It’s weird to think Marvel Entertainment actually
controls the world. Reading comics all my life, I secretly longed for the day
when these characters would have universal recognition and appeal. That I
wouldn’t be the only one in my class/job/a room who knew who Captain America
was. It was a pipe dream, of course. Until it wasn’t.
Marvel really has done
the near impossible. The overwhelming output of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
is outstanding entertainment, made by people who love comics and want to get
the stories “right.” Avengers: The Age
of Ultron is no exception. Writer/director Joss Whedon is another life-long
comics lover. Although his online persona is that of an angry, bullying progressive,
I tend to enjoy his actual work. And he can still make a dynamic action film
that appeals to all audiences, despite their political persuasions.
Avengers: The
Age of Ultron is a truly epic movie. Somehow Whedon manages to balance plot,
wild action/battle sequences, a zillion characters and quiet moments of
characterization flawlessly in one two-hour spectacle. Is it bloated? A little.
Is it over the top? Yes, as a sequel to The
Avengers should be. Is it fun? Yes. Non-stop.
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| The comic book Vision |
I’ll always be grateful to
Whedon for introducing one of my all-time favorite superhero characters, the
Vision, into the Marvel Cinematic canon. When I was a kid I could totally
relate to the Vision in the comics; an outsider, someone who felt he never
belonged. I always loved the fact that, despite being an artificial man, he eventually
gained acceptance from his peers, fell in love with and married the weirdo prom
queen and had a generally happy life. In the comics, the Vision is a totally
red-skinned android who wore a green body suit and yellow cape. Despite Marvel
Entertainment’s general acceptance of superheroes and costumes, I believed that
would never fly with a mass-audience, commercial movie. It was nice to be wrong
about that. Actor Paul Bettany makes the
Vision a bit less of a freak outsider than in the comics, but it’s close enough
that I’m calling it a home run. I loved seeing the character on screen and
being treated respectfully.
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| Paul Bettany as the movie Vision |
The general plot is fun; it is astounding to see
Ultron; whom I’ve read about for over 40 years, right there on screen, brought
to scenery-chewing life by the great James Spader. Marvel didn’t spare a dime
on this movie, and the money is well spent on Ultron’s super-villain antics.
The superhero battles in this film come as close as I’ve ever seen to recreating
the massive skirmishes featured in the actual comics.
This is the last Marvel
film Joss Whedon will direct, at least for a while. I hope the next Avengers
director is someone who really “gets” superhero comics as Whedon does. He
throws in so many Easter eggs for longtime comics fans and has such a deft hand
with story and characterization, I’d hate to see things just go to a flavor-of-the-month
who has never cracked a comic (like the new Fantastic Four movie). However, after this many great movies, my tendency
is to trust Marvel Entertainment. Their movies are as good as their present
comics are bad. More power to them. I’ve seen Avengers: The Age of Ultron twice so far, and will probably see it
many more times on film and Blu-ray. I loved it.
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars
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