What critics are saying about ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’

MANILA, Philippines – The reviews for The Avengers: Age of Ultron are in! The movie, which stars the beloved team of A-list actors Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, and Scarlett Johansson as superheroes teaming out to save Earth from grave danger, opens April 22, in the Philippines. (READ: ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Review: A worthy sequel)

In the film, our favorite Avengers face Tony Stark’s Ultron, a robot hell-bent on destroying humanity – plus face setbacks from the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

Let’s take a look at what critics have to say:

The Hollywood Reporter 

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter says this was a shakier effort than 2012’s Avengers, though fans would still find plenty to love, which the film works hard to deliver.

He notes elements that worked well, including James Spader’s approach to the villain Ultron and the addition of Paul Bettany as Vision, but says that some action scenes did fall flat.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron succeeds in the top priority of introducing a worthy opponent for its superheroes and giving the latter a few new things to do, but this time the action scenes don’t always measure up and some of the characters are left in a kind of dramatic no man’s land,” he writes.

Variety 

Scott Foundas of Variety praised smaller moments apart from the large scale blockbuster action, particularly the growing relationship between Black Widow (Scarlett) and Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo), as well as the film’s pacing and fluidity.

“When the movie does return to symphony-of-destruction mode, it stays engaging precisely because Whedon has given us reasons to care – at least a tiny bit – about the all the whirring and smashing and booming and crashing. It helps that the actors by now wear these roles as comfortably as second skins – an enviable model that those forthcoming superhero alliances, Fantastic Four and Justice League, can only hope to follow,” he writes.

IGN

Writing for IGN, Jim Vejvoda said that the Avengers sequel was a solid follow-up to the 2012 film. In this film, we get to see the effects of the powers of the Scarlet Witch, whose ability to warp reality gives the Avengers a hard time, and gives the audience a glimpse of quite a few characters’ painful pasts.

Vejvoda does remark on the Bruce Banner-Natasha Romanoff romance: “We’re supposed to believe that they each see themselves as monsters so that’s the basis for their bond, but the whole star-crossed lovers angle just feels forced.”

There there are too many things going on doesn’t do Age of Ultron a great service, he says, but overall says it offers “a lot of fun and offers plenty of great action and character moments.”

The Guardian

Peter Bradshaw singled out performances by Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo in his Guardian review, and says that director Joss Whedon successfully juggles the film’s many parts and angles.

“It’s all operatically mad, and the city-destroying final confrontation is becoming a bit familiar, but Whedon carries it off with such joy and even a kind of evangelism,” he writes. “His script is a thing of wonder, jam-packed with great lines.”

 

Vanity Fair

Writing for Vanity Fair, Richard Lawson remarked that some of the actors looked “tired,” singling out Robert Downey Jr. “Maybe I’m in need of a break, too. Giddy good fun as the Marvel movies consistently are – Age of Ultron’s many battles swoop and clang nicely – they’re no longer novel. When Age of Ultron begins, with a big, ‘they’re back!’ fight scene, it’s just, well, the same old gang again, having to work that much harder to surprise us,” he wrote. (READ: Watch Robert Downey Jr’s moving speech at MTV awards: ‘Define your generation’)

Lawson also points out that the more grim tone (compared to its predecessor) also means that the comedic elements take the back seat this time around, though the shift in tone isn’t necessarily unwelcome.

Will you be seeing Age of Ultron this weekend? Let us know what you think in the comments below! – Rappler.com