Major Spoilers Ahead
I thought it was good, but I wasn’t
blown away. It’s not terrible. It’s a fun, exciting movie. I really liked the
foreshadowing for the fallout to come, the introduction of Vision and the
presence of Baron Von Strucker. I have a lot of little complaints, but more
worthwhile is an observation which I want to point out about Marvel Studios
media.
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| Thomas Kretschmann as Strucker Avengers: Age of Ultron |
Baron Von Strucker is a Hydra
leader whose secret base is attacked by the Avengers. Later, he’s murdered by
Ultron in his jail cell. Thomas Kretschmann appeared briefly as Strucker in Captain America: Winter Solder. I wished we might’ve seen him stay in the
role a little longer because I can only imagine how exciting his work might’ve
proven. The company benefits when it gives its actors ample opportunity to grow
in a role—Marvel Studios has become like an unofficial repertory company of
actors. The audience benefits because we don’t get a one-shot baddie who
cackles and shakes his fist only to get blown up. I don’t need a tear jerker on
how the villain became, but Kretschmann was striking to me as Strucker and he
got offed too soon. The same thing happened in the recent season two finale of the
TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. where
a whole crop of exciting-and-ready-to-bloom characters were wiped off the board
in one fell swoop. What? Why?
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| Ruth Negga as Raina Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. |
What Marvel Studios has been
doing since 2008 is a radical form of entertainment. These guys are underdogs
who tipped over the haterade. I’ve been a staunch supporter of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. since the first
season. I loved Agent Carter and Daredevil. Like any company or group that
blazes a new trail, there’s always going to be those areas that lack.
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| B.J. Britt as Agent Antoine Triplet Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. |
The work done by actors to
develop these characters cannot be taken for granted because they make the
story and cast better. This is especially true for the villains. The second
season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saw
this crowd of new characters who never got a chance to come to some fruition. Three
examples of thrilling and engaging talent who gave their characters great life
were B.J. Britt (Agent Triplett), Ruth Negga (Raina), and of course, the great
Edward James Olmos (Robert Gonzalez). Most disappointing of all is the exit of Olmos
-- who may be the only positive and talented Latino male actor to ever appear
on this show. I was excited to see Olmos involved in Captain America: Civil War next year when it crosses over with … S.H.I.E.L.D. The gravitas of Olmos is
universally noted. Why are the most compelling characters on … S.H.I.E.L.D. being killed off? The
killings are premature and fatigued… like Age
of Ultron.
I read a Forbes review about Age of Ultron that described the movie
as “…played like an obligation…” like a checklist to get over with before
getting to the really great part. I’m aware that Joss Whedon confessed in
interviews he was exhausted from making it.
I think with time and season,
killing off characters does work.
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| Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich Marvel's Daredevil |
In Marvel’s
Daredevil, investigative reporter Ben Urich is murdered before he can
expose Wilson Fisk as a crook. In the comics, Urich is Caucasian so I was
particularly excited that Marvel cast Vondie Curtis-Hall. He just deserved that
role! I was shocked when his character is murdered, but it wasn’t premature. I was
hoping to see Curtis-Hall as Urich interact with Spider-Man in the second
season of Daredevil. But Curtis-Hall
had duration of time to give an appreciated, noted performance. Same thing in Agent Carter, for the tense office scene
where S.S.R. chief Roger Dooley is unable to take off a vest put on him by the
villain. The vest is rigged to blow and there is no way of getting it off. Shea
Whigham portrays Dooley like he was born and raised from mean streets;
tough-as-nails and hard working. The accent sounds like a guy from the suburbs
who’d put a bat to your head if you threatened his family. He’s the type that
wants answers short and quick, little-to-no empathy, but later we see softer
moments appropriately woven. Nothing awkward and forced which was masterful, as
he expresses love for his estranged wife and how deep down he worries about his
agents. Whigham is so cool; he doesn’t play Dooley as a bland cop suit. It’s
awesome! So when Dooley jumps out of the window to save his team, it feels earned
in a sense. It sucks, yes, because we love the character. It’s not gratuitous.
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| Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk Marvel's Daredevil |
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| The main cast of Agent Carter Shea Whigham as Roger Dooley is seated second from left. |
Consider the decision to allow
Vincent D’Onofrio to play Wilson Fisk in a way that I don’t think the comics
have shown. Fisk is a complete stoic, except in moments of rage. D’Onofrio made
him genuinely scary by portraying him as a man so repressed in his boyhood
anguish and is awkward as a result of it. When he would lose it, you cringed. I
think Baron Von Strucker given some time could give us “a little color.” The
character of Raina deserved more time in her clairvoyance and to potentially
appear in the movie, Inhumans. A lot of exciting characters and interactions
on ...S.H.I.E.L.D. were wiped out.
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| Raina transformed into an Inhuman Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. |
I actually sucked my teeth at
Tony Stark when he tried to convince a stunned Bruce Banner into activating the
Vision. Robert Gonzalez played by Olmos gives a succinct and satisfying assessment of Tony Stark on the second-to-last
episode of …S.H.I.E.L.D.:
"Want to talk facts? Ultron was created
because people were too close to Tony Stark. They were blinded by his charm.
They trusted him. Never even thought to look at what he was working on. And the
Avengers- they let one man do whatever he wanted and the world was almost
destroyed for it. We’re S.H.I.E.L.D. We’re better than that.”
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| Edward James Olmos as Robert Gonzalez Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. |
Come on! That monologue commands
a hush. It's reason enough for me to believe that the death of Gonzalez is premature on the show.
I tend to notice these trends of
fatigue. I’m not always right, but you can usually tell from the trailer. I
felt it when they advertised The Dark
Knight Rises to death. It felt like a lack of confidence then. I think
Christopher Nolan is great and I liked …Rises.
But it’s the lesser of his trilogy.
Or maybe Avengers: Age of Ultron is like one of those movements in symphonic
music from the great classical composers centuries ago, where you had one
really bad or dissonant section, which made way for that beautiful and
intoxicating allegro and sonata that was to come. Maybe that’s Marvel’s plan. I
forget the name of the composer who I learned was said to have done this. It’s
been many, many years since I sat in music history class.
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