STACK#127 May 2016

CINEMA

REVIEWS

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The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and that applies to the Marvel movie universe. Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and the Cap have all had variable solo outings, but together as the Avengers, they raise the bar for comic book movies. AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON RELEASED: April 23 DIRECTOR: Joss Whedon CAST: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo RATING: M

T he new Avengers film is bigger, busier and more chaotic than the 2012 assemblage under the direction of Joss Whedon, who returns for this second round. We all know that with great power comes great responsibility, and steering this mighty Marvel flagship comes with even greater responsibility, expectation and pressure. This is a massive movie for the Buffy creator (or any filmmaker for that matter), and fortunately Whedon has the fanboy smarts to maintain control of this comic book behemoth. Just. Age of Ultron opens in the midst of a frenetic battle between the Avengers and HYDRA, as the former attempt to reclaim Loki's scepter. Once in possession of the arcane artifact, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner play Frankenstein and use it to create an Artificial Intelligence program named Ultron (voiced by James Spader), designed to keep the peace so these weary superheroes can all take a well deserved break. The pair have obviously never seen any Terminator movies, and before long Ultron is following in Skynet's digital footprints and plotting an extinction level event that will wipe out humanity and ensure world peace. Joining the Avengers in the battle

against this megalomaniac machine are the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and the nimble Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor- Johnson) – the latter not as fleet-footed as his X-Men: Days of Future Past incarnation – as well as a red-skinned hybrid of Tony Stark's techno-butler Jarvis and Ultron's AI program (Paul Bettany). Marvel have never been shy when it comes to world-building. In a market currently crowded with superheroes and big screen spectacle, what's refreshing about this Marvel bunch is that, unlike the Transformers and the Man of Steel, they actually give a damn about civilian lives as everything is being reduced to rubble. Sometimes it's the little things that count. And as in The Avengers , Whedon manages to find time for some quieter, character- focused moments, including backstories for Hawkeye and Black Widow. Despite so many characters, villains and CGI FX vying for screen time, everyone gets their moment in the spotlight. There's even a cameo by those mechanical dinoshark things from the first film. In terms of Marvel movie rankings , Avengers: Age of Ultron is like Iron Man 3 – bigger and busier, but not necessarily better than the original. Scott Hocking

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