"Avengers: Age of Ultron" (SPOILERS)

[ClarkKent_DC]

What? Am I the first to post about Avengers: Age of Ultron, the movie? Oh, well, so be it.

I went yesterday evening to a 3-D showing, so I'll go first. Thus, I can't use my usual disclaimer that I'll post without reading what everyone else has posted, but what the hey.

And yes -- there be  here.

• I warmed up by watching the first Avengers movie again, although this film isn't a direct sequel -- there's been the second Thor movie, the third Iron Man movie and the second Captain America movie in between. I don't think you have to have seen any of them to follow along with this one (although, of course, I have).
• Action right off the bat, as Our Heroes shut down a Hydra fortress. I love how they do the tracking shot that jumps from one hero to another, seemingly seamlessly. We've seen clips from this scene in one of the trailers.
• Likewise, we've seen clips from the party scene afterward with the bit where most of the guys try -- and fail -- to lift Thor's hammer. I didn't catch before that Captain America did move it a little.
• The party also included some obvious expository dialogue to explain why Pepper Potts and Jane Foster aren't in this movie. I suppose the story really didn't need them, especially with the other cameos from ... well, that would be telling ... but there expository dialogue also seemed meant to forestall complaints that the ratio of males to females in is movie is out of whack.
• No Agent Coulson, however. But then, this bunch still thinks he's dead, and Agent Maria Hill clearly wasn't going to tell them otherwise.
• By the way, which faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. is Agent Hill working for?
• Natasha and ... Bruce Banner? She likes him? She likes likes him? Lucky bastard.
• I love the rapport between Robert Downey and Mark Ruffalo. I could almost watch a movie featuring just Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, talking science stuff, with no superheroics.
• Again, Marvel movies are good with giving us the quiet character moments between stuff getting destroyed, and they're good with leavening all that destruction with humor. This movie went a long way to make up for how Hawkeye was underused in the first move.
• Still, it was as surprise to learn there's a Mrs. Hawkeye. And a Little Hawkgirl. And a Hawkeye Jr. and a Baby Hawkeye on the way!
• That said, it still seems silly to me to have a guy with a bow and arrow around all of this. It makes sense to me to have two non-superpowered hand-to-hand fighters -- Captain America and the Black Widow -- but a guy with a bow and arrow against guns? It's hard to swallow.
• Nice literal running gag with Hawkeye and Quicksilver: "Bet you didn't see that coming."
• Since, of course, we haven't yet established a Henry Pym or a Simon Williams in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark gets to be the arrogant so-smart-he-can't-realize-how-dumb-he's-being genius who creates Ultron. But it works, and plants the seeds for the "Civil War" storyline in future films.
• Movies are all about spectacle, and it's hard to beat the spectacle of a whole entire town being lifted out of the ground!
• Except, of course, for the good ol' S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier! I still get a charge out of seeing that on screen!
• The Vision! Wow!

Them's for starters ....

[Richard Willis]

Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man said:

Now I realized that when they were in Wakanda, and Ultron accidentally cuts off that guy's arm, that that guy is probably going to be Klaw.

IMDB says "Ulysses Klaue" was played by Andy Serkis (Gollum in the Rings movies and Caesar in Planet of the Apes). Presumably he will play Klaw before and after transformation in the Black Panther movie. Chadwick Boseman (who has played Jackie Robinson and James .Brown) is slated to play T'Challa. He and all of the new Avengers are supposedly in Captain America: Civil War next year.

[Richard Willis]

Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod) said:

I like this version of Hawkeye. I liked he was more of the focus this time. Jeremy Renner is a good actor and deserved the opportunity to have more to do.

Awhile back I commented that I was glad to see Scarlett Johansson have more to do in the Winter Soldier movie and that I was hoping for the same for Jeremy Renner. These are Academy Award-level actors that can really do whatever they're asked to do.

[Doctor Hmmm?]

I finally saw this (with Action Lad) yesterday.  We both really enjoyed it, for many of the reasons that have already been mentioned in this thread (but especially, for me, the Hawkeye reveal).

But my very favorite part?

The Lad leaning over to me in the middle of the climactic battle scene and whispering "This is awesome!"

Yes it was, Dude.  For reasons you don't even get yet.

[John Dunbar]

Finally got around to seeing this tonight, and in 3D at that.  Not sure how much 3D adds to it, I want to watch i again in 2D to compare, but I will probably wait for the Blu-ray.  Some thoughts:

- I knew there was a death, and I figured it might be Hawkeye to add some pathos, after seeing his wife and kids.

- I think the character who did die could be easily brought back

- Did anyone else notice Wanda's face the first time she saw the Vision?  She seemed awestruck and, well, smitten to me.  I really liked the scene where he picked her up and flew off with her.

- I liked the opening scene with the HYDRA base and everything up to the party.  The teamwork - especially Cap and Thor - and the banter was good.

- I liked the scene at Hawkeye's farm too, provided some needed quiet moments.

- That's going to be one of my favorite Stan Lee cameos

- There's been a lot of carping about no Black Widow movie in the pipeline, but I think they did a really got job giving us bits and pieces of her origin

- Ultron seemed off to me.  James Spader did well with what he was given, but to me Ultron shouldn't be spouting witty one liners or exclaiming "Oh, for God's sake!" (when Hulk punched his way to the ship he was flying).

- Liked the new line-up at the end

- That was the most underwhelming mid-credits scene yet