Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron

RECOMMENDED

The follow up to 2012's Marvel's The Avengers has finally arrived, and in a scale so huge that even the big screen can barely contain. Director Joss Whedon had been tasked with a daunting challenge, "How do you top the Avengers, the 3rd highest-grossing film of all time?" His answer: Ultron, a villain he wanted to put on the big screen even before the first Avengers film was finished. 

Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron picks up the avengers from where they were left off in their solo films. Iron Man is still haunted by the events of the first Avengers film and began working on a peace-keeping project called Ultron. However, with Ultron realising that the only way peace can be achieved is through human extinction, the avengers must team up once again to thwart his plan for world destruction. 

To start off, the film was genuinely as fun and entertaining as you would expect from any Marvel film. The action was unlike anything I have seen and it showed us creatively what more the avengers could do as a team. The film likes to show off with numerous long takes that show the avengers fighting together as a team which make it really fun to watch. We get to learn more about the dynamics of the avengers, the friction between some characters as well as the internal struggles of each individual avenger. Hawkeye also played a larger role in the film, which is a plus considering how he was downplayed previously. 

On top of that, the scale of the movie is just massive. It is expected for a sequel to strive to be bigger and better than it's predecessor but there are so many things going on in Age of Ultron, it felt exhausting at times. I felt that the film served too many purposes and was bloated with content, making it difficult to keep up with every detail. It not only picks up where each of the previous solo films left off, but sets up the universe for future films in Phase 3, introduces new heroes and villains into the universe, while building a coherent story of it's own. It's a incredible task that Whedon pulled off pretty well, but not perfectly. 

Speaking of bloated, one thing that bothered me was the film's soundtrack, which was a confusing mix of music from the previous films. The music of the film is composed by two composers, Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman, both incredible artists on their own, but together made the soundtrack feel like it was at war with itself. Alan Silvestri's original Avenger's theme was weirdly interwoven with the themes of the Iron Man, Thor and Captain America and the essence of it got lost in translation. There wasn't a hook in the music that got me like the first film did. Perhaps the law of diminishing returns has begun to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

On the other hand, the film's main antagonist, Ultron is undoubtedly the most terrifying villain this universe has put to screen. Marvel Studios have been struggling with creating compelling villains for their heroes over the years, with their only major success being Loki. However, Ultron made himself a worthy contender in this film. What I particularly enjoyed about Ultron is the irony of how an artificial intelligence which is supposed to know everything, acts like a delusional newborn that knows nothing. He thinks he knows the solution to the world's problems and his recklessness in going about achieving his goals makes him simply frightening. 

One other thing I liked about the film is the fact that the essence of a superhero movie is still intact. Superheroes are supposed to be about protecting the innocent civilians from harm and it is the core of what this film is generally about. Amidst all the battles with Ultron, the avengers' main priority is the safety of civilians in harms way, a quality that some superhero films tend to forget. 

In all, I felt that although Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron did not top the original Avengers, it is still an impressive and entertaining film. It may have been better if Marvel stayed more grounded on what it wants the film to be and stop trying to build the universe too quickly and put everything in. However, director Joss Whedon still managed to pull everything together and create a film many will enjoy.

Furious 7

RECOMMENDED

I have not been an avid follower of The Fast and Furious Franchise but I wish I had, because Furious 7 was one of the most fun and thrilling films I have watched this year. The film not only boast strong cast of cool and fun characters, it is also densely packed with amazing action sequences while leaving room for some really heartfelt moments.

I went into Furious 7 not knowing what to expect other than the fact that the film is going to pay tribute to the late Paul Walker, who passed away in a tragic car accident before filming could be finished. Although I am not familiar with any of main characters, or what happened over the past 6 installments, they do not stop me from immediately connecting with the characters during the film. It was then I regretted not having followed the franchise more closely.  The film helped a lot in subtly and seamlessly introducing characters to non-followers. I greatly enjoyed the dynamic of the group, or should I say “family”, and how each of them had their moment to shine.

One thing that Furious 7 was never short of was action. The film was jammed pack with scene after scene of intense car chases. I’m not going to give anything away in this spoiler-free review but the scenes left me on the edge of my seat with adrenaline pumping through my veins. The film also incorporates a lot of humor into their action sequences and adopts light tone. The down side of this is that it made me feel as if none of the characters were in actual danger and that they were going to make it out of every scenario unscathed. Perhaps the franchise has already dealt with death in the past and wanted to avoid another similar scenario, especially after Paul Walker’s passing.

The film ended with a tribute to Paul Walker and I have to say that it was genuinely heartfelt and beautifully done. It clearly captured Paul’s legacy in this film and served as a touching goodbye to the series’ main star. The studio had made the right approaches on overcoming such a tragedy and managed to finish the film in memory of Paul. In addition, the visual effects team has also done a great job in creating a CGI version of Paul for the unfinished scenes, of which I could hardly notice the difference.

In all, Furious 7 has struck the balance between creating an action packed thriller and creating an emotional tribute to their late star. Viewers, regardless of whether they followed the franchise, are definitely going to be entertained and it is definitely not a film to be missed.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent

GOOD ONE TIME CATCH

Hello. I first have to apologize for being on such a long hiatus from blogging. The truth is, I went on a long overseas detachment at the end of last year and never had the urge to post new entries ever since. However, my mind changed after watching The Divergent Series: Insurgent. I am a fan of the novels written by Veronica Roth and watching the film has generated a lot of thoughts in my mind which I really hope to share. So, here is my review for The Divergent Series: Insurgent.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent takes off almost immediately after the events of the previous film, and we see Tris, Four, Caleb and Peter taking refuge in Amity. Tris plans to plot her revenge on Jeanine, the leader of Erudite.  Meanwhile Jeanine finds a box in the home of Tris’s parents which she believed contained a message from the city founders that could help end the divergent problem.  However, the box can only be opened by a Divergent and thus leading to Jeanine beginning her hunt for Divergents.

I think that people who have not read the books would find the film rather enjoyable to watch, it is action-packed, visually stunning and it conveys the themes of heroism and individual identity very well. But, readers of the Veronica Roth series would be slightly disturbed by the fact that the film differs greatly from its source material, especially with the addition of “The Box” (seen in the film’s trailer) in the film’s storyline.

I understand why the filmmakers have to change almost the entire narrative of the film. Veronica Roth’s Insurgent is a lengthy book crammed with vivid details of the numerous twists and turns in the plot. A 2-hour film simply cannot support such an amount of content and thus an enormous amount of story had to be cut out or changed and the concept of “The Box” had to be incorporated to make the storyline coherent. I personally enjoyed some of changes as it brought in some level of originality to the film. Despite reading the books, I still would have no clue as to how a particular scene or moment would turn out. However, I felt that some of the moments from the books that impacted me the most were lost in translation and made up for with visuals to make the film look nicer.

I was also disappointed that the film adaptation downplayed of many of the supporting characters. Veronica Roth’s novels introduced us to a diverse list of supporting characters from the start, each with a unique personality and connection with Tris, and many of them had an integral role to play in the plot of the Insurgent novel. However, the film decided to focus more on the relationship between Tris and Four, as well as the tensions between Tris and Caleb and Peter that these supporting characters were either completely cut from the film or given mere seconds of screen-time.

In all, The Divergent Series: Insurgent is an intriguing, action-packed with incredible visuals that would, at the very least, entertain the audience. However, the film compromised a more intricate plot that the source material had to offer, as well as the development of many supporting characters for a predictable plot that is easier to follow and a more focused development of the two main characters. The film hits you where it wants to hit you but when it does, it lacks the intensity to leave a lasting impression behind.