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stgulikFinally saw Avengers: Age of Ultron!
I really liked it for the big, confusing mess it was. Major spoilers under the cut ...
Well, I have to admit, when they weren't battling their enemies, they were constantly arguing, to the point where you have to wonder if there's great dental or a matching 401(k) in being an Avenger. There can be no other compelling reason for them to want to work together.
Still, this movie would have to have been truly horrible to sway my deep affection for the Avengers, and Ultron was a not horrible.
Earth's mightiest heroes needed a big, big enemy to overcome. They got it in the form of the truly cool Ultron. Ultron is not only physically capable of destroying the earth, it (he?) is also a result of a major rift within the Avengers, which led to much of the aforementioned arguing.
But the Avengers and the X-Men, in the comic books, could seriously disagree with each other, and make big mistakes, and still stumble into doing the right thing. They're just humans who happen to be trained like heroes. I liked that aspect of the comics and I respect that they kept that going in Ultron.
One objection I read here on LJ was that Black Widow (Natasha Romanov) calls herself a monster because she is incapable of bearing children. When I finally watched that whole scene, I didn't think that was the reason for her self-assessment at all. She was trained from early childhood to be a talented, deadly killing machine. She had no choice. That reality is why she called herself a monster. The forced sterilization was just the ultimate example of having been fully, invasively programmed, to be nothing but an instrument. In the first movie, Clint asks her if she knows what it is like to have your brain ripped out and replaced by something else--to be unmade. She replies, "You know that I do." Now we know, too. She overcame much of her early cognitive brainwashing--notice she is practically family to someone else's kids--but it still haunts her.
The monster theme resonated with other Avengers as well. A few of them bandied that name about. I think Tony Stark flattered himself with that title, though. At least a monster doesn't know what it's doing. Stark was a full-blown meglomaniac. It was his fatal flaw. His intentions actually began to horrify me, and that's a first for Iron Man.
I'm not 100% sure where Thor went off to, and what he brought with him when he came back. Something about jewels? Most of his side plot was lost on me. Chris Hemsworth kind of mumbles.
Did you notice how much of a follower Bruce Banner is when he's not The Hulk? It goes much further than a simple desire to remain placid. All Stark had to do is talk really fast and ask lots of rhetorical questions, and pretty soon Bruce would go along with him and carry out whatever horrible idea Stark had next. I think that was part of the reason why he felt he needed to leave the group: he recognized not only his capability for violence, but his inability to stand up for himself. That was an interesting psychological element to me.
But Hawkeye and Black Widow are now arguably the most fully-developed characters in the series. Can't wait to see how they are treated in future installments.
All in all, good movie! I was very pleased.
I really liked it for the big, confusing mess it was. Major spoilers under the cut ...
Well, I have to admit, when they weren't battling their enemies, they were constantly arguing, to the point where you have to wonder if there's great dental or a matching 401(k) in being an Avenger. There can be no other compelling reason for them to want to work together.
Still, this movie would have to have been truly horrible to sway my deep affection for the Avengers, and Ultron was a not horrible.
Earth's mightiest heroes needed a big, big enemy to overcome. They got it in the form of the truly cool Ultron. Ultron is not only physically capable of destroying the earth, it (he?) is also a result of a major rift within the Avengers, which led to much of the aforementioned arguing.
But the Avengers and the X-Men, in the comic books, could seriously disagree with each other, and make big mistakes, and still stumble into doing the right thing. They're just humans who happen to be trained like heroes. I liked that aspect of the comics and I respect that they kept that going in Ultron.
One objection I read here on LJ was that Black Widow (Natasha Romanov) calls herself a monster because she is incapable of bearing children. When I finally watched that whole scene, I didn't think that was the reason for her self-assessment at all. She was trained from early childhood to be a talented, deadly killing machine. She had no choice. That reality is why she called herself a monster. The forced sterilization was just the ultimate example of having been fully, invasively programmed, to be nothing but an instrument. In the first movie, Clint asks her if she knows what it is like to have your brain ripped out and replaced by something else--to be unmade. She replies, "You know that I do." Now we know, too. She overcame much of her early cognitive brainwashing--notice she is practically family to someone else's kids--but it still haunts her.
The monster theme resonated with other Avengers as well. A few of them bandied that name about. I think Tony Stark flattered himself with that title, though. At least a monster doesn't know what it's doing. Stark was a full-blown meglomaniac. It was his fatal flaw. His intentions actually began to horrify me, and that's a first for Iron Man.
I'm not 100% sure where Thor went off to, and what he brought with him when he came back. Something about jewels? Most of his side plot was lost on me. Chris Hemsworth kind of mumbles.
Did you notice how much of a follower Bruce Banner is when he's not The Hulk? It goes much further than a simple desire to remain placid. All Stark had to do is talk really fast and ask lots of rhetorical questions, and pretty soon Bruce would go along with him and carry out whatever horrible idea Stark had next. I think that was part of the reason why he felt he needed to leave the group: he recognized not only his capability for violence, but his inability to stand up for himself. That was an interesting psychological element to me.
But Hawkeye and Black Widow are now arguably the most fully-developed characters in the series. Can't wait to see how they are treated in future installments.
All in all, good movie! I was very pleased.
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no subject
Date: 2015-05-04 07:17 pm (UTC)And you quietly looked at all the characters and saw into their hearts.
This is why you complete me.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-04 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-04 10:05 pm (UTC)Your point about Natasha is a good one. I've seen that same criticism on Tumblr, and I didn't see her comment about her sterilization as the reason she was calling herself a monster either. Bruce had JUST SAID he couldn't have children, so she was answering his implication that she could if she chose someone else and not him.
I have to say, Clint's back story shocked me completely. In a good way. :)
I, too, had no idea what Thor was up to, and Cap's fantasy left me a bit flat. I feel as if he needs to move on. I love Peggy, but COME ON!
I ADORED The Vision, and the way he rescued The Scarlet Witch was a nice nod to their relationship in the comics. :)
I also love James Spader (do you watch The Blacklist? Great show) so yes, Ultron was a slam dunk for me.
no subject
Date: 2015-05-04 10:16 pm (UTC)Scarlet Witch's comic book costume would have looked pretty hokey on screen, with the cape and headdress and all. Do you agree? I'm glad they seem to have updated her look.
Was Vision's origin in line with his comic book origin?
Yeah, I thought Cap's fantasy was going to lend to the plot, but it was just sluggish and weird. I thought his having spent time with older Peggy at her bedside would have brought him a certain closure. Guess not, or not yet.
Yes, I watch Blacklist, so James Spader's personality shown through!
no subject
Date: 2015-05-04 10:33 pm (UTC)The Vision's origin story in the comics is similar but not exactly the same. He doesn't have anything to do with the Infinity stones as far as I know, and he's not created by Tony but by Ultron, who was in turn created by Hank Pym (who we'll see later on this year in Ant Man). Although he is killed by Thanos in the comics (and that may still have to happen in the MCU, too, since Thanos has to get the stones somehow, right?).
I am excited to see who all ends up as an Avenger, too. With War machine, The Falcon, The Scarlet Witch, and The Vision looking like they were joining by the end of the movie, I'm excited. *dances*
Excelsior!
Date: 2015-05-05 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-05 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-05-06 03:05 am (UTC)I, too, would like to have seen the Hulk's vision. :)