Avengers: Age of Ultron is a fun addition to the Marvel movie franchise

Movie:   Marvel's The Avengers: Age Of Ultron

PG-13, 2 hours 21 minutes

Grade:  A-

In a Nutshell:   Bring on the summer popcorn blockbuster movies!  Packed full of action, impressive special effects, cool futuristic  technology that no one really understands, romance, and a powerful villain, this Avengers flick is a nice addition to the Marvel movie franchise. Welcome back to some of our favorite superheroes:

Iron Man – Robert Downey Jr.

Captain America – Chris Evans

Thor - Chris Hemsworth

The Hulk – Mark Ruffalo

Black Widow – Scarlett Johansson

Hawkeye – Jeremy Renner

Nick Fury – Samuel L. Jackson

Uplifting Theme:

·          “Ultron thinks we’re monsters, that we’re what’s wrong with the world.  This isn’t just about beating him.  It’s about whether he’s right.” – Captain America

·         Flesh is better than metal.

·         It doesn’t matter what you were, you can be a hero now.

Things I liked:

·         There are plenty of high octane action scenes, but just enough slower ones to build interesting back stories that enhance the human drama of it all.

·         I love seeing how each of the Marvel movies chooses to use Stan Lee in a cameo.  This one is pretty funny.

·         I love Paul Bettany in anything, even if he’s a red robot (the Vision).

·         I wondered if Iron Man’s “Jarvis is my co-pilot” bumper sticker would catch on and sure enough, you can get it on a T-shirt.

                                     

·         I wish I had their 3D computer monitors.

·         You’re probably going to want to watch this on DVD again later so that you can push the pause button and really see everything that’s going on in each frame.  

·         Marvel seems to have learned from the highly successful Guardians of the Galaxy movie that a frequent spattering of humor makes a fun flick even better.

·         Semi-SPOILER ALERT: Who knew one of the Avengers had a wife and kids and did odd jobs around the house? 

·         Ever wonder what a feature film all about Black Widow would be like?  Check out this funny Saturday Night Live clip: 

Fans of Scarlett Johansson will be happy to know that a REAL Black Widow movie IS coming out next year!

Things I didn’t like:

·         I thought it was ironic and funny that Ultron, who was designed to create world peace, has such a menacing voice, thanks to the voice talents of James Spader.

·         It’s annoying how the evil Ultron quotes scripture.

·         If you haven’t seen any of the Avengers movies, don’t start with this one or you’ll be a little lost.  Even more important, you won’t appreciate the greatness of our superpowers, as this film focuses on their character flaws and inner demons.  For a review of the latest Avenger movie, check out my movie review before watching this sequel.

Funny lines:

·         “Unlike you, I don’t have a lot of time for parties…..will Thor be there?” – Dr. Helen Cho (Claudia Kim)

·         “You’re not the director of me.” – Iron Man

·         “You know, I really miss the days when the weirdest thing created by science was me.” – Captain America

·         “Come here to confess your sins? – Ultron

“I don’t know.  How much time you got?” – Iron Man

“More than you.” – Ultron

·         “As the world’s leading author on waiting…don’t.” – Captain America on love

·         “Our job is IF.” – Iron Man

·         “I am Thor, son of Odin.  As long as their life in my breast, I….I’m running out of things to say.” – Thor

·         “At long last is lasting a little long, boys!” – Black Widow

·         “No surrender!  I’m going to surrender…” – Baron Wolfgang von Strucker

·         “He’s fast, she’s weird.” – Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders from the funny hit How I Met Your Mother: Season 5 ) talking about the twins and their special powers

·         “You’re unbearably naiive.” – Ultron

“Well, I was born yesterday.” - Vision

Interesting lines:

·         “Did you know that this church is in the exact center of this city?  The Elders decreed it so that everyone would be equally close to God.  I like that… geometry of belief.”  - Ultron

·         “Everyone creates the thing they dread.  Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create avengers, people create smaller people…uh, children.” - Ultron

·         “You’re not going anywhere!” – Iron Man

“Of course not.  I’m already there.  You’ll catch up.” – Ultron

·         “Every time people try to win a war before it starts, innocent people die.  Every time.” – Captain America

·         Tips for Parents:            

Some profanity, but one of the running gags is how Captain America tries to clean up everyone’s language
The body count is high...well if you count humans AND robots.

Other fun Avenger movies you'll enjoy: