Avengers: Age of Ultron Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Avengers: Age of Ultron Blu-ray Movie Review

Ai-yi-yi, Robot.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 3, 2015

A supposed “thinking man’s” science fiction spectacular, Ex Machina posited the first artificially intelligent android as an attractive young woman named Ava. AI takes a distinctly different form in Avengers: Age of Ultron, namely the titular robot which looks a bit like something out of Attack on Titan (also recently redone as a live action film) crossed with the giant Sentinels from Marvel’s own X- Men: Days of Future Past. There’s another tie-in to the Sentinels, for Ultron, like those gargantuans created by Trask to take care of that pesky mutant problem, was created as a defender, but also like the Sentinels, is soon going on the offensive. There are a number of other X- Men analogs to Age of Ultron, perhaps indicating that the Marvel Universe is maybe more of a Multiverse where the same concepts and even character types get filtered through a slightly refracted sensibility. Despite an unavoidably overstuffed cast of characters, Avengers: Age of Ultron manages to delve into virtually all of its superheroes’ stories, at times surprisingly artfully, while also providing the requisite amounts of spectacle and special effects wizardry. While that inherently overstuffed ambience leads to a slight feeling of bloat in this sequel, considering the number of simultaneously unfolding story threads that writer-director Joss Whedon weaves together, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a uniquely satisfying sequel that manages to overcome many of the obstacles that many franchises face in their sophomore slumps.

The film begins in media res, or at least in media proelium, for the mighty Avengers are in the midst of a major battle as they attempt to gain access to a Hydra base where some kind of nefarious engineering (genetic or otherwise) has been taking place. This opening sequence starts the film out with both a literal and figurative bang, offering quick vignettes that feature each of the heroes “doing their thing” as they dispatch various bad guys. It’s also the first opportunity for Whedon to start injecting his sometimes cheeky humor into the proceedings, courtesy of throwaway one liners that are often silly and occasionally unnecessary.

As with many Marvel outings, the film is stuffed to the gills with various characters, many of whom sport alter egos. The heroes (lest anyone has forgotten) are Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), AKA Iron Man; Thor (Chris Hemsworth); Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), AKA The Hulk; Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), AKA Captain America; Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), AKA Hawkeye; and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), AKA Black Widow. At the Hydra base, we’re (re)introduced to baddie Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), whose experiments have resulted in two new “Enhanced” (to utilize the Avengers’ own parlance), the Maximoff twins, Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), AKA Scarlet Witch, and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), AKA Quicksilver. That’s not just a surplus of folks to keep track of, but also a lot of assumed identities, and it’s notable that Whedon’s screenplay is mostly “fuss free”, delivering introductions and character development gracefully and without too much obvious exposition that distracts from the action or overall narrative.

The Avengers’ mission at the Hydra base concerns retrieving that pesky scepter of Loki’s which Thor wants to get back to Asgard as soon as possible. While the good guys are (of course) successful in their enterprise, there’s a bit of interstitial anxiety when Scarlet Witch utilizes her mental control powers to momentarily port Tony into a hallucinatory whirlwind where he believes that all the other Avengers have met their fate. That’s what literary types might want to call foreshadowing, and it’s only the first of several such “prophecies” that haunt various characters going forward. Once the scepter is retrieved, Tony and Bruce put it through a bunch of tests back at Tony’s lab, where Tony’s AI helpmate J.A.R.V.I.S. attempts to figure out what’s inside the glowing gem at its tip. Tony is convinced the scepter holds the key to completing Tony’s long dreamed of Ultron AI experiment, one which Tony wants to complete to build an “iron wall” around the entire planet, keeping it safe from any and all threats.

That perhaps unwise bit of hubris leads to the central conflict in the film, where in a perhaps intentional call back to science fiction films of yore like Colossus: The Forbin Project, Ultron (voiced by James Spader) becomes sentient and builds himself (itself?) a body of sorts, taking out J.A.R.V.I.S. in the process, and coming to the quick conclusion that the Avengers are the problem, not the solution (along with a large swath of humankind, it should be added). An initial interchange seems to augur the quick defeat of Ultron, but the AI is able to “escape” into the internet, where its nefarious activities continue as it forges itself a new, improved robotic body in which it can wreak further havoc. In a not exactly surprising plot development, Ultron reaches out to the Maximoff twins for help in his quest for world domination.

There’s a slightly rote feeling to some of the plot points and structural issues being ticked off by Whedon (a pretty predictable late shifting of allegiances, a tendency to try to hit action sequences at pre-allotted intervals), and with such a surfeit of characters to devote screen time to, the middle section of the film occasionally feels frayed, offering a series of vignettes. Whedon expectedly goes for the gusto in the film’s hyperbolic climax, where a discovery of Thor’s furthers an already complex mythology (and obviously points the way toward the next sequel), while the forces of good and evil battle it out with literally earth shattering results.

Despite a reliance on eye popping special effects wizardry, there’s an almost Freudian (or perhaps given its rampant iconography, Jungian) subtext running through Avengers: Age of Ultron, especially once Scarlet Witch’s telepathic control of the Avengers unleashes the fears of their darkest Ids. That allows for the most potent character beats in the film, while also perhaps making the case that a screenplay needn't be tailored to the demands of a stopwatch.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Avengers: Age of Ultron is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Marvel Studios and Disney-Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Digitally shot with a rather wide array of cameras per the IMDb, Avengers: Age of Ultron offers a near seamless blend of live action and impressive CGI, and as is Whedon's wont, there are any number of bells and whistles applied to various shots, as in the iconic slow motion moment that is a highlight of the opening battle sequence or, later, when Ultron starts becoming conscious and is sorting through a slew of information his mind is reviewing. The palette is perhaps surprisingly restrained throughout the feature, offering elements more like rich burgundies or even kind of dowdy browns rather than candy coated bright primaries. Fine detail is exceptional in both live action and CGI elements. In fact, some of the coolest textures are things like The Hulk's rough hewn skin, seen really clearly in some awesome close-ups where he interacts with Black Widow. Shadow detail is generally excellent, though some scenes, notably a bunch in the Hydra base early in the film, suffer from recurrent if not very problematic crush. When Tony walks into the inner workroom, he virtually disappears into the shadows, and another scene finds the twins, who are already consigned to the shadowy background, becoming little more than bobbing heads, with their dark clothes merging with the surrounding gloom. Occasionally CGI looks relatively soft when compared to the overall sharpness and clarity of the bulk of the presentation. The film is rather dark and gloomy quite a bit of the time, and black levels are deep and convincing.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Avengers: Age of Ultron features a somewhat tepid sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix that provides impeccable surround activity, but is surprisingly (to me, anyway) light from the midrange down to subwoofer territory. Amplitude across the board seems weirdly mitigated as well, with some effects failing to land with the requisite force. Whether this is an intentional approach or the result of someone not paying attention somewhere in the production chain is unclear, but some may find themselves turning their home theater systems "up to 11" to gain a full appreciation of the film's often dense sound mix. Those anomalies aside, the overall mix is quite enveloping from virtually the first moment, when the sounds of battle resound through the side and rear channels very effectively. Later effects, including some neat ping ponging and panning effects during Ultron's "awakening", and the rumbling climax, offer more opportunities for nice aural immersion, albeit with the same somewhat restrained feeling. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly and is always well prioritized.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Featurettes:

  From the Inside Out - Making of Avengers: Age of Ultron (1080p; 20:54) is a decent EPK with some good candid footage and some okay interviews.

  
  

  The Infinite Six (1080p; 7:28) focuses on some legendary icons from the story.

  
  

  Global Adventure (1080p; 3:01) discusses some of the far flung locations utilized in the film.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p; 12:04) features optional commentary by Joss Whedon.


• Gag Reel (1080p; 3:37)


• Audio Commentary with Director Joss Whedon. Whedon provides an informative if sometimes a bit rambling commentary, getting into some elements like story construction and little (sometimes rather fascinating) tidbits about iconography, while giving regular shout outs to his cast and crew.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Avengers: Age of Ultron probably would have benefitted from some judicious editing in its somewhat unfocused middle section, but Joss Whedon proves yet again what a master he is at offering an embarrassment of riches in the character department, while never losing sight of an overall narrative arc (one predesigned to afford yet more opportunities for Whedon—should he choose to—to make another sequel). The principal cast, by now well ensconced in their various roles and fitting them to a tee, does great work and it's a testament to Whedon's screenplay that they each get their moments in the sun. Spader's also a lot of fun as the voice of Ultron, a kind of snarky robot who doesn't suffer fools (meaning humans and/or Avengers) gladly. While audio is a bit lackluster on this release, video quality is excellent, and taken as a whole, Avengers: Age of Ultron comes Highly recommended.