{"id":6089,"date":"2015-04-27T09:56:21","date_gmt":"2015-04-27T09:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=6089"},"modified":"2016-01-07T10:22:52","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T10:22:52","slug":"avengers-age-of-ultron-12a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/reviews\/avengers-age-of-ultron-12a\/","title":{"rendered":"Avengers: Age of Ultron (12a)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Director<\/strong>: Joss Whedon<\/p>\n

Cast Starring:<\/strong> Robert Downey, Jr , Mark Ruffalo, Paul Bettany, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Samuel L Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen and more<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you’re good people. I know you mean well. But you just didn’t think it through. There is only one path to peace… your extermination.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Full disclosure:<\/strong> I\u2019ve wanted to be Iron Man ever since Robert Downey, Jr reinvented the role and stole the mantel of being the coolest super hero on the block. Alas not being a genius billionaire, I\u2019ll just have to enjoy his big screen adventures \u2013 and boy, what adventures they are!?<\/p>\n

Age of Ultron:<\/strong> Get ready, the Avengers are back \u2013 just in time to try and save us from an extinction level event in the shape of Ultron, part computer virus, part terminator-alike exo-skeleton, all bad guy\u2026<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for incredible superhero action, you\u2019ve certainly come to the right place. It\u2019s pure comic book joy to witness the world\u2019s mightiest heroes: Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and leader Captain America (Chris Evans) jump straight into it with no need for any origin tales or even scene setting.<\/p>\n

First up is an all out attack on the dastardly HYDRA base that sharp eyed viewers glimpsed in the end credits of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The evil Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) you see has been experimenting with Thor\u2019s brother Loki’s Sceptre \u2013 and has created two new super beings or \u2018enhanced humans.\u2019 Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) can mind control, use telekinesis and can conjure red energy from her hands and her brother Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who has super speed (yes the same character from X-Men universe).<\/p>\n

Director Whedon who returns from the first Avengers film is right at home as the threat of Ultron comes into play \u2013 it\u2019s impressive how the sharp dialogue really brings the CGI robot to life (voiced by James Spader).<\/p>\n

Everything crackles along with adrenalin fuelled energy \u2013 stand out scenes of which there are many include a jaw dropping fight between a possessed Hulk and Iron Man in his \u2018Hulk-buster\u2019 armour, a fun \u2018who can pick up Thor\u2019s hammer\u2019 banter scene and the climactic fight that ups the ante even from the first film with all the heroes getting plenty of enemies to fight.<\/p>\n

There is just so much on offer here \u2013 alongside the crunching action are some more emotional elements such as a touching romance between Hulk and Black Widow and Hawkeye\u2019s family dynamic.<\/p>\n

Iron Man still steals the show with his wise cracks and Hulk is incredible to behold in full battle fury. The newcomers to the party are all welcome additions especially the powerful \u2018Vision\u2019 (Paul Bettany) who is superb.<\/p>\n

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a master class in cinematic enjoyment \u2013 essential viewing!!<\/p>\n

Thinking material:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a ton of testosterone flying around in Avengers: Age of Ultron and it is easy to get caught up in the macho posturing but what is great about this sequel is that it looks deeper in the lives of some of the heroes. The dynamic tension of Hawkeye being a family man whose wife and kids worry about him when he\u2019s out saving the world alongside his super buddies is really touching and warrants some thinking about how right is it to risk ourselves for the greater good when we have dependents.<\/p>\n

The \u2018mind tampering\u2019 elements of Scarlett Witch\u2019s inclusion is interesting as it takes the film beyond the toughest guy wins scenario and shows that subversion can be a massively effective weapon. If you\u2019re in a team and your team mates start acting against you, what hope is there of achieving anything meaningful?<\/p>\n

When the super action wraps it\u2019s worth thinking around the issues presented \u2013 even comic books can provide a wealth of real world relatable content. Now, where did I leave my Hulk-buster suit?<\/p>\n

CVM Rating:<\/strong> *****<\/strong> 5 out of 5 stars<\/p>\n

Related Films:<\/strong> Avengers Assemble<\/a>, Captain America: The Winter Soldier<\/a>, Thor: The Dark World<\/a>, Iron Man<\/a> 1-3<\/p>\n

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