Movie Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Hello, movie fans!

Are any of you in the mood to talk about superhero movies? I always am, so today I am continuing my goal of reviewing as many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films as I can in 2021!

Time sure moves quickly. While I wasn’t part of the fandom for the MCU yet, I remember when this movie came out. Now that was 6 years ago!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This review is completely spoiler free for this film and for all others in the franchise. Because it is such a complicated “universe” of films and so much happens, I will be more vague with each coming review. I want you to experience all the twists and turns for yourself without worry that I’m telling you too much!

I’m here to help you get the best experience, so do as I say and not as I do. With so many movies there has to be a way to organize them, right? Well, there is! There are two ways in fact of watching. They are:

In the order which they were made:

Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Dr. Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

Or chronological order:

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain Marvel (2019), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Dr. Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnorok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

If you have never seen a Marvel movie, then this one probably isn’t the best to start with. At the very least it is best to see The Avengers (2012) first, as this is the second on in that series. It isn’t vital, but nice addition to that to know some backstory from characters that I listed above. Enjoy!

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015):

Based on: The Avengers comics - by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

“No matter who wins or loses, trouble always comes around.”

The Avengers have stepped into a rhythm of keeping the earth save. On one mission they run into a strange duo: a boy breaking the possibilities of speed and a girl who’s strange power puts foreboding thoughts into ones mind. Or are they visions of the future? Scared, one of the Avengers decides to build peace keeping technology that would work as a shield around the entire world, named Ultron. With something of that big a magnitude, something is likely to go wrong. This protector revolts, becoming a weapon with a mind of its own. The Avengers face a never before seen threat: a robot that can replicate itself, move around the globe in seconds, and wants to destroy the world instead of saving it. Ultron joins up with the super siblings and each Avenger has nightmares put in their heads from the girl and are now afraid of losing everything. How will they beat this trio in addition to the hundreds of new robots Ultron created? Will making a new piece of technology strengthen their chances or only weaken them?

‘“No way we all get through this...”

“I got no plans tomorrow night.”’

Genres: Superhero, Action, Science-Fiction.

Length: approx. 141 minutes.

Script: 7. There is an amount of swearing and name calling. But, I am a lot like Captain America who is always telling everyone not to swear. It backfires a few times which is funny. I appreciate the effort of course!

“Whoa ho ho! You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Crew: Directed by: Josh Whedon. Written by: Josh Whedon.

Starring:

I’m not going to tell you everyone who is starring in this movie because there are so many spoilers. I’ll only name a few and you’ll have to guess the rest by pictures and be surprised by others.

James Spader as Ultron. “It is fortunate because I am mighty.”

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff.

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff.

Paul Bettany as J.A.R.V.I.S..

Linda Cardellini as Laura.

Claudia Kim as Helen Cho.

Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue.

Idris Elba as Heimdall.

Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig.

Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill.

Costumes: 8. Average, I would say. Nothing bad and people have really cool costumes/suits that go with their capabilities as superheroes.

Cinematography: 8. I get a little annoyed with how much CGI there is, but that is a minor quibble when there are so many neat things! I especially like how the scenes with the Maximoffs are done.

Cinematography by: Ben Davis.

Music: 8. It has the classic Avengers theme, of course, which makes me very happy whenever I hear it. The rest seems more dramatic than dynamic, but that’s no a bad thing.

Music by: Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman.

Notes: A fun fact is that this is the second most expensive film ever made! The production cost clocked in around 365 million dollars.

Quotability: 9. No one can deny Marvel’s knack for amazing lines! There is so much I quote from this movie especially that I could write a whole post about everything that Clint ever says.

“You didn’t see that coming?”

Content: 7. There is violent fighting, with people getting hurt and killed. In addition to that there is one or two fairly suggestive lines. I didn’t appreciate one comment about “multiplying faster that a Catholic rabbit”, but that’s just me. Ultron feels like he is a “god” so there is a lot of discussion around that. It really depends on the day how I feel about that. Sometimes I feel that it’s well done when with others I think it’s overdone. It has great messages, I just want you guys to be aware of that stuff.

“You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed... walk it off.”

Originality: 10. Fighting robots is classic sci-fi, but this took it up a level! I love the introduction of new characters as well as the simple camaraderie between the avengers. This movie is an excellent example of character driven stories! Everything is fueled by the characters. They make mistakes then try to fix them. It’s the human condition and it’s what I love to see!

Good For: Anyone who loves characters with fantastic arcs, anyone who likes superhero movies, anyone who likes found families, anyone who loves stories where characters sacrifice a lot.

Age Range: This is PG-13 and I agree with that. It is very intense with the fighting, but I would actually say it isn’t as extreme as others because it is fighting against robots and not humans. This could be fine for kids younger than that because of how it’s all handled, though the machines themselves are terrifying. It all depends on the tolerability of the person watching.

Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Yes! These characters mean so much to me and this is a fabulous step in all of their arcs. It gives such a dark view of humanity from Ultron’s perspective but our brave heroes fight against it showing how much people matter. I love it! The first time I watched it I was recovering from having my wisdom teeth pulled and it was perfect to captivate me.

Will I watch again?: Yes, yes, yes! Watching Marvel movies is a big commitment because once you see one you want to watch all other 22, but regardless of knowing that I want to see this again soon. I always get something new out of it.

Bonus thoughts:

“Already tried the mind-control thing. Not a fan.”

This movie somehow takes something seemingly ridiculous and makes it a complex problem to solve. This is said to be one of the least liked films in the franchise, yet the majority of people I talk to about it love it. Why? Because you are so attached to the characters. Each has morals, goals, while fighting fears--even about themselves--and you want them to win so badly. Do they? You’ll have to find out for yourself. Granted, it took a twist with a character that no one was prepared for. Some people don't like it, and I don't blame them as I was surprised, but it's my favorite character so I can't bring myself to have any problems with it. In hindsight it was a brilliant addition!

I am a sucker for sacrifice for the sake of a cause or person, so this film has some of my favorite moments in the universe. It’s obviously not for everyone, but I would say it’s well worth a chance.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Tell me where you are on the spectrum of liking this movie? Let’s talk about all things Marvel! I have a lot of posts planned for the end of this month, participating in several blog parties, so stay tuned for that!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Solo: A STAR WARS Story (2018)

 May the fourth be with you!

All my fellow STAR WARS fans know what today is! The day to celebrate one of my favorite film franchises! For anyone who hasn’t seen STAR WARS and is confused, let me explain it to you. In STAR WARS a common saying is, “May the force be with you”, and since today is May 4th, you get the gist.

What are all of my fellow fans doing today? I’ve been busy all day admiring my STAR WARS gear, watching one of the films, and drinking chocolate milk. Right now after all that I’m reviewing one of the spin-off movies for you! Before I get started, know this:

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Interested in the other movies? I highly recommend watching them in the following order (with links to my reviews):

IV: A New Hope (1977), V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), VI: The Return of the Jedi (1982), I: The Phantom Menace (1999), II: Attack of the Clones (2002), III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), VII: The Force Awakens (2015), VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), & IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Watch them in that order, ignoring those pesky numbers and all of the surprises will be intact!

If you want to watch the first spin-off, Rogue One (2016), then you can watch it any time, really, but in the timeline it goes between what happens in III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and IV: A New Hope (1977).

What about this one? If you want to watch this movie then you can once again watch it without previous experience, but you’ll get a lot more of the references if you’ve seen the original trilogy (episodes IV-VI) because that is where they drew inspiration even though in the timeline this comes around the same time as Rogue One (2016). Warning, if you have seen the prequels (episodes I-III) but haven’t seen the TV series STAR WARS: Clone Wars, then something near the end will really confuse you. My sister and I were bewildered and didn’t understand what happened because it wasn’t consistent with the rest of the series. That is, until a friend who had seen Clone Wars explained it to her.

Now, what we’ve all been waiting for, the review!

Solo: A STAR WARS Story (2018):

The orphan Han manages to get off the planet Corellia, escaping from a gang. Time passes and he has gone through several army positions until he gets thrown in jail. There he meets a new friend and later runs in to some smugglers. Working together they want to steal coaxium, a valuable fuel. When plans fall through they have to work specially for Dryden Vos of the Crimson Dawn where they strike a new difficult deal to make up for a mistake: Make a Kessel Run to get unprocessed coaxium. What with faces from Han’s past as well as new shifty accomplices, whom can he trust?

Genres: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure.

Length: approx. 135 minutes.

Script: 8. A smattering of mild common swearing, but not too bad.

Crew: Directed by: Ron Howard. Written by: Jonathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan, based on characters by George Lucas.

Starring:

Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo.

‘“Sorry I punched your face.”

“Happens more often than you think.”’

Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca.

Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian.

Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra.

Woody Harrelson as Tobias Beckett.

Paul Bettany as Dryden Vos.

Erin Kellyman as Enfys Nest.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge as L3-37.

Thandie Newton as Val.

Jon Favreau as the voice of Rio Durant.

Linda Hunt as the voice of Lady Proxima.

Ian Kenny as Rebolt.

John Tui as Korso.

Charlotte Louise as Margo.

Sema-Tawi Smart as Chanteuse.

Clint Howard as Ralakili.

Dee Tails as Quay Tolsite.

Attila Vajda as Sagwa.

Anthony Daniels as Tak.

Kiran Shah as Karjj.

Lily Newmark as Lexi.

Samantha Colley as Ottilie.

Costumes: 8. For some reason today anything I put here seems like it would be weird. Don’t know what that’s about. I don’t have anything bad to say about any of the outfits, I thought they were cool!

Cinematography: 7. Typical for an action movie. Lots of CGI with the space travel which was overdone in a few places but other than that fine.

Cinematography by: Bradford Young.

Music: 8. I don’t love it like I do the original, but I still like it! It was distinctly its own thing yet as the movie went on started using more STAR WARS themes which was very cool. I especially like the track for the Marauders.

Music by: John Powell with a few contributions by John Williams.

Quotability: 5. Has a surprisingly low score for a STAR WARS movie, I know. I haven’t even considered quoting it at all since I watched it, and neither has my sister. But there were some decent lines that I found.

“I admire anyone who can crawl their way out of a sewer.”

Content: 7. There is death, killing, and one or two suggestive lines. There are some scary things like creatures and powers that people have, but it didn’t bother me excessively.

Originality: 9. It was much more original than I expected! It took an idea and expanded on it, adding fun characters. I was impressed!

Good For: STAR WARS fans.

Age Range: It is rated PG-13 because of the violence and that’s not far off. I can see younger kids liking this a lot, but it would depend on what they personally like already. That’s me stating the obvious, sorry!

Overall Score: 7.5.

Worth watching?: Yeah, I’m glad to finally know what all of the hype is about.

Will I watch again?: Well...when I first started this review I was sure that the answer was no, but thinking about it this much has made me want to try it again.

Bonus thoughts:

Here’s what you guys have been wondering the whole time: Did I like it? Some of you might have guessed my feelings, but I assure you that there is more to it!

The story was fun, the design of the movie was rad, the characters were well constructed, and it was a neat journey.

Just one big problem:

It wasn’t Han Solo.

Before you turn on me know that I liked it quite a bit! The thing is, I would be very engaged then I would think, “Wait, this is Han?” It would completely throw me off track because it. isn’t. him. Han is a mysterious character whom we first see in A New Hope. I don’t need a backstory made up for him. Alden Ehrenreich was trying his best, so I don’t blame him in any way as he was great to watch, but I prefer to think of him as a whole new character in the fabulous STAR WARS universe.

The most believable character of the ones we are familiar with was Donald Glover’s Lando. He was very charismatic yet without a lot of maturity. I love Lando so I highly approve. I think of this movie as Lando with a bunch of new never-before-seen characters.

My favorite part of all of this had to be Dryden Vos. Paul Bettany rocked acting him! He was so creepy with a spoilt elegance. It was revoltingly awesome. He was an epic villain.

I have to say that I didn’t like L3-37, but that’s just me. Qi’ra was a fascinating character whom I want to know more about!

I liked a ton of concepts here. The Marauders, the Crimson Dawn (such a neat name! Every organization needs to have such an incredible name), and Enfys Nest and crew! It had great potential.

This film was definitely an ordeal to make! They went through several directors before landing on Ron Howard as well as some change of cast and crew involving several reshoots. Knowing this beforehand I thought that it would be easy to spot where things got changed around, but I was wrong and didn’t notice.

The climax was one of the craziest that I’ve ever seen! I was getting whiplash from everything that was happening so quickly! At first I was just stunned (and a little irritated) but thinking about it now, it was really cool. Probably my second favorite part of the movie after Dryden Vos. If, like me, you are a hardcore STAR WARS fan yet are wary of trying this then I would say it is worth a shot! You don’t have to believe that everything is cannon and just enjoy it as something completely different like me, or if you enjoy it as it is then I’ll be happy for you!

Well, there’s the scoop from me. Thanks for reading this! Tell me if you’ve seen this and what you think of my thoughts! Was anyone else unsure of this film? Was it better or worse than you expected? Let’s just talk all things STAR WARS! Who else likes Dryden Vos as much as I do?

May the fourth be with you, and Godspeed rebels.

MovieCritic