Marvel tumble a few rungs after the delights of Guardians, but still a better effort than Assemble. That was all central focus but lacked ideas. This is all ideas jostling for screen time, and some perhaps would've benefitted from stand-alone treatment - Banner/Black Widow and Iron Man/Ultron in particular struck me as decent launch pads for more expansive treatment. AoU always has the bigger picture in mind, but the sketchy treatment of some of its threads creates an air of missed opportunities.
Still, witty and entertaining enough (if a bit vanilla), and with the requisite quota of crash-bang-wallop to warrant the ticket price. The wheels won't come off the wagon with this one, but it maybe ought to have taken us further. 6.5/10
Was reading an article earlier about an interview with James Gunn (the guy behind Guardians) and in said interview, he was saying that he isn't building Guardians to appear in Infinity War (though I'm aware that Marvel have the last say, so if they want them there, they'll get them there) but it's got me thinking.
Thanos is obviously the big bad, but he's been set up as the big bad for both the Avengers and Guardians (so naturally, he'd fight them both). I'm wondering at this point whether the Infinity War film(s) is just the start; Thanos goes to Earth to obtain whatever stones are there (such as the one in Vision), whilst there he decides he might as well wreck havok and it's down to the Avengers to send him packing.
It wouldn't be his ultimate defeat, it would be more a loss that he (later) intends to rectify - then at some other point down the line, Avengers 4 or 5 (or another title entirely), would have the Guardians show up?
Anyway, it's worked well enough in the Flash TV series, so i don't see why it can't work in the MCU.
Yeah, but as already stated, Flash was always going to play with Time Travel, and the in-universe has been set up to accommodate that; if they wish, they can make the smallest of changes to the timeline and not have it affect the results of Arrow.
With the MCU, they've already an established set of films.
Was reading an article earlier about an interview with James Gunn (the guy behind Guardians) and in said interview, he was saying that he isn't building Guardians to appear in Infinity War (though I'm aware that Marvel have the last say, so if they want them there, they'll get them there) but it's got me thinking.
Thanos is obviously the big bad, but he's been set up as the big bad for both the Avengers and Guardians (so naturally, he'd fight them both). I'm wondering at this point whether the Infinity War film(s) is just the start; Thanos goes to Earth to obtain whatever stones are there (such as the one in Vision), whilst there he decides he might as well wreck havok and it's down to the Avengers to send him packing.
It wouldn't be his ultimate defeat, it would be more a loss that he (later) intends to rectify - then at some other point down the line, Avengers 4 or 5 (or another title entirely), would have the Guardians show up?
I don't believe it. They will be in Infinity War in some way. Maybe not with The Avengers, but they'll be there. Maybe part of it will take place in space - cue Guardians, and part of it will take place on Earth - cue the Avengers. But I don't believe Marvel are giving us two Guardians movies, without them having an impact on the end result.
Of course that could be turned on its head if Thanos is the big villain in Guardians 2. Maybe that would show their significance in the MCU. Now we know that Thanos has the gauntlet, he has to, at some point, to back to Xandar for the infinity stone there. But if this is the story for Guardians 2, Thanos will get the stone and defeat the Guardians, and I don't see that happening.
Yeah, but as already stated, Flash was always going to play with Time Travel, and the in-universe has been set up to accommodate that; if they wish, they can make the smallest of changes to the timeline and not have it affect the results of Arrow.
With the MCU, they've already an established set of films.
I've been doing some digging into time travel in the Marvel comics and I am no wiser. It seems nearly everyone has time travelled at some point and the rules keep changing. Like sometimes you can go back in time but it will put you in an alternate universe so that it doesn't affect the present day. Other time you can go back in time , kill someone so they don't exist in the present, but everyone still remembers them ?¿
As to what film the time stone could be in, no idea. I was hoping to find a villain who dealt in time travel, but there's loads, and loads of heroes who has done it too, inc. Iron Man, Thor, Spidey, the twins etc.
It was alright. The story and storytelling were meh but Renner was stunning in it (he was HAWT, SO HAWT). Olsen worked fine but her transition from evil to good was crap.
about the mid-credit scene
who was the purple thingy?
ETA: OKAY, this got me - those scenes with Cyrillic letters in it weren't filmed in Eastern Europe at all. You got me, Marvel. That was actually Italy.
He was the behind-the-scenes villain in the first Avengers film (revealed in the scene in the credits), and was the behind-the-scenes villain in Guardians of the Galaxy (within the film itself).
Vision failed drastically for me. I knew barely nothing about him going into that film, and coming out I am even less interested.
I saw him as
a version of Jarvis, and as such a long-standing character.
Another negative I have is that there was simply too much going on! Many things I felt had been added in unecessarily - Thor's
gallivanting off to the random pool
It led to
Thor understanding about the gem, and hence realising he needed to create Vision, and the knowledge to do so, and further joining this story into the 6-gems thing. So it was kinda crucial stuff, really.
I had the exact opposite reaction. The first film's story was all over the place and at points made no sense but I felt that everything in this film held together really well and flowed seamlessly from one scene to the next. Ultron I found a much better villain largely because of the ambiguity in his intentions, Loki was just a straightforward pantomime character but Ultron had much more depth.
I'd give this one 7/10, a couple of points below the first one. It was OK, but nothing special. Assemble makes sense once you realise that Loki was playing for time; that's why he let himself get captured. (A theme also in Ultron. Perhaps it is a thing for Joss.)
I didn't think Ultron was paced as well. It started big and that mostly just left me dazed. I won't say it didn't get bigger later, but it didn't ramp it up as well as Assemble. I much preferred Loki as a villain, as he was full of character and he did have some depth to his interactions with his half-brother and his master. Ultron's motivation was more morally grey, but he had so little background. It didn't help that he sounded like Red from The Black List. Not just because it was the same actor: the dialogue was similar in style too. It made him just as pantomime as Loki.
There was a lot of good stuff in the film, but too much action for me. The character moments were there but almost drowned out.
I'd have liked a connection or reference to Coulson in Age of Ultron, to tie Agents of SHIELD in properly and to let the Avengers know that he's alive. I know that the next episode in the US next week has some connection to the opening scene, which presumably means Coulson's SHIELD and/or Admiral Adama's Real SHIELD will be involved in some way with the attack on Strucker's base, especially as Doctor List was in Agents of SHIELD this week, and ended up with Strucker in his base in Age of Ultron (which follows next week's ep).. OK, they can't make a big deal out of Coulson, as only people who watch the show know he's not dead, but give us *something*, especially as Maria Hill and other characters already do know he's alive, and especially as you'd assume that Coulson's SHIELD and/or Admiral Adama's Real SHIELD would/should have had some involvement with Age of Ultron.
Joss has said:
that he didn't want Coulson brought back, and as far as he's concerned Coulson is still dead. Hence he wasn't going to acknowledge him in his films. See io9: that really came from the television division, which is sort of considered to be its own subsection of the Marvel universe. As far as the fiction of the movies, Coulson is dead.
My problem was more or less the opposite. Given the Avengers have apparently been active destroying Hydra bases, how come that's never been mentioned in the TV series?
Have to say, mighty impressed how they managed to keep Scarlett's pregnancy hidden
You wouldn't even know she was pregnant at the time of shooting this film with some of the action scenes she did
Back to the film, have to say I loved it and just as good as the first
Will be exciting to see the tension between Cap and Tony boil over in Civil War, and will be intriguing to see where the last two Infinity Stones pop up and how Thanos is going to eventually obtain them all
All in all the Marvel Universe is in pretty good shape going forward
Ant-Man, you're up next in July, don't let the team down
Actually speaking of Antman, do we know if anything Avengery is going to turn up in that film ?
Has there any casting spoilers like if Robert D J or Samuel LJ filmed anything for it ? Or will it be a standalone movie but we might see his addition to the team in Civil War or anything ? Or maybe we'll just get an end credits scene explaining it ?
Actually speaking of Antman, do we know if anything Avengery is going to turn up in that film ?
Has there any casting spoilers like if Robert D J or Samuel LJ filmed anything for it ? Or will it be a standalone movie but we might see his addition to the team in Civil War or anything ? Or maybe we'll just get an end credits scene explaining it ?
From Wiki
Additionally, John Slattery and Hayley Atwell reprise their roles as Howard Stark from Iron Man 2 and Peggy Carter from the Captain America films and Agent Carter, respectively. Slattery stated that his involvement in Ant-Man was "not that much more" than his participation in Iron Man 2, while Atwell called her appearance "more of a cameo".
that he didn't want Coulson brought back, and as far as he's concerned Coulson is still dead. Hence he wasn't going to acknowledge him in his films. See io9: that really came from the television division, which is sort of considered to be its own subsection of the Marvel universe. As far as the fiction of the movies, Coulson is dead.
My problem was more or less the opposite. Given the Avengers have apparently been active destroying Hydra bases, how come that's never been mentioned in the TV series?
Whedon can believe what he wants, but Agents of SHIELD and the other TV shows are a full part of the MCU, same as the films.
I guess I can see why he didn't do it though - Coulson's death was what pushed the Avengers over the edge in the first film, so if they found out he was alive it could cheapen that.
Still should've been some acknowledgement of SHIELD itself being back, though, even if Coulson wasn't mentioned.
As for your opposite problem:
Yup, that's an issue too. Although I think it's the fault of Age of Ultron, given that it's that that has suddenly said "Hey, guys - the Avengers have all re-formed off-camera at some point after Winter Soldier, and have been busy taking out Hydra bases and hunting for Loki's Sceptre. And now let's jump straight to the action..."
The TV series did partially address it this week in the US with season 2 episode 19, "The Dirty Half Dozen":
(Agents of SHIELD spoiler)
Coulson and co. raided a different Hydra base where Dr List was, in the run up to Age of Ultron.
Dr List escaped, but Coulson found out the location of Strucker and the Sceptre, which he then provided via videocall to Maria Hill, saying something like "Time to send in the Avengers".
Anyone see the story a few days ago about the Blu-ray having an extended version and alternate ending? The story that was on multiple sites, all of which used the same source - an email from Amazon.co.uk?
Well, Amazon.co.uk sent out another email on Wednesday...
"Hello,
We recently sent you an e-mail about the Avengers: Age of Ultron which said that these items included an extended version and alternate ending. As the studio hasn't yet confirmed which special features will be included with these items, this information may not be correct. We're sorry for any inconvenience our e-mail caused ... "
I just got back from the cinema. I was left feeling a little underwhelmed.
The special effects are amazing as you might imagine. As a visual spectacular it doesn't disappoint. Neither do those poignant moments in the lives of the characters we need if we're to engage with them. But the problem I have is, there was no time set aside for reflection. To process events and incorporate them into what was happening.
Ultron himself was poorly conceived. His characterization left a lot to be desired.
Overall this is a good film that had all the ingredients to be great. But somehow failed to achieve it.
In related news, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige clarified which Infinity Stones we have yet to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Time and Soul are the two that are not accounted for,” he tells CraveOnline.
Thus confirms the Aether as the Reality Stone.
Any guesses where they'll show?
I'm sticking with my guess from the previous page - Captain Marvel & Dr Strange. My basis for that is that we've already seen infinity stones in Capt, Thor and GotG so I'm guessing they'll use the two remaining stones in the new characters films to try and tie them into the big picture. Just guessing tho.
Spoiler re the Infinity Gauntlet going forward:
It seems there are two Infinity Gauntlets in the MCU. There's one in Asgard, which we must have seen in one of the Thor films, but I forget. That's a right handed gauntlet. And then there's the one at the end of Ultron, which is a left handed gauntlet.
Makes things a bit more interesting as it gives plenty more scope for speculation.
I'm sticking with my guess from the previous page - Captain Marvel & Dr Strange. My basis for that is that we've already seen infinity stones in Capt, Thor and GotG so I'm guessing they'll use the two remaining stones in the new characters films to try and tie them into the big picture. Just guessing tho.
I doubt that, unless my theory (posted previously) about Avengers 3 is that Thanos will arrive to collect the Stones, rather than have them.
Thanos is the big bad for Infinity War. Captain Marvel fits in between Part 1 and Part 2 of the Infinity War films, so if another gemstone is to appear in her film, then Thanos wont be coming to Earth with a fully working gauntlet, which makes his arrival (somewhat) sudden.
It still makes sense (to me) that he'll come to Earth to collect the remaining stones; we know Vision has one already, and if the last two show up with Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel, then Thanos has three of the six stones he needs right here on Earth. He's then just got to get to that one on Nova Prime (should be a walk in the park) and then (re)locate those other two; one on Asgard, the other with the Collector (I think?)
It seems there are two Infinity Gauntlets in the MCU. There's one in Asgard, which we must have seen in one of the Thor films, but I forget. That's a right handed gauntlet. And then there's the one at the end of Ultron, which is a left handed gauntlet.
Makes things a bit more interesting as it gives plenty more scope for speculation.
Is it not possible that we were just viewing one of them via a Mirror?
I doubt that, unless my theory (posted previously) about Avengers 3 is that Thanos will arrive to collect the Stones, rather than have them.
Thanos is the big bad for Infinity War. Captain Marvel fits in between Part 1 and Part 2 of the Infinity War films, so if another gemstone is to appear in her film, then Thanos wont be coming to Earth with a fully working gauntlet, which makes his arrival (somewhat) sudden.
It still makes sense (to me) that he'll come to Earth to collect the remaining stones; we know Vision has one already, and if the last two show up with Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel, then Thanos has three of the six stones he needs right here on Earth. He's then just got to get to that one on Nova Prime (should be a walk in the park) and then (re)locate those other two; one on Asgard, the other with the Collector (I think?)
See, they could go any way with it. Maybe IW Part 1 will have Thanos travel to Xandar, Asgard and wherever the collector is to get those stones and then have him come to Earth in Part 2, by which time, we may have seen the stone in Captain Marvel. Unlikely as that wouldn't make Part 1 much of an Avengers movie with zero Avengers in it, but hey, you never know.
The only other films they could turn up in is Thor 3 and GotG2. I have a very vague memory of Gunn saying that a stone would not be in GotG2, but I'll have to looking for a source on this (I'll report back). As for Thor Ragnarok ...... Ragnarok could refer to a villains name or the literal meaning of "the end of all things". I don't know if I see a stone there. I'm instantly discounting Spiderman and Civil War. Of course maybe a stone will turn up in Infinity War Part 1.
Is it not possible that we were just viewing one of them via a Mirror?
See, they could go any way with it. Maybe IW Part 1 will have Thanos travel to Xandar, Asgard and wherever the collector is to get those stones and then have him come to Earth in Part 2, by which time, we may have seen the stone in Captain Marvel. Unlikely as that wouldn't make Part 1 much of an Avengers movie with zero Avengers in it, but hey, you never know.
Hmm, true, maybe have it the other way around though? Would make more sense then?
Thanos comes to Earth, collects the stones on Earth (after having first gone through Asgard). Thor returns to Earth to explain the seriousness of the situation, and offers the Avengers chance of Vengeance against Thanos by traveling with him to Xandar?
Who says the Avengers need to be Avenging Earth, on Earth? ;-)
As for Thor Ragnarok ...... Ragnarok could refer to a villains name or the literal meaning of "the end of all things".
From what little I've managed to piece together, it's actually the end of Asgard, and something to do with a Fire Demon called Surtur. I couldn't tell you anymore than that as I don't know anymore. It's possible one of the stones (soul stone?) could turn up in Thor 3, though I'm more inclined to believe they'll appear in Guardians 2 and Doctor Strange.
While I was trying to find the source for Gunn saying that another stone wouldn't appear in GotG2 (which I couldn't find, so I must have dreamed it), I've read plenty to make me rethink that another stone will appear in GotG2. Actually there's quite a few signs pointing to it.
And I think think two gauntlets makes perfect sense. You'd look pretty stoopid with just one glove on ....
Comments
Still, witty and entertaining enough (if a bit vanilla), and with the requisite quota of crash-bang-wallop to warrant the ticket price. The wheels won't come off the wagon with this one, but it maybe ought to have taken us further. 6.5/10
Thanos is obviously the big bad, but he's been set up as the big bad for both the Avengers and Guardians (so naturally, he'd fight them both). I'm wondering at this point whether the Infinity War film(s) is just the start; Thanos goes to Earth to obtain whatever stones are there (such as the one in Vision), whilst there he decides he might as well wreck havok and it's down to the Avengers to send him packing.
It wouldn't be his ultimate defeat, it would be more a loss that he (later) intends to rectify - then at some other point down the line, Avengers 4 or 5 (or another title entirely), would have the Guardians show up?
Rogers and Banner are (essentially) experiments, Thor is (essentially) an Alien, and Stark is a technological genius, so yeah, credible.
Time Travel? Not so much.
Yeah, but as already stated, Flash was always going to play with Time Travel, and the in-universe has been set up to accommodate that; if they wish, they can make the smallest of changes to the timeline and not have it affect the results of Arrow.
With the MCU, they've already an established set of films.
I don't believe it. They will be in Infinity War in some way. Maybe not with The Avengers, but they'll be there. Maybe part of it will take place in space - cue Guardians, and part of it will take place on Earth - cue the Avengers. But I don't believe Marvel are giving us two Guardians movies, without them having an impact on the end result.
Of course that could be turned on its head if Thanos is the big villain in Guardians 2. Maybe that would show their significance in the MCU. Now we know that Thanos has the gauntlet, he has to, at some point, to back to Xandar for the infinity stone there. But if this is the story for Guardians 2, Thanos will get the stone and defeat the Guardians, and I don't see that happening.
I've been doing some digging into time travel in the Marvel comics and I am no wiser. It seems nearly everyone has time travelled at some point and the rules keep changing. Like sometimes you can go back in time but it will put you in an alternate universe so that it doesn't affect the present day. Other time you can go back in time , kill someone so they don't exist in the present, but everyone still remembers them ?¿
As to what film the time stone could be in, no idea. I was hoping to find a villain who dealt in time travel, but there's loads, and loads of heroes who has done it too, inc. Iron Man, Thor, Spidey, the twins etc.
even better than the first one!
So can Fury use Tehiti to bring Quicksilver back from the dead?
about the mid-credit scene
ETA: OKAY, this got me - those scenes with Cyrillic letters in it weren't filmed in Eastern Europe at all. You got me, Marvel. That was actually Italy.
He was the behind-the-scenes villain in the first Avengers film (revealed in the scene in the credits), and was the behind-the-scenes villain in Guardians of the Galaxy (within the film itself).
I didn't think Ultron was paced as well. It started big and that mostly just left me dazed. I won't say it didn't get bigger later, but it didn't ramp it up as well as Assemble. I much preferred Loki as a villain, as he was full of character and he did have some depth to his interactions with his half-brother and his master. Ultron's motivation was more morally grey, but he had so little background. It didn't help that he sounded like Red from The Black List. Not just because it was the same actor: the dialogue was similar in style too. It made him just as pantomime as Loki.
There was a lot of good stuff in the film, but too much action for me. The character moments were there but almost drowned out.
Joss has said:
You wouldn't even know she was pregnant at the time of shooting this film with some of the action scenes she did
Back to the film, have to say I loved it and just as good as the first
All in all the Marvel Universe is in pretty good shape going forward
Ant-Man, you're up next in July, don't let the team down
Has there any casting spoilers like if Robert D J or Samuel LJ filmed anything for it ? Or will it be a standalone movie but we might see his addition to the team in Civil War or anything ? Or maybe we'll just get an end credits scene explaining it ?
From Wiki
Whedon can believe what he wants, but Agents of SHIELD and the other TV shows are a full part of the MCU, same as the films.
I guess I can see why he didn't do it though - Coulson's death was what pushed the Avengers over the edge in the first film, so if they found out he was alive it could cheapen that.
Still should've been some acknowledgement of SHIELD itself being back, though, even if Coulson wasn't mentioned.
As for your opposite problem:
Yup, that's an issue too. Although I think it's the fault of Age of Ultron, given that it's that that has suddenly said "Hey, guys - the Avengers have all re-formed off-camera at some point after Winter Soldier, and have been busy taking out Hydra bases and hunting for Loki's Sceptre. And now let's jump straight to the action..."
The TV series did partially address it this week in the US with season 2 episode 19, "The Dirty Half Dozen":
(Agents of SHIELD spoiler)
Dr List escaped, but Coulson found out the location of Strucker and the Sceptre, which he then provided via videocall to Maria Hill, saying something like "Time to send in the Avengers".
Well, Amazon.co.uk sent out another email on Wednesday...
The special effects are amazing as you might imagine. As a visual spectacular it doesn't disappoint. Neither do those poignant moments in the lives of the characters we need if we're to engage with them. But the problem I have is, there was no time set aside for reflection. To process events and incorporate them into what was happening.
Ultron himself was poorly conceived. His characterization left a lot to be desired.
Overall this is a good film that had all the ingredients to be great. But somehow failed to achieve it.
“Time and Soul are the two that are not accounted for,” he tells CraveOnline.
Thus confirms the Aether as the Reality Stone.
Any guesses where they'll show?
I'm sticking with my guess from the previous page - Captain Marvel & Dr Strange. My basis for that is that we've already seen infinity stones in Capt, Thor and GotG so I'm guessing they'll use the two remaining stones in the new characters films to try and tie them into the big picture. Just guessing tho.
Spoiler re the Infinity Gauntlet going forward:
Makes things a bit more interesting as it gives plenty more scope for speculation.
Thanos is the big bad for Infinity War. Captain Marvel fits in between Part 1 and Part 2 of the Infinity War films, so if another gemstone is to appear in her film, then Thanos wont be coming to Earth with a fully working gauntlet, which makes his arrival (somewhat) sudden.
It still makes sense (to me) that he'll come to Earth to collect the remaining stones; we know Vision has one already, and if the last two show up with Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel, then Thanos has three of the six stones he needs right here on Earth. He's then just got to get to that one on Nova Prime (should be a walk in the park) and then (re)locate those other two; one on Asgard, the other with the Collector (I think?)
Is it not possible that we were just viewing one of them via a Mirror?
The only other films they could turn up in is Thor 3 and GotG2. I have a very vague memory of Gunn saying that a stone would not be in GotG2, but I'll have to looking for a source on this (I'll report back). As for Thor Ragnarok ...... Ragnarok could refer to a villains name or the literal meaning of "the end of all things". I don't know if I see a stone there. I'm instantly discounting Spiderman and Civil War. Of course maybe a stone will turn up in Infinity War Part 1.
Lol, camera trickery.
Thanos comes to Earth, collects the stones on Earth (after having first gone through Asgard). Thor returns to Earth to explain the seriousness of the situation, and offers the Avengers chance of Vengeance against Thanos by traveling with him to Xandar?
Who says the Avengers need to be Avenging Earth, on Earth? ;-)
From what little I've managed to piece together, it's actually the end of Asgard, and something to do with a Fire Demon called Surtur. I couldn't tell you anymore than that as I don't know anymore. It's possible one of the stones (soul stone?) could turn up in Thor 3, though I'm more inclined to believe they'll appear in Guardians 2 and Doctor Strange.
Well yeah, cause it makes more sense (to me) than having two Gauntlets.
I'm leaning towards Doctor Strange and Guardians for the remaining stones too
And I think think two gauntlets makes perfect sense. You'd look pretty stoopid with just one glove on ....