Last year, when I wrote my review of the original Avengers, one of my main critiques was
that certain parts of the film seemed to have been trimmed down in the interest
of time, offering short shrift to some characters. However, this was in lieu of creating a fun
and frantic action film with some fantastically witty screenwriting to fill in
the film’s quieter moments, and seeing as it was a miracle that the film
managed to juggle so many distinct characters into a coherent narrative, its
shortcomings were certainly forgivable.
Now, we have Age of Ultron, a
sequel that has astoundingly somehow become larger in scope than its
predecessor, and is miraculously another good film in its own right. It’s just unfortunate that the franchise’s
problems got bigger along with it.
Tony Stark, frustrated with the pain and suffering that he
and the Avengers must continually fight against, seeks to pre-emptively end the
war against Earth by building Ultron, an artificial intelligence designed to
protect the world so as to make the Avengers unnecessary. Alas, the AI goes rogue, and in its madness
determines that in order to save the world, humanity must be destroyed so that
a new mechanical race may take over the planet.
Now it is up to the Avengers to stop Ultron and his robotic army from
destroying the very world they intended to protect.
What director Joss Whedon does best are character
interactions, and this film seems to try its hardest to find the space for its
more intimate moments. Thankfully, it
mostly succeeds by placing emphasis on characters we do not see in their own
franchises. Black Widow, Hulk, and
Hawkeye each have very involved character arcs that serve as a great reminder
as to why they are on the team. This
isn’t to say that the Cap, Iron Man, and Thor don’t all get humanizing moments,
but their individual arcs feel somewhat redundant of their own most recent
films. Ultron himself is also a
remarkably good foil to Tony Stark, mirroring his creator’s sardonic quips with
a misguidedly mad lilt. Less interesting
are the inclusion of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch as Ultron’s primary
lieutenants, as their presence feels more obligatory to Marvel’s franchise
management than necessary to telling the best story possible. This isn’t to say that their inclusion
detracts from the story at all, but it does tend to overstuff the film in terms
of character arcs.
And that’s the biggest flaw in the film: there’s just too
much going on. Whedon’s original cut of
the film was reportedly over three hours long, and it shows. In order to make room for the climactic third
act and keep the film under 150 minutes, the editing team really took a hatchet
to some of the less necessary scenes.
Some scenes feel particularly rushed and only serve as connective tissue
in order to keep the action setpieces coherent, turning those scenes into a
Cliffs Notes version edited down to the bare essentials. Now, don’t get me wrong; the action scenes
are expertly realized, with great emphasis on battle cinematography and
impressive stunts, as well as a clear concern for the civilians affected by the
villain’s chaos. However, the film
begrudgingly places emphasis on the action at the expense of its ability to let
its characters and scenes take a moment to breathe.
Now, does this mean Age
of Ultron is a bad film? Hell
no. I really enjoyed it, and it’s a fun
ride from start to finish. What I am
saying, though, is that it is sorely in need of a Director’s Cut, one that has
the runtime necessary to accomplish both its storytelling and action-centric
ambitions. And thankfully, it is already
rumored that one is on its way for the Blu-Ray release. In the
meantime, though, Marvel fans will not want to miss out.
On the other hand, is three hours too long for a superhero
film? Leave your thoughts in the
comments below.
...depends on how much your friends like superhero movies and how much you like your friends. I still know people who watch all three extended LotR movies in a row once a year. I would watch the director's cut of this at least once. I'm assuming. I mean, I haven't seen it yet.
ReplyDeleteOther really long things I have watched all of more than once: the Firth/Ehle Pride and Prejudice.
ReplyDelete