Avengers: Age of Ultron

Zach Goodier

The long wait is over, and a new Avengers film has come out. But now that the dramatic team-up has gone through the honeymoon stage, does this team have the endurance to keep it up?

The movie starts us in Eastern Europe, where the Avengers are attacking a Hydra base to recover Loki’s scepter from the first movie. In the midst of the fighting, two of Hydra’s enhanced humans, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, escape. After a brief engagement with the Avengers, they quickly disappear. Tony Stark manages to recover the scepter, and while the team celebrates for a few days before Thor returns the scepter to Asgard, Stark examines it. Long story short, Stark uses the crystal inside the scepter (an infinity stone) to help him complete his new artificial intelligence program, Ultron. Ultron’s mission is to protect the world; however, Ultron quickly turns on the Avengers, and starts working on plans of his own.

No strings on this guy.

The story is a really exciting retelling of the Ultron tale. It all fits very nicely, and ties in to a lot of what is transpiring within each of the movies in the Marvel universe. Ultron is a wonderful villain, and James Spader really brings him to life. Since Ultron’s personality is derived from Tony Stark, he has some entertaining lines throughout the movie. The Vision also appears in the 3^rd act, as a byproduct of Ultron’s plans. His role is relatively minor, but still significant, and it will likely lead to more important things down the line in the Infinity War.

These two make a great addition to the film. I had no idea what to expect, but I found them both to make excellent characters.

The action is great, with scenes like the Hulk vs Iron Man being standouts in this film. The Maximoff twins, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, both make for great additions to the cast, with interesting powers that make some great action scenes. Nick Fury also returns, which leads into some great sequences at the end when he joins the fight. But despite all that, a lot of the great scenes come from those little moments Joss Whedon creates. Like many of his other works, he has that talent for creating and/or capturing moments that might not be outwardly significant, but are the moments you remember long after the credits roll.

This. Armor. Rocks.

The special effects are as top-notch as ever, but I did not see it in 3D to know how that side came out, although I imagine it is probably top-notch as well. I never felt that there were any weak links from the technical end or from the cast, everyone seemed on top of their game. The final major battle takes place back in Eastern Europe, on a city that is being risen in order to crash it back down to Earth, in Ultron’s plan to end humanity.

The Vision is a great character, even if he shows up to the party rather late.

The only fault I found in this film is a lot of the internal problems amongst the Avengers felt reused from the last film. It doesn’t feel forced, and it is still entertaining, but part of you might feel like we’ve done a lot of this in the previous film. But this is a very minor thing, in the midst of all the great characters and scenes. Plus, it gave Stark and excuse to don his Hulkbuster Armor, which is amazing to watch.

Some of the minor characters from the franchise get to enter the fray this time, or at least get a solid cameo in.

This movie is more than a worthy successor to the first film, with all the characters coming back and doing all the things they do best. Hulk smashes, Thor hammers, Hawkeye and Black Widow show off their skills, Captain America gives some speeches, and Tony Stark throws out some clever lines and kicks but as Iron Man. However, what makes this movie even better in some ways is the addition of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, who both bring a lot forward to this film, and Ultron is easily one of the best villains in the Marvel universe so far, with the exception of possibly Loki. In short, if you loved the Avengers, you will almost certainly love this movie too.

Good:

-Ultron is a great villain

-Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were done right.

-Hulkbuster armor.

-Joss Whedon’s gift of creating all those little moments that make his works great.

Bad:

-Some of the conflict between the Avengers themselves feels redone from the last film.

Scully Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season One)

Zach Goodier

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a show follows up on the activities of S.H.I.E.L.D. following the events of The Avengers.  It follows the revived Agent Coulson (more on how he came back later), as he gathers a team of agents to travel the world to protect it from threats both native and alien, as they contend with rival organizations out to steal and develop advanced technology, as well as alien threats that come from off-world to cause trouble on Earth. 

(L to R) Skye, Simmons, Fitz, Coulson (duh), Agent May, and Agent Ward.

Presentation:

The visuals are all top-notch to for a TV show, with quality CGI being used in most places.  Some scenes, like Coulson’s Corvette turning into a hovercraft, don’t quite pull it off like the movies have, but that’s all minor details that don’t occur often enough to kill the show, but they can make you pause and criticize for a bit.  Costumes and such are all solid, and all the tech S.H.I.E.L.D.  uses looks as futuristic, yet realistic, as anything we have come to expect from the films.

Coolest "bus" I've ever seen.

Story:

The story is really well done, despite a rather slow start.  Each character has their own history, which gives them some intrigue as the show moves forward, and nearly everyone has a reason for being on the “Bus” that doesn’t entirely involve loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D..  That makes it more compelling when you see conflict between team members, since you realize that there is a lot going on, even internally, to keep everyone (including the viewer) on their toes.

 Several cameos appear, whether it’s Nick Fury or Lady Sif from Thor, there are quite a few little treats to carry you through, and towards the end of the season, tensions are raised sky-high as loyalties of fellow agents are called into question as the show’s timeline runs parallel to the events of Winter Soldier, introducing us to a whole new world that our characters must adapt to, and not everyone is who they appear to be.

Bill Paxton has a recurring role as a hard-nosed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Characters:

As I said before, each character has their own story, which helps shape them and their role in the show.  Agent May is an elite operative who is by the book and one of the toughest women around, but she has a colored past that made her take a desk job before Coulson pulls her back into the field.  Agent Grant Ward is a tough, young agent who is reluctant to join Coulson, but ultimately decides to join.  Fitz and Simmons are two scientists who serve as the biology and tech researchers, helping to understand the strange events and technology the team encounters in the field.  The last member to join is Skye, who is a rogue hacker who has run-ins with the team early on, and eventually decides to join.  However, the team is reluctant to trust her, considering her action against S.H.I.E.L.D.  and other intelligence agencies.

Not every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is what they appear to be...

Overall:

There’s a quality show here, without a doubt.  If you liked Coulson, and wanted to see more of him, this is definitely the place to do it.  While they slowly delve into the mystery of how Coulson came back from his run-in with Loki, it still hasn’t fully been explained, but that’s because it’s one of the persistent mysteries that the team is struggling to solve as the story progresses.  

The greatest enemy S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever faced lies within.

While some of the CGI isn’t up to par with what the movies have spoiled us with, it’s easy to forgive the show since all of its other areas are fairly top-notch.  The story might struggle to gain traction in the early part of the season, once it finds a solid pace, it gradually builds up in excitement until you find yourself on the very edge of your seat as you move into the end of the season, and you wonder how, or even if, S.H.I.E.L.D. can ever be the same again.

Good:

-Excellent story arc

-Coulson, Coulson, and don’t forget Coulson.  We missed you so.

-Great cast of characters that surprised me throughout.

Bad:

-Somewhat slow to gain traction in the beginning.

-CGI is hit-or-miss.

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10