Short Attention Span Review - Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Marvel continues to kick DC's ass on the big screen with Avengers: Age of Ultron, a massive spectacle that is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.  I'm more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy, but I'm also a comic book fanboy at large, so I'm excited when any superhero makes an appearance in theaters.  I liked Man of Steel and Nolan's Batman trilogy was damn impressive.  Yet Marvel annihilated DC's best film adaptations with the first Avengers movie, and they have somehow managed to produce a sequel that is even bigger and better.  First off, I love Loki and Tom Hiddleston has been one of the Marvel cinematic universe's coolest discoveries.  Yet Loki is a trickster and he has never been the supreme badass that Ultron is.  In truth, it is quite possible that Ultron has been the most daunting villain that the Avengers have ever faced in the comics, and they've squared off against Galactus, Thanos, Dr. Doom, and any other Marvel villain worthy of a showdown with the Earth's mightiest heroes.  Accordingly, though the movie version of Ultron is a CGI creation, he towers over most villains of the cinema, largely due to James Spader's fantastic voice work.  I remember thinking that nabbing Spader for such a gig was a good thing when I first heard about it, but it's better than that, it's a great thing.  It's a perfect thing.  Spader kills it and the story allows Ultron to be as menacing and as intriguing as he should be.  Of course, everyone fares well in this picture and that's a tremendous credit to Joss Whedon's screenplay and his fantastic work at the helm.  It must be supremely difficult to take so many significant characters and try and come up with an arc for each of them and ensure that everyone gets to shine when it's time for the good guys and the bad guys to throw down.  That's exactly what Whedon has managed to do, however, as I found myself thoroughly invested in everyone's story and utterly thrilled at all the marvelous action taking place.  This truly is an Avengers movie; it's a team effort where every hero and villain is integral to the epic story which unfolds in remarkable fashion.  Maybe Iron Man plays a bigger role than anyone else, or maybe it's actually Hawkeye who benefits the most from the fantastic script.  Of course, it could be the Black Widow, or the Hulk, or Cap, or--you get the point, right?  Oh, and then there's Iron Man donning his Hulkbuster armor to go mano a mano with the big green guy.  Wow.  And the big finale?  Double wow.  Avengers: Age of Ultron is just a marvelous movie with a magnificent cast, a great director, sensational effects, and a wonderful villain squaring off against the greatest band of comic book heroes we'll ever see together on the big screen.  Go see this one as soon as you possibly can.

Final Grade: A+

Ultron is the supreme badass that he should be and it is amazing that
James Spader was able to do so much for the part with his voice.

Current Reading List - Comics

I blogged about the new Star Wars comic from Marvel earlier, so I've definitely got comics on the brain today.  I'm always curious about what you guys are reading, and I'm willing to share my reading list with you as well.  I generally follow anywhere from 5-10 comics a month, and here's what I'm currently rocking:

Star Wars - read the previous blog for more, but the bottom line is this comic rocks

Iron Fist - this is the coolest book on my list and Kaare Kyle Andrews is the most sensational artist in comics today

Black Widow - I'm a big fan of girl power and I absolutely love this title

Swamp Thing - if DC really does end this comic, they're dead to me--seriously, there are 743 Batman books, kill one of those off before you discard your coolest title and character

She-Hulk - another cool comic that is one on the cusp of annihilation

Hawkeye - a theme is forming right before our very eyes, but at least there's a replacement for this stellar venture coming down the pipeline

The Amazing Spider-Man - yeah, this whole Spider-verse thing is totally ridiculous--and it's also lots of fun

Guardians of the Galaxy Team-Up - this one is slated to debut this month and we've already signed up--I'm a sucker for a good team-up

So, that's what I'm reading.  Feel free to share your thoughts on my list and as I said earlier, I'm definitely curious about what you guys are looking at these days.  I'm a Marvel fanboy at heart, but I'm willing to branch out.  Just don't try and recommend anything DC does to me if they really pull the plug on Swampy.  That aggression will not stand.