Reviews

The lynch mob mentality seems to be strong here in regards to critics and spite-filled haters of the franchise. Pitch forks and torches came out in preproduction and apparently feeble minded followers can do nothing but follow the lead of the detractors. Why do I say that? Simply stated, the film itself isn't bad. In fact, at times it's quite good and quite complex. Given the ridiculous critic bashing, maybe lowered expectations came in to play. What actually hits the screen is surprising and well presented.

What some may label as boring I identify as surprisingly fleshed out and rewarding. What was lacking in X-Men Apocalypse was any type of character development. In this film, there is a connection. Was it flawless and complete? Not even close. Yet, given past films as well as the first act I really identified with most of the cast. What transpires is a fitting conclusion and YES at times a thrilling conclusion to the Fox X-Men run. Listing flaws seems pointless because that's all the detractors have latched on to (the villain is one dimensional and ultra powerful out of nowhere and some decisions are shallow and out of character) I prefer to focus on what worked and quite a bit did. In fact, my initial reaction is to place this in the top 3 or 4 X-Men films ever made.

Judging what actually hits the screen, fan service and the connection to the last 19 years of Fox X-Men this movie did a damn fine job and is very entertaining.

Yes, the Avengers Age of Ultron is a dream come true. This is exactly the sequel to a great film that we have been dreaming about. It's superb on every single level. It honestly has no real flaws that I could see. How great does a movie have to be given the inherent difficulties in making a film like this in the first place? Writer/director Joss Whedon did an admirable job of balancing the screen time of the sprawling and expanding cast.

As for the new characters, I loved what they did with The Vision and how they did it. The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver — aka, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff are amazing as well. Wanda's psychic powers are much more complicated and empathetic then I expected them to be. What I love about Wanda is that she physically goes through emotional trauma when she uses certain powers and we as the audience go with her on that emotional journey. Like just about everything this film, that really packs a punch.

Marvel's done a great of making its superhero movies about the title characters more than the villains. In both team films now, the bad guy has stepped up and been phenomenal. Both films delivered true treats. This movie actually tops the first in scope and drama and that's in no small part to a superb villain. I feel that Ultron tops any bad guy since Darth Vader himself. His presence, manipulation and motivation leads to the best action sequences ever put to film. It also leads to an intriguing story and remarkable performances as this fine cast is allowed to flex their emotional muscles as well as their superhero muscles.

I can say without hesitation that movies just don't get better than this one sequel or otherwise.