best superhero films ever made. In some ways, I can agree that the first film was better. However, I slightly prefer Age of Ultron to the first film since this one is a very organic and logical continuation of these characters' stories. Ultron was a very rich character who, despite being genocidal, still came off as having reached his destructive conclusions through logic, which is more effective than simply making a villain bloodthirsty for the sake of being bloodthirsty. Moreover, the characters introduced in this film--Scarlet Witch, the Vision, and Quicksilver particularly--could very well have major implications and play a huge part in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's almost a shame that Joss Whedon won't being making the two-part finale to the Avengers trilogy because he has really demonstrated a rich understanding of these characters, making them both heroic while also flawed, which is essential for realistic, dynamic characters.
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September 14, 2015 "Please retry" | Standard | 1 | $5.48 | $4.74 |
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From the manufacturer
The Characters of Avengers: Age of Ultron
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Iron ManWounded, captured and forced to build a weapon by his enemies, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark instead created an advanced suit of armor to save his life and escape captivity. Now with a new outlook on life, Tony uses his money and intelligence to make the world a safer, better place as Iron Man. |
Captain AmericaVowing to serve his country any way he could, young Steve Rogers took the super soldier serum to become America's one-man army. Fighting for the red, white and blue for over 60 years, Captain America is the living, breathing symbol of freedom and liberty. |
HulkCaught in a gamma bomb explosion while trying to save the life of a teenager, Dr. Bruce Banner was transformed into the incredibly powerful creature called the Hulk. An all too often misunderstood hero, the angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger the Hulk gets. |
ThorAs the Norse God of thunder and lightning, Thor wields one of the greatest weapons ever made, the enchanted hammer Mjolnir. While others have described Thor as an over-muscled, oafish imbecile, he's quite smart and compassionate. He's self-assured, and he would never, ever stop fighting for a worthwhile cause. |
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Black WidowNatasha Romanova, known by many aliases, is an expert spy, athlete, and assassin. Trained at a young age by the KGB's infamous Red Room Academy, the Black Widow was formerly an enemy to the Avengers. She later became their ally after breaking out of the U.S.S.R.'s grasp, and also serves as a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. |
UltronCreated by Tony Stark, Ultron is a criminally insane rogue sentient robot dedicated to conquest and the extermination of humanity. |
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Good "Collector's Edition" but not as good as Paramount's Edition (Marvels'Avengers 2012)
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2015
This edition (shipped from and sold by Amazon) is really cool because it includes a nice metalic kind slipcover and red case nonetheless I think it could be better, the movie itself has a lack on extras besides I had hoped this edition would be like the Paramount's edition released in 2012 (Marvel's Avengers) wherein it includes DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and soundtrack even the slipcover was much better (3D effect) but this new one (Age of Ultron) wasn't that great. In other words since Disney has the distribution control for home formats of the Marvel Cinematic Universe I have realized a lower quality in "Special or Collector's Edition" than Paramount's editions used to release.
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2015
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