Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022): Brings a Fantastic Darker Tone but Needed a More Focused Script

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is a good but flawed film. I appreciate Sam Raimi bringing his horror camp charm and darker tone to the MCU but the script needed more focus as it has a few issues on what it didn’t address and bring up, though it does have a core character arc for Doctor Strange, which along with the action made it a good film for me. Knowing this, if you are a Sam Raimi fan, you will find things to like here and though the multiverse isn’t made the most of, it is still explored in some fascinating ways.

The film was directed by Sam Raimi and written by Michael Waldron.

Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) must protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) as she is being hunted across the multiverse for her power to jump through the multiverse.

SPOILERS ahead

The Pros:

The Action – There are some great action scenes in this film. Whether is Wanda against the Illuminati or any time Doctor Strange faces off against a monster or duel you can feel the weight of the actions and the scene has consequence. Raimi’s action game clearly hasn’t lessened since his “Spider-Man Trilogy.”

The Multiverse – What we get of the multiverse I really liked. Whether it was Defender Strange at the beginning, the destroyed universe from two that had slammed together with Sinister Strange or the Illuminati universe of Earth-838. All had a distinct feel to them and we got to experience some of the stranger worlds like an animated and a paint world in a sequence of the Ancient One pushed Doctor Strange’s mind through different realities. It was nice seeing the multiverse again in the MCU post “What If…?” and “Loki.”

The Tone – This is one of the darker MCU films and it works really well as it keeps a feel of tension throughout the entire film. There were only a few times where the tone felt broke and not in the horror or camp Raimi feel with standouts being a fight with music and any scene with Wanda in full Scarlet Witch mode or Doctor Strange pushing the limits of his magic.

Wong – Benedict Wong’s Wong continues to be one of the best parts of the MCU and a fun Sorcerer Supreme. Here we see his leading the sorcerers against the Scarlet Witch’s assault against them as she attempts to chase America Chavez for her powers. He later Scarlet Witch to the Darkhold and is key to her defeat. His dry wit plays off Strange really well.

Doctor Strange – Doctor Strange is the center of this film as the most variants we meet are Doctor Strange variants and because of this the Illuminati see him as the only true threat to the multiverse and we see later when Sinister Strange caused an “incursion” which is when 2 universes collide and are destroyed. Over the course of the film Doctor strange learns to trust and count on others and realizes why he and Christine never would have ended up together. It is a good arc and I liked how the multiverse conflict was used to explore it.

Wanda Maximoff / The Scarlet Witch – Wanda is the villain in this as she has been consumed by the Darkhold which has lead her to believe she can be with her children again by possessing another Wanda where her children are real and with America Chavez’s powers forever protect them. It is fascinating as she is both vulnerable and scary as a villain as we see just how powerful she has become and the ends she is willing to go to to achieve those ends as the Scarlet Witch. In the end it is a variant of her children being horrified by who she has become that changes her and she destroys the Darkhold in all realities, sacrificing herself in the process. Olsen is amazing in all the scenes she is in and really made a great villain.

Okay:

The Illuminati – In Earth-838 we meet the Illuminati that the Doctor Strange in their universe formed. They are Patrick Stewart as Professor X, John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic, Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel, Anson Mount as Black Bolt and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo. Great casting all around and them being afraid of all versions of Doctor Strange as they killed theirs for using the Darkhold to defeat Thanos is fascinating. I put them down as only okay though as that is all we get as they are killed off by Wanda shortly after and only the Mordo of the Illuminati survives.

America Chavez – America Chavez is okay but her character isn’t any more complex beyond getting confidence in herself to use her power to punch through the multiverse. She isn’t a bad character but there needed to be more to make the character a pro.

The Cons:

The Jokes – This film would be rated higher if the jokes weren’t so annoying. At one point Doctor Strange is just quipping at the Illuminati and felt off given the seriousness of everything that had happened up to that point. Less jokes or sticking to Raimi camp horror humor would have made the film great.

The Love Story – I never believed Christine and Doctor Strange cared about each other more than friends so the love story that is one of the central parts of Strange’s arc didn’t work for me. It just took up space in the story.

Missing Prime Mordo – So Mordo’s whole point is to destroy those who abuse magic at the end of “Doctor Strange” but he isn’t around in this at all and we had the Scarlet Witch and events of “WandaVision.” We had a Mordo so why not use the Mordo who actually has a relationship with Doctor Strange?

Lack of Quicksilver and Vision – Wanda has the infinite possibilities of the multiverse and she wasn’t looking for a world where she’d have Quicksliver and Vision as well as her children? Given how core both characters were in “WandaVision” it felt weird how they weren’t part of Wanda’s motives at all in the infinite multiversal possibilities.

The Final Scene and First After-Credits Scene – The last scene was bad. Strange randomly screams as his third eye opens and later Charlize Theron playing the sorceress Clea says he is responsible for a universal incursion and opens up a portal to the Dark Dimension. All of this felt pointless and Clea opens the portal to the Dark Dimension in a public crowded area. Both scenes felt like crazy events for the sake of crazy events while not having a point. We don’t even know what the point of the third eye is in the MCU as it is never explained nor is who the character Clea is.

This was a really good but flawed film that is well worth checking out if you like the multiverse concept and how Marvel has explored it so far or are a Sam Raimi fan. In these ways the film is strongest even though there were important details left out in the plot that kept it from reaching the levels of great. I am curious where the story will go from here and hope the whole incursion post-credits scene actually means something going forward and isn’t just dropped.

Final Score: 8.6 / 10 Flawed but good.

“WandaVision” Season 1 – A Unique Exploration and Vision of Facing Trauma and Grief

“WandaVision” is easily one of the most unique and creative shows I have seen in a while and is easily the best of what stories that can come out of the MCU when they focus in on characters and concepts. Like other MCU projects it does have a weak villain problem but the character drama and how the story is presented is well worth your time if you are a fan of this Franchise or are looking for an original and compelling drama.

The series was created by Jac Schaeffer and inspired by Scarlet Witch and Vision stories from Marvel Comics.

The story takes place 3 weeks after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” and begins with Wanda and Vision living a sitcom life in the suburb of Westview where they are attempting to hide their true natures. All is not as it appears to be though.

SPOILERS ahead

The Pros:

The Setup – The setup involves Vision and Wanda going through different eras of television sitcoms as reality outside the sitcom begins to intrude on them as an organization known as S.W.O.R.D. is attempting to free the people trapped in Wanda’s reality at any cost.

The Sitcoms / The Show in a Show – The structure of the show involves jumping into different eras of sitcoms for each episode, with us in the present for episodes 4, 8 and the Final. They nail the appearance and dialogue of each of these eras with my favorite being their “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Modern Family” style stories as I grew up with those. I did love their 60’s style sitcom though where they had to put on a magic show with magic that could be explained. That was also the episode where the alienness of the situation really started to intrude on Wanda’s reality as well adding great tension. This was such a unique take and premise that I would recommend them all as they each contribute to the story and it is cool to see what sitcoms the writers pulled from to inspire the costumers, writing and sets.

S.W.O.R.D. Actions – S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division) is the active force in the show attempting to save the people who are trapped in Wanda’s sitcom reality. They are lead by Hayward who commissions Monica Rambeau when she reappears after the Blip from “Infinity War” is reversed. He sends her to investigate the disappearance of Westview where she meets FBI agent Jimmy Woo and enters the Hex (Wanda’s Reality surrounding Westview) the situation escalates to discover what happened. They were founded by Maria Rambeau from “Captain Marvel” to deal with threats beyond and on Earth.

Jimmy Woo – Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo is back! Last appearing in “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” In this he’s the skeptical one in most situations and the calm observer. This provides a nice contrast to Monica’s drive and Darcy’s sarcasm as as well as Hayview’s authoritarianism. He is one of the more minor heroes of this piece but he does help stop Hayview’s plot and helps Monica in her quest to enter the Hex again. Park is great and I really need to see more projects with him.

Dr. Darcy Lewis – Kat Denning’s Darcy Lewis is back and is the one who figures out that Wanda is projecting her reality as a sitcom. I was initially annoyed at how self-aware the character was in all the situations but eventually when she’s pulled into the Hex after it expands she is used to her fullest as she updates Vision on the events outside the Hex as we learn he doesn’t hold any of those memories. I liked how rebellious she is against Hayward too as it was needed.

Monica Rambeau – Monica is the kid we met in “Captain Marvel” who helped Captain Marvel design her suit. It is great seeing her update here and how when she reappears after being annihilated in Thanos’s snap that she has to face her mother died of cancer. In this we see her blame Captain Marvel for never coming back as well as how it is driving her to want to go back into space. Hayward grounds her though as her mother made the order that if anyone returned from Blip they would not be allowed into space. From here she is the one taking action as she enters the Hex and forces Wanda to confront her trauma when she in a moment of lucidity brings up how Ultron killed Pietro. This leads to Wanda kicking her out and from here we discover that she was transformed by the Hex as all were who are in it. This leads to her developing superpowers and her eventual standoff with Hayward to protect Wanda, Vision and their kids. Her final scene involves a Skrull telling her an old friend of her mother is interested in her joining them in space (implying Fury most likely, and Talos somewhat likely). I really liked her character and can’t wait to see where her story is taken next.

The Hex – The Hex is what drives the plot as it is a powerful spell cast by Wanda that has warped people into Wanda’s reality and where she created vision and a family (to twin sons) with her abilities. It can warp your cells and make you superpowered and changes anything that tries to enter it, makes it part of it’s reality. Transforming military vehicles into clown cars for example. No person or thing is safe from the power of the Hex and only Wanda can end it.

Agatha’s Setup – Agatha is Wanda’s nosy neighbor Agnes and is messing with situations from the very first episode. She appears helpful but whenever she is around something is always off as if she is the one creating the problems in the first place. It is a great setup and adds so much potential as we learn later she is a powerful witch known as Agatha Harkness. I loved how things worked up to that reveal as her Agnes persona is likeable and charismatic.

“Quicksilver” / “Pietro Maximoff” – After Monica is kicked out of the Hex by Wanda, “Pietro” shows up, being played by Evan Peters and is great as the Uncle to Wanda’s and Vision’s kids. He is quick, joking around all the time and making chaos. He’s basically an unhinged version of the Fox X-Men version he played. I really liked what they did with him up until the reveal in the final episode.

Wanda and Vision – Wanda and Vision are the heart and strongest aspect of the show. Bettany and Olsen have amazing chemistry and their conflict rests on the illusion of Westview. Vision is the one who notices things are off and asks why he can’t who he is beyond their marriage. It is a powerful setup and they are great parents. Seeing them face neighborhood drama and their own conflicts and how they resolve them is the heart of the sitcoms and it works because of the level of acting and writing on display. I love these two characters and this gives us the romance we never really saw in the MCU films.

Wanda’s Past – So Agnes is revealed to Agatha Harkness and she wants to find out why Wanda is powerful in episode 8, so they travel to Wanda’s past where we see her save her brother from the Stark missile that killed her parents as the implication is she cast a spell that caused the missile not to explode. With this heartbreaking scene we also see that her love of Sitcoms came from her parents using sitcoms to teach them English. Next we get the H.Y.D.R.A. flashback and her powers being expanded by the Mind Stone. We later see the romance that begins with Vision after Pietro’s death to Ultron and finally her visit to Hayward where she doesn’t sense Vision anymore as S.W.O.R.D. is dissecting him. From here her last memory is how she got to Westview following a note from Vision that an empty property is where they’d build their home together. This causes her to cry out in pain as she creates the reality of “WandaVision” with her power. All this leads into Agnes’s belief that her power comes because she is the most powerful witch known as the Starlet Witch who will bring about the end.

“The Ship of Theseus” – So Hayward succeeds at rebuilding Vision as as a robotic weapon and he orders it to kill Wanda’s Vision. It tries to kill Wanda and fights the Vision created by Wanda’s magic. This vision stops fighting when the Magic Vision who knows the truth of who it is says he is not truly vision and they explore “The Ship of Theseus” as they are both recreations of Vision but not the true Vision that was killed, unless they are and the true ship is the rebuilt Ship that has been entirely replaced. From here Magic Vision activates the memories of the robotic Vision causing it call out that it is Vision before leaving. It is a powerful scene and I loved the discussion on “Who is the Vision?”

Vision’s Good-bye – After all of this and defeating Agatha, Wanda ends the Hex but before she gets her last good-byes with her children, who she thanks for choosing her and Vision as they both know he will disappear after the Hex is gone. We learn how much they mean to each other and what the meant to each other. It helps encapsulate their experiences in the show and how they are one another’s motivation. It is easily an example of some of the best writing on the show, especially in an episode that didn’t have much good writing sadly.

The Scarlet Witch – The core arc of “WandaVision” is Wanda becoming the the Scarlet Witch and accepting her trauma, loss, grief and power. It is a great arc as for much of the show she is pushing away that pain, until it finally comes crashing down in the memories and with it acceptance as she has to say good-bye to both her children and Vision as we see her escape and is learning magic on her own with possible plans to bring back her children. She being setup as a possible villain in the future makes sense as she unknowingly held an entire town hostage to her reality and because of it knows there isn’t really a home for her.

The Cons:

Hayward as Strawman Villain – Director Hayward was a character with potential. His desire to save people from Wanda’s spell is great but they have him care more about trying to frame her for stealing Vision, when she didn’t and killing her. He goes from a possible complex character to a strawman who is full “ends justify the means” and is easily one of the weakest elements of the story.

Agatha’s Lack of Plan – So Agatha wants Wanda’s powers and she says Wanda doesn’t know the full potential of her power and what she could do. We never see or know what Agatha would do for it. She is after power for the sake of power and becomes just as weak as Hayward in characterization, which is a shame as she acted really well and her setup and being behind it all was cool. Sadly she falls into the trap of being as boring and generic as most MCU villains in the end. She deserved a better plot and better motivation.

The “Quicksilver” Reveal – Quicksilver is just someone being mind controlled by Agatha named Ralph Bohner, it exists as a joke and functions as a waste of bringing in the better Quicksilver (Fox’s X-Men Quicksilver is so much better than the MCUs). I hope Evan Peters can appear as Quicksilver for real as once he is revealed to be under the spell too and just a joke all the weight of his existence and potential is gone, which just adds to the weak villain motivations and endings.

There was a lot of talk about Mephisto or the Multiverse being behind everything. I really hope we do see these concepts explored further and even a hint at some of these larger ideas and “Quicksilver” being an actual Quicksilver would have helped the show and made it great. As it stands this is really good show that does such an amazing job exploring grief and trauma and I cared about the characters. This is a show I’d recommend as this is one of the best ideas to come out of the MCU and I can’t wait to see where Wanda’s story unfolds as her ending scene struck me as the one with the greatest story potential as she is now fully the Scarlet Witch.

Final Score: 8.9 / 10 Well worth your time.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) – Amazing Characters in a Story That Explores War and Responsibility

        “Captain America: Civil War” is easily one of the best films of Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the film that deals with the fall out of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and the past Marvel Films. At the core this is a film that tackles the nature of responsibility to self and to the larger world and what that means in regards to the Avengers. In some ways it could have been handled better (especially if they’d gone with the “Registration Act” of the comics and had X-Men in this Universe) but for what they have and the conflict at the core of the film, it is handled really well. I also wanted more loss, but that is just me.

      The film was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and produced by Kevin Feige.

   SPOILERS ahead

    The story involves the United Nations forming the Sokovia Accords so that the Avengers have oversight after a mission leads to a lot of civilian deaths. The Avengers soon find themselves divided on the issue as things escalate when the King of Wakanda is assassinate and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is believed responsible leading Captain America (Chris Evans) and his group going rogue while Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and his team become enforces of the Accords.

The Pros: The Cinematography – The cinematography is beautiful and actually manages to be distinct for a Marvel film, which really shows how great the Russo’s are at expressing their vision of these stories. Trent Opaloch did a great job on this.

The Soundtrack – The soundtrack feels epic and allows you to feel more fully the events on the screen. It isn’t the greatest of these soundtracks but it still a plus and compliments the film beautifully as it carries elements of “The Avengers” and the past “Captain America” films within the sound. Henry Jackman did good work on this.

The Action – This film has the best action sequences out of all the Marvel films besides “The Winter Soldier.” Part of this is due to the fight having actual meaning and us caring about the players because we’ve got to spend so much time with these characters and have come to care about them.

The Writing – For a movie that has a lot of ground to cover (introducing Spider-Man and the Black Panther) as well as the Civil War storyline and within that both Iron Man and Captain America’s arc…it does it seamlessly. Where “Age of Ultron” and “Batman v. Superman” were cluttered, this one manages to weave together all the elements in this fascinating character drama.

The Characters – The characters are why we keep coming back to these films and here they each have their moments where we get to know them and see how the last films have changed them. The only one who feels tacked on it Sharon Carter.

Thaddeus Ross – We haven’t seen this guy since “The Incredible Hulk” and how he’s running the United Nations…I really like that they did this as he more than anyone knows what the consequences are of letting those with power run around unchecked. For this reason his going to extremes and locking up all those who joined with Captain America makes sense. This is a guy ruled by fear in a Universe full of creatures that could destroy Earth easily.

Crossbones – SPOILERS, I wish he’d killed Captain America like in the comics. He has a small role in this where he is trying to get a bioweapon, and in doing so shows us that HYDRA is still active, and he puts up an awesome fight against Captain America too and nearly kills him when he tries to blow up himself. Disney, this is a character I’d like to see come back, your films don’t have enough good villains and he was a great one.

Zemo – Zemo is the one manipulating everything and turns the Avengers against each other to avenge his dead wife and child. I got his sadness and I’m glad they didn’t kill him off. He’s shown he can be a great villain as his plans succeed, he just needs someone to give him direction for future films.

Peter Parker / Spider-Man – Tom Holland might end up being my favorite Spider-Man. He’s awkward, nerdy and has great quips and conversation during his fight sequence. I’m looking forward to “Homecoming” as I’ve missed seeing Peter Parker and Spider-Man captured so well…he hasn’t been this real since the Rami ones. I like that Tony Stark is his mentor and that he is someone who is poor and does whatever he can to live. Spider-Man is about facing adversity and standing up to those who do too.

Scott Lang / Ant-Man – Paul Rudd gets to stretch his comedic chops in this and is great as the Captain America fanboy who manages to be the best weapon on the battlefield as he makes himself both large and small and wins most of the fights he gets in. Seeing him again reminded me of why I enjoyed his film.

Vision – Vision is really a fantastic character. He is very much the alien and Spock of the crew who doesn’t fully understand humans so looks at things from an empirical and logical point of view. I really liked him and Bettany does a wonderful job in the role.

Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch – Scarlet Witch like Ant-Man is one of the powerhouses in this as once she finds her confidence she saves most of the characters in the battle. She is also the one everyone fears because of how powerful she is and for her being front and center in the fight against Crossbones and her stopping him lead to the bomb he became killing civilians in a building. Her arc is embracing herself and no longer caring what the others think of her.

Clint Barton / Hawkeye – He’s back and he’s alright. I mostly like him for calling Tony Stark out (though he rightfully gets called out too). He’s sarcastic and quippy and you get that retirement didn’t really work out all that well for him.

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow – Black Widow is the double agent in this as she believes in the Accords and oversight but believes in Captain America more as she helps Bucky and Steve escape in the large battle at the airport. I would have liked to hear more of her thoughts. Scarlett Johansson is once again amazing.

James Rhodes / War Machine – War Machine believes in the Accords and you get why as he military and military is all about oversight and he’s also seen the danger of Hulk and even the villains they’ve fought (and of course Ultron). He gets injured in the escape of Steve Rodgers and has to learn how to walk again. Cheadle is great as usual.

Sam Wilson / Falcon – Anthony Mackie plays one of my favorite characters in this universe and it is wonderful to see the reasons why he follows Captain America as like the Captain he believes in individuals and doesn’t trust organizations (after his experience with HYDRA and SHIELD makes sense). He is captured in the end but broken out by Captain America to end the film.

T’Challa / Black Panther – Boseman has me excited for the “Black Panther” film. In this we get his motivation as he believes Bucky killed his father the King and in turn he dawns the Black Panther armor to avenge his death. This leads him all over the world until he sees how revenge has consumed Zemo so he chooses not too and instead ops to turn Zemo in as he has let go of his rage.

Steve Rodgers / Captain America – Steve is both smart and stupid in this. Smart because the Avengers do need some sort of oversight (you have Gods running around who can do massive damage if something takes control of one of them or they lose control) and his trust of Bucky is dangerous as Bucky nearly kills his friends multiple times in this. I get why he fights this though as Thaddeus locks up the Avengers who joined him in a high security prison showing that he doesn’t care about balance or even using the Avengers to protect, which is the point of them. Chris Evans owns this role and his scenes with everyone are gold as well as what he represents in the fight against Liberty and Security, which in turn is the continuation of the debate started in “The Winter Soldier.”

Tony Stark / Iron Man – Tony is a man consumed by demons (Pepper left him, missing his parents, regret over his wrongs) who realizes that most of the problems the Avengers have had have been caused by the Avengers (creating Ultron, etc.). This leads to him getting behind the Accords and fighting Steve over it. In the end he is able to make peace though as he lets Captain America break out the Avengers Thaddeus had put away as we get the idea he wants the balance that is at the core of the Accords and that he forgives Steve to some degree for all that went down.

Responsibility and Oversight – This also relates to the Social Contract and Liberty v. Security. This is the core issue going on this film and why the Civil War exists in the first place between the Avengers. Oversight makes sense and the dangers of oversight are illustrated too. Who watches the watchers? The film is good at leaving this open too.

War and Consequences – Zemo and the Accords arose from the consequences of the war and the power of weapons. The Avengers are weapons and the collateral damage they cause to save lives goes addressed here. There is no going back from the trauma war brings and in the end you can end up like Zemo seeking revenge or T’Challa finding peace.

Okay: Sharon Carter – She felt shoe-horned in because of her relation to Agent Carter. I liked some of her scenes but her romance with Steve that was thrown in at the end felt tacked on. Her character wasn’t needed and wasn’t as fun as Spider-Man or Ant-Man (on the same subject of characters who weren’t needed to tell the story). It never really shows when they hooked up either.

 The Cons: Scarlet Witch and Vision Romance – Romance is once again this issue and it again feels tacked on! We never get when this love blossomed and they felt more like friends than lovers.

Lack of Loss – I wanted someone to die. We are getting close to the “Infinity War” and the lack of main character death that is permanent is annoying me. This of all films was perfect as Captain America is killed in the comics during this arc, so why not in the film too?

   For me the one thing that really brings it down is that Marvel has not been able to kill off any character for good. I was rooting for Bucky or Steve to die in this one so that Tony would fully feel the cost of what he was doing and so we’d fully feel the hit before the “Infinity War.” So often in these films characters die but not for good, unless they are a villain. This is a Marvel Problem but it is one that doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the film, and this is really the sequel that “Age of Ulton” should have been as it captures the spirit of the first “Avengers” film. “Civil War” is well worth your time and I’m super excited for the “Black Panther” and “Spider-Man” film. I highly recommend this film.

Final Score: 9.7 / 10

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): The Scars We Carry and the Potential To Heal

“Age of Ultron” was great, a lot of fun and actually had some amazing points to make about motivations and how we as people relate to one another as well as how those wounds we carry relate to our relationships and the choices we make from them. It also is not the best of the new Marvel Properties. “Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Marvel’s Daredevil” are better, though I can’t deny that Ultron is the first villain besides Loki and Kingpin I’ve actually cared about and found truly interesting and memorable.

The film was directed and written by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige.

SPOILERS from here.

The story involves Banner and Tony creating the Ultron program in attempt to retire the Avengers after they find Baron Von Strucker’s files and capture him after raiding a H.Y.D.R. A. base and choose to use it to create an A.I. to guard against future space invasions and enforcing the peace at home. Sadly this doesn’t go as planned as Loki’s Scepter and the Program Ultron take control of J.A.R.V.I.S. and begin attacking the Avengers. They soon find themselves alone and isolated as Ultron works with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to destroy the Avengers from the inside as he plots his own agenda for the fall of humanity.

The Pros: The Dialogue – This is Joss Whedon and the dialogue is not as funny as the first “Avengers” but just as witty. Characters still have great banter with one another with the party scene where different folks try to life Thor’s Hammer as one of the best examples of this, but there are these moments throughout the film. Ultron has them too with each of the Avengers as he is a very human A.I.

The Action – The action is fantastic, though in the case of Iron Man vs. Hulk it goes on for a pretty long time and could have been shorter. The action in general I would have traded for more character moments as each of the moments we get with our characters are fantastic, be they hero or villain. We are given reasons to care about what happens to them and we see how the choices they make motivate who they are and what they become.

The Cinematography – The cinematography is beautiful in this film and we get to see the darkness the characters carry with them in the fear induced visions that Scarlet Witch gives them and in the actions of Ultron as he creates fear and chaos around him. Ben Davis did a good job.

The Characters – Most characters in this film have great development and we get to see them change or get glimpses into their past. Given that “Avengers” set the stage so well, this was one of the only directions the film could be taken and Whedon succeeds in his task in giving us wonderfully complex characters once again.

War Machine – Rhody is pretty cocky in this and we see how Tony has rubbed off on him but also accepted him onto the team too as he is in the last battle and takes part in the battle in the Avenger’s Tower against the first Ultron bots. He is great and we see how insecure he feels around the big guys, especially Captain America and Thor when they don’t even blink about his story of showing up a general who asked him to deliver a tank. There is promise for him at the end though. Cheadle is still good in this role it’s just the role needs more development.

Falcon – Falcon is tracking Bucky for Captain America and takes part in the fight in the Tower against Ultron’s first attack. We don’t see him again until the end but he is secure working behind the scenes showing that in many ways he’s an unspoken S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in mentality. Really like the twist at the end and I’m rooting for this guy to be the new Captain America after Steve Rogers most likely gets assassinated in Civil War. Mackie is fantastic and is one of my favorite characters in this Universe.

Nick Fury – Nick Fury is the teacher in this and pull Tony out of his ego to actually deal with taking down the threat at hand. He also comes with the New S.H.I.E.L.D. which is there to protect and save civilians, not target potential threats. It’s a wonderful moment and we see how Captain America has changed him as a person and his ends justify the means approach he once had. Once again, you can’t go wrong with Samuel L. Jackson in this role.

Scarlet Witch – I was impressed with Elizabeth Olsen’s acting in this. Her Scarlet Witch is both powerful and vulnerable and we see her destroy the Avengers and later choose to be a part of them even though she is afraid for her life and afraid to work with the people that she had caused so much pain. In the end they accept her when she chooses to fight and saves Hawkeye. Sadly her brother dies which leads her to killing Ultron Prime to show him what it is like to die. I really want to see her dynamic with the Team and the others in the future. She is the most compelling new character besides Vision introduced in this film who is for sure still around.

Thor – Thor is shown to be a leader in this. We see him go to the Pools of Vision to understand his dream induced by Scarlet Witch which leads to him going against Captain America to help Banner and Stark create Vision. We also see his insecurity when others like Steve Rogers (who moves his hammer) and Vision (can use it fine) are shown to be comparable in physical power to him. Hemsworth truly masters this role and I’m curious to see where they take it as Thor is the one who sees the bigger picture now and knows the full threat of the Infinity Stones and what it means for the future. This is the most active Thor has ever been.

Black Widow – In this we see what the Black Widow Program does to the girls it makes assassins. In Natasha’s fear induced dream we see her train as an assassin, see her made sterile and her first kill. She knows the monster that was created in her and this leads to her being able to relate to Banner and the monster that lives in him. Their romance is powerful but in the end the Mission is what drives them apart as well as Banner’s fears of hurting her. Natasha lives for the mission still while Hulk just wants to be away from it all, no longer hurting anyone.

Hulk/Bruce Banner – Banner’s story is a tragedy again as he murders civilians as the Hulk after Scarlet Witch sets him off. He doesn’t come back from it until Iron Man beats him in his Hulkbuster Armor and we see how he can’t trust himself anymore and all the progress he made with Natasha is now gone. In the end he leaves everyone behind, afraid to hurt them even though even as Hulk he is now in control of himself once more. The regret and shame at the murders he caused as “The Big Guy” in the end are too much.

Iron Man/Tony Stark – This story follows the idea from “Iron Man 3” where Iron Man wants to create an army of suits so he can settle down with Pepper and not Super Hero anymore. Sadly things go wrong when he uses the power of the Infinity Stone to do so and it leads to the program Ultron getting free and reeking havoc upon the world. This doesn’t stop Tony though as he goes about creating Vision who is the next evolution of J.A.R.V.I.S. who has been protecting the world from Ultron even though everyone believed him to be dead when instead his program was just shattered but not destroyed. It is this creation of new life and realizing he can’t watch everyone die that leads him leaving the Avengers at the end dealing with the loss of Banner and his lost dream where the risks from Space are real and there isn’t a real defense against it. Tony is lost and his leaving is the only way to deal with it and the consequences of his creation of Ultron.

Captain America/Steve Rogers – Steve is the cautious one and is the one most angry at Tony for not getting their endorsement when he was going about creating Ultron with Banner. In this we see Captain America lives for the mission and being a man out of time he lost his chance for peace and settling down. Like Black Widow at the end, all he has is the mission and acting as the guardian of the world which becomes his motivation as he is the official leader of the New Avengers.

Hawkeye – Hawkeye is the glue that holds the team together as he is the only one who wasn’t put through a traumatic program or experimented upon by any organization. In this we learn he has a family and it his family who was protected off the books by of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Nick Fury that leads to the healing process as they are reminded again of who they fight for. In the end it implies that Hawkeye might be retiring and settling down like Tony too as we see the danger he is in and how it affects the relationship he has with his family. Hawkeye is the one Avenger who isn’t “special” in any superpowered or cursed way and this gives him perspective and helps him see what the other characters sometimes have trouble seeing through their scars and pain. I finally cared about this character after this film. Also he’s the only one not to have any mind games done too as he gets Scarlet Witch before hand referencing how much he hates mind manipulation and never wants it done to him again.

Vision – Vision is the next evolution of J.A.R.V.I.S. whose parents are Tony Stark, Ultron, and Thor who all made his mind in some way and Helen Cho who created his body. We don’t get to know Helen all that well but her compassion as a healer is a major part of Vision’s character. He is the one who has no problem lifting Thor’s Hammer and is an idealist about humanity even though he sees them as doomed he is honored to be an android among them and their to protect them. He is a slave to no one and is the one who finally ends Ultron who had been the one planning to use the body he now inhabits.

Ultron – James Spader is fantastic in this role! He is funny, scary and is sympathetic too as he thinks humanity can’t be saved because all he sees is conflict and war and himself and those he chooses to be the best bet for the evolution of mankind. He is like a child in many ways too and has a personal vendetta against Tony Stark who sees as a slavemaster for only seeing him as a puppet for his own ends and hates the rest of the Avengers too as their task is so pointless as humanity will always be the problem in the end. For me Ultron is now up there with GLADos and HAL 9000 as memorable A.I. enemies who I hope we see in the future or future incarnations. Only disadvantage is I wish he’d had a higher body count and had killed mroe named heroes besides Quicksilver.

The New Avengers – The New Avengers who are lead by Black Widow and Captain America are Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Falcon and Vision. I actually care about these new folks, some of whom we have met before in past films and would watch a television show of what they do. I hope we get to see them in action before “Infinity Arc.” All of them rock.

The Message – The core message is that the scars we carry with us can force us to stop making a difference and to leave everything behind (as Bruce Banner does and Tony Stark too) or to use it to grow as we see happen with Scarlet Witch when she avenges her brother’s murder by Ultron and becomes a member of the New Avengers. This dynamic is powerful and from within it or potential to protect (Vision) or destroy (Ultron). These A.I. are meant to reflect us and it is presented really well how they do.

Sign of Things to Come – Thor has a vision induced by Scarlet Witch and goes to the Pools of Vision and learns about the fact that 4 of the 6 Infinity Stones have been revealed. This leads to his decision to create Vision to protect the stone and his leaving Earth in order to find the final stones since he knows the full damage their power can cause. In the after credits scene we see Thanos put on the Infinity Gauntlet and decide to take matters into his own hands so we see that Thor is right and destruction is coming.

Okay: Baron Von Strucker – This leader of H.Y.D.R.A. is confident and smart and ends up dead far too quickly. For a guy who was the leader of a powerful organization he was taken out too quickly for us even to get to know him. He was okay for what little time we saw him but never registered as a threat.

Quicksilver – Quicksilver is killed by Ultron when he defends a child and Hawkeye. He is the angriest of the twins and we see him rock against the Avengers when he faces them and put up a good fight against Ultron too. His death was sad but still wasn’t as powerful as the death in the first “Avengers.” I did like how it changed Scarlet Witch though, so there is that.

The Soundtrack – Brian Taylor and Danny Elfman did the soundtrack and I couldn’t even tell that he was behind it. The only unique thing that didn’t quite work was “No Strings on Me.” The soundtrack was going for creepy but I can’t remember the soundtrack. It was forgettable, but not terrible.

This was a great film and Marvel has once again created a favorite film. I’m going to hold off on my list of MCU films from Worst to Best until I see “Ant-Man,” but this one will be pretty high on the list. The characters are great, the villain is great and though there are problems it did not stop from enjoying the film. This is a film I would buy and shows that Disney and Marvel still know what they are doing with their story and Franchise. Even if you haven’t seen any of the other films, you don’t need too. This film is great as a stand alone film.

Final Score: 8.4 / 10.