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"Age" Against the Machines

It seems somewhat unfair to call "Avengers: Age of Ultron" a sequel. Though it is technically a direct follow-up to 2012's "The Avengers", the Marvel Comics universe is so complex, with its properties expanding and intertwining at an ever increasing rate, that "Age of Ultron" feels less like a sequel than a cosmic event.

No longer saddled with the trappings of an origin story, this film begins during a mission to a HYDRA base in the fictional Eastern European country of Sokovia. Our heroes are on a mission to capture Loki's scepter but they also manage to uncover the secret to creating artificial intelligence. Since Iron Man has had his seemingly-sentient JARVIS sidekick since the first of these films, it's unclear why AI is suddenly such a big deal. But if both Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are intrigued, then so are we.

As you might expect, experiments with creating AI go awry and lead to the creation of Ultron, a powerful robot that has visions of saving humanity by helping us to "evolve" (i.e., wiping us off the planet). Sounds like a job for the Avengers! But Stark's arrogant experiments into AI drive a wedge into the team, and so before they can defeat Ultron (cue the strings), they first need to learn to work together.

It may sound a bit trite, but since writer-director Joss Whedon all but invented the hero-ensemble playbook, you know you're in good hands here. As usual, Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark gets all the best lines (it's even more amazing when you realize that he delivers most of them from within a helmet). But this time he's given a run for his money by James Spader, as the voice of Ultron. Since the titular baddie was technically created from Tony Stark's stock of Iron Man materials, it makes sense that Ultron can trade a one-liner with the best of ‘em.

Chris Evans, filling out a variety of tight shirts, still carries the humble torch as Captain America, without over-doing the "goodie two-shoes" nature of the role. Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo comfortably slip back into their roles (Thor and Hulk, respectively), as do Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner, who have more heavy-lifting to do without any superpowers. As if that weren't enough, Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick-Ass") and Elizabeth Olsen ("Godzilla") are introduced as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, two characters that seem much more at home in an X-Men movie than the Avengers (Quicksilver was also featured more successfully in "X-Men: Days of Future Past").

Where the film falters is in the need to tear the Avengers apart in order to bring them together again (and no, that doesn't count as a spoiler; if you didn't see that one coming, you're not ready for this movie). The Scarlet Witch's powers seem to involve making you face your greatest fears (though, to be honest, it's never made clear). This is, and I hate to be the one to point this out, also the plot of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" and, like that travesty of a film, it just doesn't work. Seeing our heroes "confront their fears" always reeks of pop psychology and drags the film to a halt.

But aside from that misstep, "Age of Ultron" delivers the goods and, even at 160 minutes, it doesn't drag. This is the longest Marvel epic to date, but Joss Whedon continues to make it look easy. Many of the action sequences are messy, but a select few (particularly the opening) are nothing short of thrilling. Mr. Whedon loves a good 360-degree shot of our fighting heroes, and so do we.

As in the first film, the characters have an effortless chemistry and, since Mr. Whedon also wrote the script, everyone is given something to do. The quiet moments - though there are far too few here - are always the best (aside from a ludicrous subplot involving the ever-radiant Linda Cardellini). Great fun is had discussing the physical properties of Thor's hammer as well as the appearances (or lack thereof) of certain love interests from previous films. But the scope - and cast - of this film is already so vast, it's no wonder that there isn't room for everyone. As the Marvel universe continues to expand its reach, it's hard to imagine how future films will squeeze everyone in. With their track record, I'm sure Marvel will figure it out. With the Avengers, as with so much else, some assembly may be required.