Splatter: on FILM

Joss Whedon throws a great party. Getting the gang back together for the ultimate battle against A.I. proves a Hulk-sized task. Each hero a strong-willed leader, the team struggles to mesh, especially when a new entity gets into their heads.

Keith Simanton of IMDb insightfully called “#AgeOfUltron=Whedon’s Empire Strikes Back.” on twitter. The Avengers indeed strike back at the Hydra bases only to find a set of formidable unfriendlies (twins) waiting to bruise them from the inside. Make them doubt each other and their own gifts, and the team will implode. As the tension builds, it pulses toward civil war.

Ultron awakens, evolves, becomes, multiplies. James Spader’s voice inflections give the machine terrifying strength, a sadistic quality. His Pinocchio song echoes eerily throughout.How will the team put out a veritably invincible enemy? Force with force, obviously. In order to win, they must humble themselves. It’s a battle of wits and pedagogy. Each walks in with different stories and belief systems in the Marvel universe. The lore includes God-figures. Biblical allusions prevail even within the darkness. And somehow humor provides balance.

Ultron mimics Stark, swift to the punchline. Machine and man, the age-old battle, climaxes with the marriage of genius and wifi. This second film doesn’t feel like a second. It races and fights for the attention of a first film, ever adding to the groundwork already laid but with funnier lines, faster action, and a solid adventure. It’s a party you won’t want to miss.