Ok so - saw Age of Ultron (in 2D because I do not 3D that way leads migraine and being unable to track the first 30 mins....)
Everything behind a cut - to save you all from spoilers and length - this my reaction as straight after as poss - and before reading anyone else's.
I was semi dreading, semi looking forward to this? The dread was born of the fact that it is wayyyyy too soon in the game to be doing Ultron and the film was introducing wayyyyy too much.
I am sad to say that this dread was right, and it got worse *face palms*
Now, I am going to give some good points, so that this isn't just all negative?
- Yay more Maria (Maria's part was actually all good - she even got the snark on all the boys)
- Yay Vision
- Yay Clint being in it (and not dying!)
- Fury - and SHIELD revival in film, with a nod to it being too big a thing got the avengers to actually manage alone).
And that's all I've got that's all good?
So the Plot:
The avengers have been taking out Hydra/Shield bases looking for the loki's staff/specter. This explains Thor being around.
This leads to Tony being mind twisted into creating Ultron and BAD THINGS happen - the avengers are made to look bad publicly, but they are the only ones who can take Ultron out.
While this happens we get random glimpse of people's past and dreams - apart from Clint who it turns out has a wife and kids hidden on a farm thanks to Fury (which actually kind of sucks? Laura seems to be in the middle of nowhere with two kids and bump? Or way Fury babysitting while she did stuff? I have no idea?)
The Maximoff twins are evil, then not (evil via the MCU verse of 'Stark evil before') when they discover that they were about to end the world. Oophs. Then Pietr dies (instead of Clint - who the film spent lots of time pointing at the saying 'dude if going to DIE' but Clint names his new kid after him so it's fine....)
Avengers save the day - Hulk, Hawkeye and Iron Man all jump ship (two because of their women, one because it's time apparently)and Thor leaves and we have new! avengers! Main plus side of new avengers are two girls, two people of colour, an android and Cap. So more balanced than five white guys and natasha.
Yeah.
I wanted to like this movie. I was so hoping that it wasn't going to be terrible and it would be great because more hawkeye! more sam! (only not) more natasha! scarlet witch and quicksilver! and hulk! and the vision! But nope.
The bad started with the 'Joss does not know what to do with Hawkeye' aka 'remind the audience that Clint is just a guy and mortal'. It does conveniently bring in pretty doctor lady, but yeah, way to start the film.
Then we got the twins intro - and Wanda basically makes all the bad happen and ultimately gets her brother killed because Stark was evil. Yay.
Then we get the whole weird party thing. And the mocking of Rhodey, and Sam cameo (given he is gone when the team, plus Doctor and Maria and Rhodey...are having drinks). Leading to Ultron!
Then in fighting, because Tony sucks at sharing and Bruce does too. They then head out to stop Ultron, fail and look bad. Hulk buster is called Veronica. Clint gets a moment of awesome and stops himself being mind washed and gives Wanda a head ache. Thor is an arrogant ass, but it'll help later. They then run to Clint's family.
Fortunately despite being everywhere, Ultron does not track them and destroy the farm.
Clint's wife is awesome, sadly she's just Clint's wife Laura, so we don't know her story, other than she's pre-Shield, which suggests Clint wasn't with Shield all that long....?? Oh and Clint's response to being brain washed was lots of sex and making another baby. So that's where Clint was.
They leave in groups (with another evil 'probably killing Clint! moment with the whole 'when get back' in addition to the whole family thing) - and stuff happens leading to the final act.
Half a city/country get floated (and stupid science reigns URGH) - lots of almost deaths, then quick silver saves Hawkeye, and apparently dies (no funeral....) The team wins (though the Vision, stupidly isn't actually as much better than Ultron as they claimed, until the end when he is).
As a film, it's not terrible, but they kinda ruined characters that I love? And relationships that I love?
I don't get the Widow/Hulk thing - or the lullaby. I have no idea what that actually added to the plot? Besides massively reducing Natasha to love interest for Bruce. Why not do the sedatives thing/Hulk is actually a good guy thing? (Seriously, Hulk & Hawkeye broship people).
The twins - oh my god Wanda. What even? *sighs* I half suspect that Quick silver's speedy intro then death is because the Xmen films have claimed him but not Wanda. I don't really get why anyone had to die at all, but there we go.
I would have liked to get Wanda grieving. I liked that we got Vision/Scarlet Witch.
The whole Cap/Tony angst anger thing is clearly the build up to the Civil War storyline.
Clint - I am still annoyed that they haven't taken the chance to have MCU canon deaf/hearing impaired Clint (they erased Tony's disability so it's not a huge surprise I know) - and Laura and the kids are an interesting idea, but it feels like they were just there to be a coulson for this avengers film. And a red herring for who was going to die.
Joss really really doesn't know what to do with Clint. It's makes me sad. He gave us family guy in over his head, who gets taken out fast and freaks out over stuff and gives a paternal speech to wanda. There is some wise ass moments, but yeah.
Hawkeye is awesome. And he is the audience's in. Seriously. He is the only 'normal' guy, but he has skills, and he has a mouth. Yes he only has a bow and arrows, but that isn't all he is. Seriously. Urgh.
Up side - there were women. There were more women than the last one. And one of them was a woman of colour (should have been two, but they cast the twins white *makes face*)
So yup. That's me. My initial reaction - I now want all the Hawkeye fic and all the Widow fic. And some serious Rhodey and Sam love. And AUs. Please.
I also want - films were it's about saving someone's world, not the whole whole (aka a city) or just taking down a villain. Enough with the world ending stuff. You can still do action (as Iron Man proved) without it being about the whole world ending. Give me character stuff, give me actual honest to god team building.
I am totally open to people poking and discussing. :)
This entry was originally posted at
http://weaselett.dreamwidth.org/9530.html. Please comment there using
OpenID.