Movie Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron begins without much preamble, dropping us right into the action. There are no individual superhero entrances this time around. The Avengers are a team or so the world thinks, and they are there to protect the Earth against all evil forces, alien or human. But the challenge in this thrilling sequel to The Avengers is neither alien or human. Instead they are faced with an A.I. out to ruin them all.

The key to enjoying Marvel's Cinematic Universe films is to remember that they're all connected. The movies and TV shows all borrow heavily from the comic books in which all the characters are created. So if you saw last year's Captain America: Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy and followed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Carter, you'd know that the evil group Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. breaking it down to its core. Only a few remain dedicated to the real purpose of keeping the world safe. The Avengers are part of the few and dedicated, only in this film their methods of getting that done comes into question.

After recovering Loki's staff from Hydra and running into new Enhanced entrants to the films (the Wonder Twins,  Pietro and Wanda Maximoff), the Avengers return back to Stark Tower thinking that the battle has been won. Wrong, the water has gotten murky.  The science brothers Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) decide, on Stark's urging, that the Ultron program must be put to the test now that the staff is in their hands. Loki's staff, in case you've forgotten from the first film, contains one part of the famed Infinity stones given to him by Thanos. Control them all and you control the universe. Remember this, it will come in handy during future films.

The result of this unnecessary human meddling is the birth of Ultron (voiced by James Spader) who doesn't want to do the bidding of Avengers and wants to get rid of them altogether. As expected, this puts the Avengers at a crossroads. Steve aka Captain America (Chris Evans) and Tony have differing viewpoints on how to handle this. And after taking a beating going up against Ultron, Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), the Avengers regroup at a safe house.

There are loads of revelations in this film. Each of the Avengers has hidden secrets and pasts they're not ready to confront. When up against evil forces, they are united but we've been given a sense that it won't last long. There are new recruits to the Avengers team and it looks like they might last. The Avengers, eventually, are just a unit of superheroes. It's not supposed to matter who's in it as long as they're together and can vanquish evil.

The newest recruit (literally, he was born yesterday!) is The Vision (Paul Bettany) who's a fascinating addition to the team. His introduction is the standout scene of the film. The film has way too many characters and each one is given a moment. It would be wonderful to linger on the Hulk (who really does need his own proper movie - the first two don't count!) and even Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) to figure out where they're coming from. But this movie is the link to what happens in the next upcoming Marvel films. Stay tuned to Captain America: Civil War where all will be revealed, it seems to hint.

This film is also the last time where Joss Whedon will be directing a Marvel film. The success of the first Avengers allowed directors like James Gunn and the Russo brothers to be signed onto the Marvel universe. His unique voice will definitely be missed in future films. The actors playing the Avengers seem to be at it for so long that playing their alter ego comes naturally to them, especially Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. However, the real star of this film is CGI effects. Over 3000 of them!

The battle sequences are insane and take place all over the world. Thank you for sparing New York, Joss, I bet it's still recovering from the last one. Ultron and his army of lookalikes, the Hulk, the Hulk Buster, the Vision and Wonder Twins' abilities all loom larger with the amazing effects. The Avengers was extra-special because it was the first time you saw a superhero movie with such a grand scale all together on the same screen. Since then, many have tried to duplicate that, even this film, but nothing can really come close. I'm sure most of you out there will be watching but Avengers: Age of Ultron is really for the fans for the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe, stay tuned for the next chapter!

Written and Directed by Joss Whedon; Based on the characters created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee; Cinematography by Ben Davis; Editing by Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek; Music by Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman

Additional cast: Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Linda Cardellini, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgard, Claudia Kim, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis, Julie Delpy

Rating: 

Avengers: Age of Ultron New Trailer!

They're back! The wildly popular gang of superheroes return in Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron where we see more of the new enemy they face.  Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) are all up against Ultron and the relentless army he's created. Besides the glimpses at the other new characters in the film, Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), the big matchup in this trailer is the Hulk going up against the... Hulkbuster??? What have been creating in your spare time, Tony Stark? What did you think of the second Avengers trailer? Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron reassembles May 1, 2015 worldwide.

Sequel Update: Jurassic World, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and The Avengers: Age of Ultron!

(Photo: Entertainment Weekly)

• Dinosaurs are coming back to rule the world in the summer of 2015 with the fourth film in the franchise.  Jurassic World releases in theaters July 12, 2015. The team behind one of my favorite films of this year, Safety Not Guaranteed, director Colin Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly
• Disney drops one blockbuster in its 'year-that-can-do-no-wrong' by moving the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean to summer 2016.  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was originally due to release in the crowded market of 2015 but as the film is facing script issues, it has been pushed back.  The directors of the Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki are set to captain the ship and Jack Sparrow aka Johnny Depp will also return.  No other cast has been announced as yet although I think it's time they brought back Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). 
• The Avengers: Age of Ultron will feature Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and rest of the Avengers facing off against James Spader! Yup, that's who's been cast as main villain Ultron in the next saga of the Marvel powerhouse will hit theaters May 1, 2015.

News Update Comic-Con Edition: Superman, X-Men, Avengers and More!

Okay, so let's discuss what we have learned (and are still trying to digest) from this year's Comic-Con over in San Diego. 

Photo: Cinema Blend

• Caesar Rises Again!  A first look at Dawn of the Planet of the Apes directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) shows us how the years after The Rise of the Planet of the Apes have been as we saw (SPOILER ALERT) Caesar leading the rest of the apes back to the forest.  In this film, due next summer, Reeves reveals that the situation has worsened as humans have been fighting against the apes.  The sequel's cast includes Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Judy Greer, Keri Russell and of course, motion capture artist extraordinaire Andy Serkis as Caesar.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

• The cast for X-Men: Days of Future Past is massive featuring Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Evan Peters (as Quicksilver), Omar Sy (as Bishop) and many more. I think I've probably missed a few.  What does this mean for the time-traveling mutant film? Head on over to MTV News for a quick recap of the panel.

Photo: Entertainment Weekly

• Lots of juicy info from Marvel on their upcoming films.  Loki is back to his nefarious ways in Thor: The Dark World, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow has quite a substantial role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the big reveal, the title for Avengers 2 is (drumroll, please) Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Any ideas on what this means for the Avengers? 

Photo: Indiewire

• DC Comics and Warner Bros. are not far behind on the big reveal either.  The biggest news, and it's a bit of a shocker, is that the next Man of Steel sequel will feature both Superman (of course!) and Batman (whoa!).  Director Zack Synder announced the news to an ecstatic Hall H at Comic-Con.  Is this the start of the long rumored Justice League franchise?  I really think so.  But my biggest question is: Is Christopher Nolan going to be involved?

News Update: Stars Wars, Pitch Perfect and the Oscars!

• There is just too much movie news to process coming out of Cinemacon.  Prepare yourselves for 2015 as Disney will release The Avengers 2, two Pixar films (the original Inside Out and the sequel to Finding Nemo), the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean and the first of the proposed Star Wars trilogy, Episode VII.  Later sequels will also theaters promptly in 2017 and 2019. AND there will be a new Star Wars film every year from 2015-2019 in the form of spin-offs and sequels. Yup, Disney’s well on its way to world domination, at least in the movie world. 
• As expected Pitch Perfect is getting a sequel.  Make Rebel Wilson's character Fat Amy the lead and we're golden.  In case, you haven't checked out Pitch Perfect, what are you waiting for, it's aca-mazing! Snow White and the Huntsman is also heading to sequel-land.  Let's see who will be returning in the cast. 
• Suraj Sharma is not just a one-film wonder anymore. He’s signed his next film, Million Dollar Arm, with Jon Hamm about a sport agent who heads to Mumbai to recruit pitchers through cricket players.  This one sounds super interesting.  Dev Patel, you’ve got competition. 
• Get ready for the Oscars disguised as the Tony awards yet again. Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan will be back as producers for next Oscars being held on March 2, 2014 to accommodate the Winter Olympics 2014.  Better steel yourself for more singing and dancing and less awards being handed out. 

10 films still in the race for Best Visual Effects

10 movies are still in the hunt for the Best Visual Effects Academy Award nomination and the list is down below.  The superhero films (Batman, Spiderman, The Avengers) all made the cut as did four book adaptations including Life of Pi and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

• The Amazing Spider-Man
• Cloud Atlas
• The Dark Knight Rises
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• John Carter
• Life of Pi
• Marvel's The Avengers
• Prometheus
• Skyfall
• Snow White and the Huntsman

But only five films can be nominated and it's very likely going to be Life of Pi, The Avengers, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and possibly a surprise nominee in either John Carter and Prometheus. Sadly, the praise for Cloud Altas and The Dark Knight Rises in the technical categories seems a bit muted now but I hope to see it recognized in some way or the other.

Ready, Set, Bow!

Princess Merida from Brave

The hottest weapon in Hollywood that's making an old school comeback through several big blockbusters is the simple bow and arrow.  Typically used for hunting, the origins of the bow and the arrow can be traced back to the Paleolithic age (10,000-9000 BCE) around what is now Germany.  Many civilizations have the archery weapons present in their tradition of storytelling told through generations.  But the emergence of guns as weaponry made them outdated and old-fashioned.  Now it has become more of a recreational activity and has been featured on and off in the Summer Olympics since 1900.

Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games

It is also making a comeback in the movies.  Look around and many of the heroes and more significantly, heroines of these films are archers.  Katniss Everdeen, Clint Barton aka Hawkeye, Prince Arjun from the Mahabharata and in the Pixar film Brave opening today, Princess Merida are all picking up the bow and arrow to show their skills.  Before this, the most famous archer of them all was the legendary Robin Hood who had several Hollywood incarnations, animated and live-action.  The most famous Robin was, of course, Errol Flynn but we recently can recall Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe filling in those shoes as well.

Errol Flynn as Robin Hood

So, why the surge in archers?  It just boils down to timing.  The Hunger Games books have been out for years and the films that features all our protagonists have also been in the works for years.  It is extremely fortuitous that 2012 coinciding with the Summer Olympics puts the sport and bow and arrow in focus.  Not to mention the movies all released on top of each other and were huge blockbusters.

Clint Barton aka Hawkeye

The Avengers has made over a billion dollars worldwide and sits at #3 as the all time box office champ behind Avatar and Titanic.  The Hunger Games stayed atop the US box office for four straight weeks and made over $500 worldwide.  The sequel, Catching Fire, will release on November 22, 2013.  Brave too is poised to do the same from the first original content from Pixar since 2009.  The crew of Pixar actually went to the Scottish Highlands to research the authenticity in the scenes and some of the animators even took archery lessons to get it right.

Geena Davis

The sport will even welcome people who might not previously be inclined to it earlier.  Famously former actress and Oscar winner Geena Davis took up archery and even tried out for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  This year's archery event will take place at the famed Lord's Cricket grounds in London from July 27-August 3rd where 128 men and women from around the world will compete for medals.  Archers from South Korea, USA and Italy have usually excelled in the sport.

Prince Arjun from Arjun: The Warrior Prince

2012 might as well proclaim itself the year of the bow and arrow.  The past few months have show how well these films have hit the target at the box-office.  It's certainly not because of the weapon they use but how the skill and accuracy employed by the bow and arrow so defines these heroines and heroes.  It becomes their second skin.  It publicizes the sport of archery and gives us characters to root for and admire.  Not bad for the simple bow and arrow.

Recommended Links: Avengers Edition!

As is the case where the whole world is a bit Avengers crazy at this point, this time's recommended links are too.  Here are some more required readings on The Avengers!

(Photo: Entertainment Weekly)

• Here's a behind-the-scenes of the "secret scene" that everyone has been talking about in Entertainment Weekly.  Not so secret anymore though.  
• One of the real scene-stealers of the movie is definitely the Hulk.  A look behind the scenes into the making of the CG Hulk at ILM incorporating Mark Ruffalo's look and mannerisms into the character.  The best decision was to desaturate all that green.  Much better looking this time around. 
• More special effects talk on Iron Man and his new rocket pack from the hardworking crew over at Weta.
• If you're like me and you're already waiting for The Avengers DVD to come out, good news!  Joss Whedon says the DVD will end up up with 30 minutes of more superhero goodness. Yay!
• Finally, have you ever wondered what kind of an Avenger you'd be? Empire has a hilarious new flowchart to help you find out. 
• ETA: I can't believe I forgot to add this link!  Mark Ruffalo has signed a deal with Marvel to play the Hulk in six movies.  Considering everyone wants more of the Hulk after this film, I'd say this is exactly what the fans want too.  

Movie Review: The Avengers

The Avengers is the first co-production between Disney and Marvel and expectations are high.  After the lackluster collection of John Carter at the box-office, The Avengers has to be the start of a successful franchise.  The marketing for this film has been much better (and everywhere).  It's been hard to escape the posters, trailers and images on TV, the internet and around every corner.

Getting back to the review, The Avengers opens with Loki capturing the Tessaract (the glowing blue box first found in Captain America) from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his S.H.I.E.L.D team, also managing to kidnap Hawkeye aka Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), previously from the Thor universe.  This worries Fury immensely and he sets out, along with the spy-for-hire Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to recruit Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) into the Avengers Initiative to fight against Loki.  

After some persuading, they eventually come aboard the superhero control center in the sky and get to know each other.  This is putting it nicely as some of the superheroes (We're looking at you, Stark) don't "play well with others" and are naturally wary of each other's presence.  A run-in in Germany with Loki leads to the Avengers first banding together to bring him back to the sky lair.  But he manages to escape and bring the fight to New York city and Stark Towers. Ah, poor New York, a city that gets battered through alien attacks, superhero fights, end-of-the world disasters and even Godzilla.  This time around, there are aliens from another realm (Loki's army) and six superheroes to make it into their personal battleground.

The Avengers is a fun start to the summer blockbuster season filled with action and adventure to satisfy any movie fan's superhero appetite.  This is a superhero film times three.  Directed by Joss Whedon who handles the difficult task of making sure that all of these superheroes (most of which have their own film franchise) don't get shortchanged and receive enough screen time.  This being a Whedon film, the characters all spout quippy dialogues and don't spend too much time feeling sorry about themselves and get on with the action.  Most big special effect blockbusters (Green Lantern, the Star Wars prequels) suffer from bad and cheesy dialogue but not this film.  I enjoyed the first interactions of Captain America and Tony Stark with Thor (Chris Hemsworth).  Basically every line out of Stark's mouth was a gem, from calling Hawkeye "Legolas" to addressing Loki as Reindeer Games.  Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) also got some big laughs in his role.

I saw this film at an advance fan screening so the audience reaction was pretty positive.  Throughout the superhero introductions during the film, Thor got the biggest claps but the loudest cheers were saved for Bruce Banner's The Hulk.  I must say, this is the Hulk we fans were waiting for.  Mark Ruffalo's portrayal is the best Hulk out of the bunch.  I loved how the Hulk was allowed to finally be himself in the climatic sequence.  "Hulk...Smash!" He sure does.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark with such ease, it's almost like his second skin.  It was also nice to see Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Jarvis (Paul Bettany) make a brief appearances as Stark's support team; we'll see them again in Iron Man 3. Captain America and Thor fit in well with the rest of the Avengers but you know the good stuff is yet come in their respective upcoming sequels.  Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow kicks major ass as the lone female fighter in the group.  She fits right in and I had major Buffy flashbacks at some moments.  While Hawkeye spends the first half on Loki's side before coming, literally, to his senses.  His archery armor would make Katniss Everdeen very envious.

The supporting cast, namely the S.H.I.E.L.D team of Nick Fury, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Agent Coulson don't get to join in as much of the action as the heavy lifting is done by the Avengers team.  The villain of the piece is Loki, brother of Thor and presumed dead at the end of Thor.  We know they rarely stay dead long.  Besides, he's a god as he tells the Hulk.  It leads to my favorite scene in the film which I will watch on repeat when I get the DVD.  Basically, any scene with the Hulk was my favorite.  I think the fans will definitely demand a new Hulk movie. 

But back to Loki.  Denied a kingdom of his own in Asgard, he wants to rule over Earth.  The Avengers team will make sure that won't happen.  Tom Hiddleston plays Loki with a evil smile ever present.  He relishes the role of the baddie given to him.  Stay tuned until after the credits roll for the post-credits scene which has now become mandatory for franchise films.  Overall, The Avengers is great fun and the 3D works extremely well in the battle sequences.  Make it a must-view to start off the summer.

Directed by Joss Whedon; Story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon; Screenplay by Joss Whedon; Based on the comic books by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey; Edited by Jeffrey Ford and Lisa Lassek; Music by Alan Silvestri

Rating: 

New photos from USA Today's 2012 Preview

The first week of the new year has yielded so many new looks to some anticipated movies of 2012.  Thanks to USA Today and the preview guide for 2012, we have some new photos from The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy and more.

Thor meets Captain America in The Avengers.

First look at Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy.

Who are these adorable redheaded moppets with Merida from Brave?

I spy The Hobbit's feet.

Noomi Rapace in Ridley Scott's Prometheus.

It's Daniel. Daniel Craig in Skyfall, the next James Bond film.

Charlize Theron reigns as Queen in Snow White and the Hunstsman.