Disney was kind enough to send the two-disc Collector’s Edition, which includes a Blu-ray 3D. The movie was captured digitally, but except for a few shots with mild video streaking, it has a convincingly filmic look. The 2.4:1 image displays a surprising amount of diffusion, which is not a problem per se, but it does not always yield visual “wow.” Various textures are finely rendered, and the comic-book colors are pleasingly bright, while other distinct palettes conjure specific moods, such as the warmth of a rural homestead at dusk. Writer/director Joss Whedon is known for colorful characters that interact well, and while he might have stumbled on that front, with Age of Ultron he has at least proven beyond any doubt that he also excels at complex, large-scale cinematic action. Earth’s mightiest heroes reassemble to pursue Ultron, but their efforts are hindered by a foe with mind-control powers (again? really?) and, frankly, a fair amount of whining in the ranks about leaving Avenging behind for good. Seemingly endless and utterly pointless “folly of man” debates ensue-Stark has already released the evil genie named Ultron from the bottle-giving this new techno-villain the chance it needs to run rampant. When a vital artifact from The Avengers is finally retrieved, billionaire genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) uses it to create his greatest weapon yet: artificial intelligence that can ultimately protect the entire planet. Throw in too many characters and some extraneous subplots, and the result is a sequel more exhausting than entertaining. Age of Ultron is of course the follow-up to 2012’s The Avengers, but along the way, there were four other Marvel Universe movies that apparently need to be acknowledged here, coupled with the laborious task of tying in TV series and setting up movies yet to come.
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