Anthony Stokes thinks that The Avengers: Age of Ultron has the potential to be the best comic book movie ever…
Last year The Avengers arrived in theaters and devoured every movie released that month. I try to refrain from saying everybody loved something but you’d be hard pressed to find somebody who didn’t enjoy the movie on some level. For me and a lot of people The Avengers was the best of the genre – a hybrid of traditional blockbusters and newer, smarter ones which have evolved with better dialogue and more character development. It exceeded everybody’s expectations and was a lot better than it should have been.
But of course it wasn’t without its problems. All adaptations come with problems that the filmmakers have to overcome, and all things considered Joss Whedon did a great job. One major valid complaint was the fact that while Tom Hiddleston have an excellent performance as Loki and was having fun chewing the scenery, the villain’s plan isn’t very clear and his motivation is a little murky. A slightly less valid complaint is that there’s no tension in the action scenes and a lack of on-screen civilian casualties. The point of the action and specifically the final battle is watching The Avengers as a team. It’s also fair that there also wasn’t a whole lot of story, which is again a problem when combining eight characters from five different movies.
Whedon has said himself he doesn’t think The Avengers is a great movie. I agree that it’s not The Godfather. It’s not even Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. But, without a single frame filmed yet, I can tell you that 2015’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron is going to go improve on its predecessor. From the title alone it’s apparent that there will be a stronger presence for the villain. And what an excellent choice for a villain it is.
For those who don’t know Ultron is basically Hal, The Terminator, and any other great AI villains you could think of, including Syndrome’s robot from The Incredibles. Ultron’s main appeal is that he evolves and adapts, making him the ultimate AI villain. Ultron’s primary directive is to serve humanity and make it perfect by eradicating all humans. Classic sci-fi fare, and Ultron has the opportunity to be the defining villain for years to come, even replacing Heath Ledger’s Joker on the throne..
By having a more threatening villain in The Avengers 2, this will add tension to the action scenes, and to the movie overall. When Ultron shows up it means the Apocalypse. He can learn to clone himself, resulting in an army of unstoppable drones. Any writer worth his salt could turn this into an interesting story and Avengers: Age of Ultron has Joss Whedon, a fantastic sci-fi writer will undoubtedly take advantage of the possibilities and leave a lasting impression on the audience.
Everything Whedon has been saying about the sequel – from adding diversity to the cast with characters possessing more aesthetically interesting powers points to him being aware of even the minor flaws in Avengers – suggests that Age of Ultron could become the definitive comic book movie of all time. I predict the sequel may in fact change the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, shifting the franchise from being fun movies into great movies.
Anthony Stokes is a blogger and independent filmmaker.
Originally published August 1, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
