72- #DLMChallenge “Avengers: Age of Ultron”

For #72 of the #DLMChallenge #365moviesin365days on April 30th I watched: Avengers: Age of Ultron.

I’m a HUGE nut when it comes to Marvel films, and for many reasons. First, I love crossovers. The shared Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had me stoked since the very first post-credits teaser with Nick Fury asking Stark to join the Avengers Initiative. And much like Smash Bros., I love when a group of characters are able to share the same space and play off one another’s rich history (hence this shameless plug for my Smash fan fiction novella).

Secondly, I grew up with predominantly Marvel Comics. I dabbled in DC, but 65% of the comics I owned were that of the House of Spidey.

So when it came time for the first Avengers film, I was unsurprisingly more excited than most. And it clearly lived up to expectations and shattered any doubts.

Sure, there are some weak points in the film franchise, but with every phase ending, another Avengers film appears.

And the hard truth is that the first Avengers film was so good, and we hadn’t seen anything like that, that this one felt like more of the same. Naturally, more of something that was awesome isn’t a bad thing, but the appeal of the union of several heroes is diminished when repeated.

The action was fun, the newcomers were great (especially with the giddy fanboy end bit), and James Spader brought great character to Ultron, who truly felt like an offspring of Tony Stark both in rationality and in personality.

If you too are along for the ride, then you’ve clearly seen this by now; if not and you enjoy these films, then you will enjoy this one too.

Main Crew:

Cinematographer: Ben Davis (Doctor Strange, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)

Based on the Characters Created by: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

Written and Directed by: Joss Whedon (Serenity, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog)

Main Cast:

Robert Downey Jr. (Chaplin, Due Date)

Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman, In the Heart of the Sea)

Mark Ruffalo (Begin Again, Now You See Me: The Second Act)

Scarlett Johansson (Under the Skin, Lucy)

Chris Evans (Snowpiercer, Push)

Jeremy Renner (The Bourne Legacy, National Lampoon’s Senior Trip)