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Avengers - Age of Ultron

I know that you’re going to see Avengers: Age of Ultron. In fact, most people are. The film is predicted to break the one billion mark once it debuts in China. So yes, I know you’re going to see it. Maybe you already have. But here’s the thing – you shouldn’t. As the sequel to the record breaking original, this new Avengers movie falls flat.

Directed by Joss Whedon, this film serves as part of the ending portion of Marvel’s Phase 2 (followed only by Ant Man) and thus holds the task of transitioning into Phase 3. Because of this, it would be logical to assume that there is a plot line. You would be wrong.

The movie wasn’t all bad. The performance by Robert Downey Jr. as a regretful and hopeless Tony Stark was excellent, as was that of Chris Evans as the commanding Captain America. In addition, there were moments of comedic value that really lightened the mood and shone through. The action – though excessive – was exciting and entertaining as well.   

The fault lies in the directing and editing of the film. The plot line was jumbled and choppy. While the main focus was on Ultron and his attempted takeover, the lesser plot lines suffered dearly from what I like to call “action fever.”

The creators seem to have focused solely on making the effects and fight scenes action packed. Thus, there were several weak plotlines that were gone in an instant – if you blinked, you probably missed them. Barely any of these sub-plots made sense, and the ones that did missed the mark entirely. Most of the audience who goes to see Marvel movies are not well versed on all the details of the comics, which the creators seemed to have forgotten, making an already confusing story even worse.

A regular audience member may not be able to pick up on a lot of what was happening, but one thing stood out as it was pushed onto the forefront: the storyline involving Black Widow.

Throughout several of the Marvel movies, Black Widow has appeared as a main character. She has been depicted as a strong warrior with a lot of "red in her ledger" – yet we barely know anything about her. Until now, sort of. 

We get very little in terms of her backstory, through small flashbacks that are clouded by her newfound (and out of nowhere) romance with Bruce Banner. The whole thing feels contrived, and isn’t believable – almost as if Natasha's backstory serves only as an obstacle to get her with Banner, to whom she has no prior hint of a connection with. She could sooner be paired with almost any of the Avengers. Yet in what seems to be a disastrous turn for both her character and Banner's, they are forced together, making a weak plot feel all the more off course.

In addition, problems arise with the Thor subplot, as it simply doesn't make that much sense. Sure, it sets up the infinity stones, but it holds incredibly little in the part of explanation. It has come out recently that in the original cut (standing at over three hours) had much more explanation behind it, but was cut out. Thus, the fragments of what is left are confusing and poorly shown.

Overall, Avengers: Age Of Ultron can be summed up simply: Tony Stark figures that if you build an evil genocidal robot, it's best to build another and hope for the best. Ultimately, the plot is overshadowed by an excessive amount of fighting and conflict. The leftover storyline is clichéd and hard to follow, especially for those not well versed in the comic world.

It seems that Marvel made the right call in that this is the last movie to be directed by Joss Whedon. Hopefully in the future as we move on to Phase 3, Marvel movies will be of better quality and substance.

Ally Abramson

Copyright ©2015 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: May 13, 2015.

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