Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially come to a close. Avengers: Age of Ultron looks to wrap up the old and begin the new. So, how does the latest installment of the team-up franchise stack up to its predecessor? And does it ultimately accomplish its goal?
The basic outline of the plot here is that the Avengers are on a mission to retrieve Loki’s scepter from the original film, The Avengers. In the process, they stumble across something much more powerful: a form of artificial intelligence that Tony Stark feels like it could be used for better, and to ultimately protect the Earth so that Iron Man can hang up the suit once and for all. Keyword here being: thought.
The film provides every fan with what they want. Lots of action, great chatter between the characters in battle, some awesome visuals, and characters that people have longed to see on the big screen. The story at times seems a bit disjointed. And in the end, parts of it don’t feel quite as… relatable… as the original film. Comparing the original Avengers to Age of Ultron is much like comparing Thor to Thor: The Dark World. Both films deliver wonderful action and humor, but Dark World takes itself a little more seriously and is far more plot driven. Ultron is that film in the Avengers series.
What will be interesting to see is, where do we go from here? Joss Whedon has done a wonderful job bringing the solo films full circle in the first two installments of the series. The Russo Brothers will direct Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 & 2, due out in 2018 & 2019 respectively. The Russo brothers are most known in the Marvel circle as the directors of Captain America: The Winter Solider. Age of Ultron leaves us with many question marks. Without going into any spoilers, it will certainly be interesting to see where the Universe goes on from here.
In the end, is Age of Ultron better than the original Avengers film? Honestly, they can’t be compared. It delivers everything you expect from the franchise, however when all is said and done, it’s nothing like its predecessor. Regardless, Age of Ultron is a fun time at the movies and the type of film that needs to be seen on the big screen. Get your popcorn, unplug from the real world and enjoy some of your favorite heroes saving the world.
