"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]

I can't read this thread yet, not having seen the movie yet. I think this cartoon from yesterday has to be seen by all:
"Candorville" May 2, 2015

[Ron M.]

There are rumors Hawkeye is gay so that may have been why they did that. I would assume his wife isn't Mockingbird though.

There were also rumors Hawkeye would get killed in the movie. I'm guessing him appearing in that X-Men movie is why they picked who did die. Of course if this were comics he'd be back in a couple of movies.

 

[Mike Parnell]

What I was struck with is the fact that Joss Whedon used a lot of theology in this movie. 

He has Ultron declare that upon this rock he will build his church. 

As I watched I became convinced that Whedon used the characters of Ultron and Vision as counterpoints.  Ultron is the anti-Christ, while Vision is the Messianic figure.  How I realized it was when Ultron tells Vision that he created Vision to be a savior, while Stark made him to be a slave. 

That figures into what Paul writes in Philippians 2. 

Loved the movie. 

[Ron M.]

They really want to ignore the whole Hawkeye/Widow thing from the comics, don't they? There is no doubt a lot of faniction and art of Natasha with the Hulk now.

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

I just saw it a second time. Probably my last until I get the Blu-Ray. I liked it even more the second time.

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.

Like Pa, I also noticed a lot of religious references in this movie, but hadn't caught onto the Messiah vs. Satan thing, which is very evident when you realize what's going on.

Hydra is down now, so does that mean they are now building SHIELD back up from the ground floor? I don't watch the TV show, so I'm not sure what is shaking down there.

I read somewhere online that the character "Helen Cho" on the movie may be the mother of Amadeus Cho. A search on Amadeus "Mastermind Excello" Cho reveals that his mother's name is indeed Helen. Sweet.

[Ron M.]

Despite more violence these days they can't have a good guy destroy his arm like in the comics, it has to be a villain?

[ClarkKent_DC]

Ron M. said:

They really want to ignore the whole Hawkeye/Widow thing from the comics, don't they? There is no doubt a lot of faniction and art of Natasha with the Hulk now.

Comics are comics. Movies are movies.

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

I saw the movie on Friday night and loved it.
The death was surprising. I didn't see that coming
I liked all of the cameos by other characters
I loved that we got to see War Machine in action. I love Don Cheadle as the character. Would have liked to seen more Anthony Mackie in the film. But that may have been too much of a good thing.
The Vision was awesome
James Spader was great as usual
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.
I liked that they had a new lineup at the end.
And that middle credit scene.... uh oh!

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

I didn't like this middle credit scene, personally. You got nothing new in it. We all knew that was coming with or without that tag. Blech.

Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod) said:

And that middle credit scene.... uh oh!

[Randy Jackson]

Saw it today. Thought it was well done. One of myfavorite parts was seeing them fight as a team, particularly the byplay between Thor, Cap and the others utilizing the shield.

I was very surprised that they chose to have that huge fight in Wakanda but the Black Panther didn't show up, even in cameo.

The death was well handled, although it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see that character return in another movie. Or perhaps that character will stay dead. We'll see. I was glad they didn't kill Hawkeye or his family though.

[Richard Willis]

ClarkKent_DC said:

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!

I finally was able to see the movie. I was happy to see at the end that Clint's baby boy was born and was named Nathaniel Pietro, in honor of Natasha and Mr Maximoff.

[Richard Willis]

Ron M. said:

There are rumors Hawkeye is gay so that may have been why they did that. I would assume his wife isn't Mockingbird though.

Bobbi Morse is on the SHIELD show, though she isn't called Mockingbird.