Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) review

I wasn't a huge fan of the first Avengers film. It lacked a really menacing villain and it fell apart in the third act. Despite those criticisms, it did have some brilliant moments, particularly in its first half, when we just got to see the characters act like real people who just happen to have super abilities. The thrill of the first film was that we got to see the characters on screen in a way that felt so natural and was so entertaining that it was nearly irresistible. It was in those quieter moments that Whedon, the director, took what could have been an overblown Transformers movie and turned it into something enjoyable. I wish there had been more of this brilliance in the first film but the film managed the rest of the less alluring parts well enough that the thing flowed together. The same cannot really be said for the second film. While Age of Ultron has a better villain and some of the best individual moments in all of the Marvel film universe it fails to fit all of its moving parts together.

Age of Ultron feels like a brilliant superhero film squashed under the weight of bad editing. This doesn't mean that the individual cuts of the film are bad but rather that what we have in terms of a story feels like its missing something. While the story is missing some beats, it seems as though every bit of every action scene that was shot was left in the film. What results is a frustrating film with moments of Whedon brilliance marred by an even more action-heavy third act. Apparently the first cut of the film was 4 hours. I don't want to see four hours of this film, but I do wonder whether the disjointed nature of the plot comes from leaving some stuff out. It feels as though, for whatever reason, too much of the action was left in. It's not as drawn-out as the third Hobbit but it really hurts a film that's already seemingly missing some plot points. It feels as though in the last two acts the film never really had a good rhythm.

On the positive side, Ultron is a great villain and better than Loki. Spader's performance is menacing in a way Loki wasn't. Ultron poses a real threat, it's just a shame that the plot's disjointedness dulls his impact. As mentioned above, there are several sequences of character that could easily rank amongst the best stuff to come out of the Marvel studio. Whedon can write incredible dialog between these characters and that dialog is delivered by actors who embody their characters. Robert Downey Jr. is the stand-out. Never before has an actor and a superhero been more perfectly meshed.

Apparently this is Whedon's last stint in the directors chair for Marvel. This seems a shame since I feel we didn't ever see him sustain his brilliance for a whole film. Whether it be the moments when he shows us human carnage or the snappy and natural dialog found in the film, Whedon brings brilliance to the table but it is weighed down by the repetitive action. Age of Ultron is a frustrating film, but I believe that just enough brilliance shines through to make it worth watching. 3.5/5

Captain America The Winter Soldier (2014) Review

I may be in the minority but I enjoyed the first Captain America movie. It wasn't the greatest superhero extravaganza put on film but it was enjoyable, old fashioned fun, even if it took a bit too much from Indiana Jones. I was probably more excited to see this sequel than any of the other Marvel movies since the Avengers. As the hype grew my expectations were raised. After seeing the film I can definitely say it was worth the wait even if it didn't exceed my expectations.

Captain America the Winter Soldier's plot is something I really don't want to reveal. I know that many people have seen the movie already but for those that haven't you aren't going to get any spoilers here. The story involves Captain America, S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Widow, and a certain Winter Soldier. It is a movie that is filled with several sequences of action and which has a decent espionage plot to back it up. Chris Evans does a great job of bringing to life this classic hero. The rest of the cast play their roles very well and at this point it is hard to imagine these iconic characters in anybody else's hands.

The action in this film is truly incredible. I don't usually commend movies for their action but Cap 2 deserves praise. The opening sequence is probably the best opening Marvel has ever done, a character scene followed by a Bond-like sequence aboard a ship. This sequence brought the Captain and his shield to life like I have never seen before. The camera seemed perfectly placed throughout the scene and the stunts felt realistic. This opening was followed by so many good sequences that I think there wasn't a poorly done action scene in the film. The plot and script of the film are good but not great. The major twists and turns were pretty easy for a mystery and spy enthusiast to spot but luckily there were a couple of little twists that were unexpected. The dialogue had a sharp wit that never felt forced (cough Iron Man 3 cough).  It did not feel all that original though. It played around with current events which was interesting, but it felt surface level. The center-piece of the film was the action.

It's a good thing that the action was so good but there may have been too much of it. If a couple of the scenes had been shortened I feel like the pacing of the film would have been better and the plot more exciting. This is probably the hardest thing for an action film to get right, the pacing. In many ways Captain America the Winter Soldier is one of Marvel's best but despite its potential it can't beat out the big two (the first Iron Man and the Avengers). It's still one heck of a fun movie 4/5