****
In an attempt to protect the
Earth from future alien attacks, Tony Stark creates an artificial intelligence,
something he believes will keep mankind safe. When his plan backfires, the
Avengers find themselves up against his creation, the deadly Ultron.
Following months of hype, the
much-awaited, highly-anticipated sequel to Avengers
Assemble finally arrives and, in my opinion, it was rather worth the wait.
Now familiar with our heroes and their struggles, the film pulls you into the
action from the very first frame, and rarely lets up. Alongside the comic
book-action, however, we are treated to quieter scenes, in which we see
characters we have grown to love interact with one another and develop. Indeed,
apart from a mysterious lack of Pepper Potts, it seems that all the major
players from all the films are here to perform their various roles, which
immediately put a massive grin on my face. Whilst the first half of the first
film dragged a little as the characters were introduced and the team assembled,
the pace of this film feels more even – something that definitely works in its
favour. The blossoming romance between Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson)
and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is touching and remarkably sweet, providing an
alternative angle to the straight-up comic book-ridiculousness, whilst Clint
Barton’s arc gives us a much needed look into his life – he actually even says
more than a couple of sentences! It is bright and colourful, with each detail
is beautifully realised, and, in true comic book style, there are some
excellent slow-motion action pieces that will leave you thinking ‘hell, yeah!’
and involuntarily fist-pumping the air.
Undoubtedly, however, it is
imperfect. With so many characters, it feels as though the screen writers were
trying to cram as much in as possible, and thus we have some divergences from
the central plot, one of which includes Thor (Chris Hemsworth) disappearing
off, apparently for no other reason than to get topless in a cave. As with all
action films, the final showdown is massively bloated, and just keeps on going,
until I really started to notice how stiff my back was. I appreciate that we
need to see each character ‘do his/her thing’, but is it really necessary spend
so long punching the enemy? We all know what the outcome is going to be, so
spending so long on a foregone conclusion seems…daft. Once again, I take issue
with some of the ‘jokes’ thrown in. Yes, I appreciate that the characters are
largely depicted as ‘smart-mouths’, but the ‘banter’ is frustrating, and when
you’re in the midst of battle, would you really take the time to make some
snide remark? I know, if I was looking for realism, perhaps the Marvel-verse is
the wrong place to look, but I will continue to be frustrated by it. I felt
that Ultron himself wasn’t nearly scary enough, and I didn’t like the way his
lips moved in such a human way – as a machine, I felt his lips, indeed all his
movements, should be more mechanical and jilted.
It is, of course, utterly
enjoyable. Who doesn’t enjoy leaving their sensible brain to one side for a
couple of hours, to sit back and witness a group of very attractive people
struggle to save the world from destruction? Yes, it is overly long. Yes, some
of dialogue is cheesy and clunky, and, yes, the product placement is blaringly obvious,
but it is still an entertaining, rip-roaring action film, with interesting
characters. It undoubtedly leaves you wanting more…
Look out for Royal Holloway, which
Thor visits – that’s my old university. Also, the big futuristic building at
the end – I work there!
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