Of course I saw Ultron. Of course. It’s Marvel. C’mon.
I saw it last night, my son being gracious enough to buy me a ticket at the local Alamo (the best theater chain in America. Beer and a movie? How can you resist?) because, you know, Marvel. C’mon.
The first 25 minutes, though, I was unhappy. It was too Marvel. Comic-booky, if you catch my drift, with lots and lots of AI fighting all over the screen, suffused with lots and lots of downright hokeyness which, yes, I know, it’s a comic book so how do you avoid it? Well, by not giving us lots and lots of AI fighting all over the screen. What the hell is this, a video game? And, what the hell is this, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch show up in the middle of the fight and kick everyone’s ass and then just…walk away?
And, by the way, “enhanced humans?” Fox, Disney, knock it off.
So, yes, I was unhappy at the end of the sequence. It was starting to look like Iron Man3, Spiderman3, and other assorted major disappointments, which was even more disappointing. They could have at least waited until Avengers3 before they screwed it all up.
But, then, that 25 minutes was over. And the next 2 hours…wow. Just, wow.
Not gonna get into the details. Go see it. And realize that we are heading towards the Infinity Gauntlet.
These are just the best days.
Yeah, cities are burning, savages are marching, but I am watching my childhood come alive, in 3D, in some cases. And my childhood is being treated so…respectfully. Just is.
Now, these are not my Avengers. I mean, where’s Giant Man? Wasp? And Quicksilver is not dead. War Machine was not a part of the second team. But Joss Whedon knows that, and gives enough nod at the Avengers I knew and loved growing up that I cannot be upset. It’s obvious he knows and respects the history, even though he presents it differently. C’mon, Stark didn’t create Ultron; Giant Man did. But Whedon had Stan Lee say “Excelsior!” I almost fell off my seat.
And, did I mention, Infinity Gauntlet?
I can die now. Well, at least, after the next two Avenger movies. And the next three Captain America movies. And Doctor Strange. And the Netflix Iron Fist series…