Avengers Age of Ultron: Digital Review

Comics Movie Reviews
Avengers Age of Ultron: Digital Review
By Hervé St-Louis
September 13, 2015 - 12:18

Studios: Marvel Studios
Writer(s): Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Starring: Robert Downy Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Bettany, Scarlett Johansson, AaronTaylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, James Spader, Cobie Smulders, Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba, Anthony Mackie
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Produced by: Kevin Feige
Running Time: 141 minutes
Release Date: September 8, 2015
Rating: PG13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Distributors: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Marvel has released The Avenger’s Age of Ultron as a digital film on September 8, 2015. The popular super hero film is the second in the Avengers’ franchise. The Avengers are on the trace of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, who have allied themselves with Ultron, a rogue artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark. Ultron wants to destroy the world but starts with a city. Will the Avengers be able to stop him or will the team collapse before?

Disney’s executive did not think that Age of Ultron was a success because it grossed less than the original Avengers’ movie. What the movie did not have was as much novelty and spontaneity. Age of Ultron was retreading the story of a familiar cast of characters that we have seen several times since the last Avengers’ film. Seeing all of these characters and actors on screen all at once was supposed theoretically, to be the highlight of the film. But, as in classic comic super hero teams, the threat has to warrant the involvement of the entire team to feel important enough.

Ultron, as marketed in trailers and previews was touted as the kind of villain that could untie all of the Avengers. But in practice, he was not up to the task. He was a mechanical creature without strong rapport that could be established through being. Designers made sure his eyes looked more dynamic but that was not enough to give him life given his mechanical body language and lack of facial expression. Loki, in the first Avengers’ film was devious and a person. He acted as a man as opposed to a 3D rendered video game. Even Vision, the artificial Avenger introduced late in the film had the emotions that Ultron lacked.

The digital download allows viewers to marvel (pun intended) at the graphics used in the film. Ultron looks much better in full high definition. Much of what made Avengers Age of Ultron grandiose are the effects that the technical team pulled off mostly. Many parts feel plastic and fake. Often there is too much action at once and it’s difficult t focus as your senses are overwhelmed with.

If you seek to find out about some of the behind the scenes of this Avengers’ film, you may want to wait for the DVD or Blu-Ray release instead. But for a quick playback of this movie on your tablet, phone or laptop as you commute or travel, the digital download will be a good fit.

Rating: 7/10