Avengers age of Ultron movie analysis

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Analysis by Zulfi

4/5

            Joss Whedon continues his adrenaline pumping directorial spurge from ‘Avengers’ into ‘age of Ultron’ with the dynamic thrill of a new engine having all its stops pulled. In the opening action scene, it appears as though it is a continuation of where he had left off in the first part of the avengers. All the six are rushing through the snowbound forests and mountains of Sokovian miltary hideout where they are smashing tanks and throwing soldiers hither and thither like they are barbies and kens. They are infact going for the staff, which Loki had wielded in the prequel. Hulk leads the carnage while Ironman masterminds the aerial attack. Captain America (Chris Evans)and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) with their respective weapons’ mega clangs upend even the war tanks. Even before the opening credits, we see a sinister story taking shape as a set of supes (twins) of the Russian team disturb our superhero group as the quicko (Quicksilver) shocks cap and hawkeye, with his lightning speed while his twin, the lady with mind controlling abilities (Scarlet Witch) maneuvers Tony Stark to take the step which will lead to the whole next set of proceedings.

            We know the twins (Aaron taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen) will go on to become the extension of the group, but what we don’t know is the confidence of Joss Whedon. He never wavers in his style of direction which is what the commercial bosses adore and the fans (esp fanboys) thrive upon. His panache lies in the story never slacking and always on the up. We stumble from one set piece to another of well stylized and choreographed action of which he is a master of. But if there is any unbecoming of him in this movie, it is his pace not able to decelerate to a good climax at the end. It is as though his high motored plot goes into the fifth gear and runs over a cliff and gathers a fast momentum morphing into a free fall. And we know the inevitable that it won’t come to a beauty end.

            Still, Marvel's ‘Age of Ultron’ is a thorough watch, cancelling the 3D effect which on the big screen becomes annoying to the last degree. In these rapid visuals of moving blurs of Iron Man, Hulk and Thor, if we don’t catch what is really happening there, due to the 3D effect, we ache in the purse department. 3D is an ugly menace, which movie critics are facing without a cry for the love of movies. But of course that is for another time to discuss. ‘Age of Ultron’ has the perfect script of a comic oriented movie for the popcorn audience. When the scene comes between Hulkster and Hulk (Ruffalo) battling with each other, we hurl the popcorn into the air to clap for this is what Joss Whedon specializes in. The showdown between the superheroes. And the way Veronica comes in handy for ironman is a special nugget of trivia to be treasured. Apart from all these fanboys’ treats, ‘age of Ultron’ has a lot of spirit in the behavior of our superheroes and the nefariousness of the super-villain.

            Ultron is the AI created by Stark and Banner as a part of Global defense program. The only mistake Stark does is completing this AI with Loki’s sceptre. Ultron is yet another characterization Whedon succeeds in doling out with precise shape and spirit. His origin is a clever bit of work. Though the scientific movie basis of A.I. isn’t new, the concepts and reasoning out of why Ultron emerges is shown with no difficulty on the audience’s part. There is that bit of revolutionary thinking by the A.I. which makes the scientific snake bite its own end. To be precise, vaguely, it is that unintended result of Isaac Asimov’s three laws. Ultron, when takes the shape, is an android played by James Spader. Spader’s silky and deceptively seducing voice couldn’t be more purpose serving than here. In every utterance of his resonating voice with the machine’s technical timbre, his threat to the avengers is underlined with vehemence and angst of the suffering world. But he isn’t the suffering world, that is the glitch. (glitch on his part). He wears the shoes of Loki with such aplomb that you could see him winning against his foes at every moment. His dialogue which lies between human reasoning and robot naivety is executed in his perfectly modulated self mocking voice. The skeleton of his physicality is too a very imposing one which is evident when in a few action scenes, he holds Cap and Thor with their throats and they are left hanging. There is a lot of wonderful back chatter between the characters, which is something not easy to see in a technical and VFX laden flick. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, the new recruits who come from the enemy camp to join are good addition, but there is no added wit in their performance, which will probably be worked in the next coming movies (at least for one of them).

            Vision, a child of Thor and Ironman, (sounds corny but there it is) is another addition to the avengers cast and for me he is a real turnoff and I have nothing against Paul Bethany. For one thing, he is always bathed in some dull paint, which is the result of a synthesized skin on a machine. Probably my personal grievance is he lifts Mjolnir and talks gibberish Nietzsche. Too much of his altruism is a complete contrast with avengers, which may come in handy. But the thing which puts lid on his turn off-ism is that he is eternally strong with not even an inkling of weakness in him. Come on, invincibility leads to many follies later when you spring him in the plot and he certainly proves me wrong in the climax. But if Russo brothers are ready for it, so be it. Thanos will be making the appearance in the next two parts of the series, probably Vision would want to represent as the worthful opponent.

The movie, however, teeters mainly in the aspect of the magnanimous climax scene, which looks long and winding and tests a little patience. And it is inevitable here. Whedon had taken that ‘super’ approach to the series, in which after the initial threshing out among themselves, supes need to have (and the audience too) an action set piece which is celestial or global at the least. It was even there in the first series. Whedon was in need of the next big war and it shouldn’t be less than lifting a whole city. When the second part’s work began, Whedon claimed that it would be a very personal affair, which is bound to happen for the avengers as the part of the next stage. But he couldn’t deny himself from creating a magnanimous action set piece, which wavers under its own weight. To be fair, it is handled very well, but the quotient of believability is completely another thing. A city which is designed to smash the whole globe to extinction is elevated to a good attitude. But then, there is a lot of time for the avengers to not only fight the innumerable droids, but to evacuate the city which has populations probably in tens of thousands. And the people, who are on this rescue act are nine. Out of which the potential subjects are Vision, wanda, Iron man, Hulk and Thor. The only thing that would help is the idea of existing at many places at once. Our do-gooders don’t have it. Moreover that power resides in Ultron. But Joss Whedon conducts this forty minute long episode with such engaging craziness that you forget these questions. Indeed he upgrades from the first part. Hulk smashed chitauri earlier, here he does it to droids, Thor uses his lightning to smash the whole core of the city and the vibranium mega trigger bomb, Ironman lifts a falling heli-carrier. Amidst all the rubble, Whedon even makes the sacrifice of a newly arrived cast so heart touching and gives a possible tale of love between Vision and Wanda, hanging in the air. Now, you know who dies. And there is that mocking smashing of the big villain by the Hulk. It looks mandatory and in this movie, it is better than the first.

            However, one thing really bugs me. As we have seen in ‘Guardians of the galaxy’ and ‘Thor’, earth occupies a least bit of speck in the whole cosmos. Then why are all our Thanos and Loki bothered with earth. Don’t they have many other planets, whose plundering would leave a good deal? Is there any special reason, as to why earth should be conquered? The next two sequels would undoubtedly be not just limiting to a city and a country. Russo brothers would probably come with the idea of intergalactic war. The scales are surely rising high.