Directed by Joss Whedon (Toy Story, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Avengers, known also for writing The Cabin in the Woods...) and starring Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Chaplin, Iron Man, The Avengers), Chris Evans (Captain America, The Avengers, Snowpiercer, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher, Begin Again, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Now You See Me, Shutter Island, The Avengers), Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Rush, Star Trek Into Darkness, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Avengers), Scarlett Johansson (Girl with a Pearl Earring, Lost in Translation, Lucy, Match Point, The Avengers), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Town, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Bourne Legacy, The Avengers), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Godzilla, Oldboy) and Paul Bettany (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, A Beautiful Mind, Margin Call).
141 mins; action adventure; 6+
The film starts off with Tony Stark / Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner / The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) trying to kick-start a dormant peace-keeping programme called Ultron. However, they only succeed in awakening Ultron (James Spader) to spark off a battle between them that lasts the entire film.
They are supported by other Marvel Comics characters such as Steve Rogers / Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton / Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to stop the villan, Untron.
The on-screen action is only diluted to follow the sub-plots, such as Hawkeye having a family and the burgeoning and complex relationship between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff, which make the super-herors almost act human. However, this focus on drama was no way enough to dilute the excessive action that pervaded the script; while the action scenes with superlative special effects were indeed superb, they were far too long and spoiled the film from being enjoyable.
While the script is dotted with some comic lines, sparsely spread across many of the characters, a few at most will make you laugh. For spectacular and endless action scenes, this film is for you.
