Tag: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Geekscape Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War

by MCDave

For more than a decade the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has branded 19 films in total that have completely merged together in what’s guaranteed to be this summer’s most lucrative blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War. Now, we’ve been down similar roads before with Marvel’s first ambitious multi-hero collaboration, The Avengers, and with both the film’s sequel, Age of Ultron, and the third Captain America installment, Civil War.  The success of these grandiose endeavors have been met with varying levels of success, casting a huge question-mark over the MCU’s newest title. But allow me to wash away any worries you may have by fearlessly labeling Infinity War as one of the top films to-date in Marvel’s ever-expanding universe.

Despite their conflicting opinions regarding oversight of their Earth-protecting superhero group “The Avengers”, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) must put their differences aside and get the old team back together when they learn of a cosmic villain named Thanos (Josh Brolin) who’s en route to their home planet. Thanos is on a mission to collect all six infinity stones, hidden artifacts that possess unimaginable power, and he pinpoints a pair of them located on Earth where he’ll stop at nothing to acquire them and bring balance to the galaxy. And with the fate of humanity on the line, Marvel’s greatest superheroes must confront their most powerful foe yet.

Prior to Infinity War, little was known about the film’s primary antagonist, Thanos. And although this approach is a foreign concept within the familiar formulaic structure that’s helped mold the MCU into an unstoppable machine, the character of Thanos is met with bold originality that makes Infinity War “his” film. Rarely is a villain gifted such an enormous responsibility, but Thanos makes the most of his opportunity and commands the viewer’s sympathy with a unique perspective to what’s perceived by The Avengers as an evil plot. Both his character and his mission are propelled by surprising depth that will make the audience question their own ethical beliefs. With Infinity War, sibling directors Joe and Anthony Russo create a moral dilemma in which there may be no right or wrong answer, but instead resolve must come from a desperate battle for survival between Thanos and Marvel’s assorted collection of superheroes. Yet, while the film’s story is as compelling as its uptempo action and finely-tuned pacing, Infinity War does sour with overly sappy dramatics that artificially attempt to raise the emotional stakes. Nevertheless, these cheaply constructed moments take a backseat to Infinity War‘s cerebral and multi-dimensional tale that culminates with a cliff-hanging finale guaranteed to keep you longing for the next chapter in Marvel’s elaborate cinematic universe.

GRADE: 4/5

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The Amazon Exclusive ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two’ Set Is A Must Buy!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

Whoa. On Tuesday, December 8th Marvel teams up with Amazon on an exclusive offering to knock your Captain America socks clean off! The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two collection drops only on Amazon with all new bonus content, film replicas and more. In addition, each film features custom disc sleeves from artist Matt Ferguson.

Geekscape got a sneak peek at these alternate covers to share with you—and they’re freaking awesome. Go ahead feast your eyes and start squirreling away your pennies!

This collection is not messing around—it doesn’t seem like this is going to be the “pretty good one,” only to be replaced next year by the “super awesome edition.” This collection already has all the goods I look for in my film collecting proclivities—and then a little more! I ended up buying a 3D TV several Black Fridays ago when it was the same price as the standard model and I’ve been enjoying it ever since. As a result, if a movie I want comes out on Blu-ray and there’s a 3D version—that’s the one I buy. That and so much more is already baked into this collection! In their own words:

The limited edition, 13-Disc Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection invites you to hold the greatest power in the cosmos in your grasp – an orb containing one of the legendary Infinity Stones! Plus Blu-ray 3D™, Blu-ray™ and Digital Copies of all Phase 2 films, in collectible packaging designed by artist Matt Ferguson. This set overflows with stunning Marvel memorabilia, including a gold-foiled page from the book of Dark Elves, an ancient drawing from the Morag vault, Avengers and S.T.R.I.K.E. uniform patches, a replica of the Tony Stark Tattoo from Marvel’s Iron Man 3, and much more!

I mean, come on!—there’s a freakin’ ancient drawing from the Morag vault! What more can you possibly ask for?!

Personally, there were some moments I didn’t fully connect with in this film collection—but honestly, I take the blame on those for the time being. Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I saw them or something—planning to give Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron further viewings before making my final call on them. (Especially after getting a better understanding of what went into this intricate web Marvel is weaving as best they can during this release event.) However, here’s the thing—even if every film isn’t up to the snuff of say, Guardians of the Galaxy, they’re still better than most other offerings in their genre; meaning—you can’t lose, even if you lose, with these films. You will be properly entertained come hell or high water!

This unveiling comes properly on the heels of the release of the premiere trailer for the first film in Phase Three, Captain America: Civil War, this week. Whoowhee!—that trailer’s some dramatic adrenaline right there.

And now, my lovelies, because these are just the sort of details I hunt down when considering investing in a collection to add to my. . . collection, here are all the technical details they’ve provided us at this time:

  • Marvel’s Iron Man 3 (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • Marvel’s Ant-Man (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
  • 1:1 Prop Replica of the Orb

PLUS an Exclusive Bonus Content Disc with 166 minutes of bonus material and more!

  • From Here To Infinity: Phases 2 & 3 Of The M.C.U.
    Journey back through Marvel’s Phase 2 films, from its launch in Iron Man 3 through its fulfillment in Ant-Man, to see how individual characters grow and change, how their relationships with each other evolve over time, and how the universe itself expands with each story. Listen to filmmakers discuss the first set of Phase 3 films– Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, Marvel’s Doctor Strange, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – and discover there are no limits to the adventure!
  • Phase 2 Tag Scenes: A Making-Of
    Learn the story behind the post-credit sequence in Marvel’s Phase 1 and 2 movies, and explore how the scenes connect and unify the far-flung characters and worlds of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    • Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant w/Audio Commentary By Clark Gregg
      Marvel One-Shot: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor’s Hammer With Audio Commentary By Clark Gregg
      Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 With Audio Commentary By Louis D’Esposito, Max Hernandez, Titus Welliver And Jesse Bradford
      Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter With Audio Commentary By Louis D’Esposito And Hayley Atwell
      Marvel One-Shot: All Hail The King With Audio Commentary By Drew Pearce And Ben Kingsley
      Iron Man 3: Deleted Scenes
      Iron Man 3: Preproduction Creative
      Thor: The Dark World: Deleted Scenes
      Thor: The Dark World Preproduction Creative
      Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Deleted Scene With Audio Commentary By Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
      Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Preproduction Creative
      Guardians of The Galaxy: Deleted Scenes
      Guardians of The Galaxy: Preproduction Creative
      Avengers: Age Of Ultron: Deleted Scenes
      Avengers: Age Of Ultron: Preproduction Creative: Hulk vs. Hulkbuster
      Ant-Man: Deleted Scenes
      Ant-Man: Preproduction Creative

RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2015
PRODUCTS: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and Digital HD
AUDIO: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, Digital HD = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, French-Canadian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Latin Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital
LANGUAGES: English & Spanish, French
SUBTITLES: English, French & Spanish

 

Special Content Showcase Event For ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ In-Home Release!

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

We had the opportunity to attend the Special Content Showcase for the in-home release of Avengers: Age of Ultron (digital available now, blu-ray starting October 2nd) and the event was the perfect blend of prestige and accessibility. It served as an unveiling for the special limited editions of exclusive poster art for the film by artist Tyler Stout, which was incredibly impressive printed in metallic inks. There was also a very neat Hulkbuster t-shirt that, honestly, I’m not seeing anywhere online in the sea of available Hulkbuster t-shirts (didn’t even realize that was a thing). It wasn’t exactly made clear how you could get this exclusive, limited quantities, shirt. There’s a slip that came with mine saying that you can get one for $20 (plus s/h) when you buy the movie—so maybe there’s a slip in the blu-ray case or a digital certificate if you buy a digital copy?

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Special Print of Tyler Stout’s Poster on Metal

Hosted in the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles, they put out a nice spread in a very welcoming, cozy and creative environment. The gallery hosts a lot of rotating art events, many tied to entertainment. I recommend you check them out at hcgart.com and plan to visit for your favorite exhibits when you’re in the area.

We enjoyed the presentation that screened several of the extras included with “home release” of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and I must admit I found them quite good for providing and fleshing out a high level overview of the Marvel movie universe—presenting and tying together events from the various films to map out everything Marvel has been setting up leading to the Infinity Wars. They provide a nice review/recap and get you excited for everything that is to come.

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Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios)

That was followed by Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios) and Jeremy Latcham (Executive Producer of Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron) making an appearance to wax philosophical with attendees about the meanings behind various events in the movie and the Marvel films overall. There wasn’t anything particularly revealing or surprising but it was very nice to get that reassurance that every event, no matter how small, was being consciously woven into the tapestry of the larger arcs that guide the various Marvel films. This also extends to the shows—and, the same way actors in the films have been able to cross into the shows, the street goes both ways. So that, if the actors in the shows are willing, when there’s an opportunity for a particular character to appear in the films, Marvel is very interested in keeping the same performer in the role. That’s a level of consistency and loyalty I can really get behind.

Feige and Latcham also took some time to discuss the integration of Spider-Man going forward. The most interesting part is how fluid and planned out their story architecture is so that they’re ready for any combination of possibilities that might develop—will a given character be available to weave in?—is there room in the narrative of a specific film for a particular character?—will the same actor being playing the part?—and if that actor is replaced, will there need to be an explanation of some kind? They’re keeping all of these things in mind and have plans within plans ready for the different possible combination of scenarios that will still keep with the overall vision. That’s some impressive planning that will not only play out with the integration of Spider-Man but also Captain Marvel.

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Jeremy Latcham (Executive Producer)

The heartbreaking part of the evening for me was when we finally got to ask about plans for Howard the Duck (after the tease in Guardians of the Galaxy) and were just met with laughter. Another attendee got even more specific asking when and how Howard the Duck would be making his way to Earth. “Well, it didn’t work out so well the first time,” was their brief response; referencing the 1986 film, Howard the Duck (featuring Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones and Tim Robbins) that disappointed at the box office and with fans—except this one right here. . . although, to be fair, it has been a couple decades since I’ve seen it. Regardless, I’m personally looking forward to more Howard—I’ve still got my fingers crossed that he’ll be making some more cameos soon.

The evening definitely gave me some more love for Avengers: Age of Ultron, understanding better about all the plates they’re trying to keep spinning. And it really is saying something about an entertainment company when the worst thing that can be said about their weaker entries is, “it was pretty good.”

Joss Whedon, you moved mountains! We love you! Please don’t stay away too long!

The ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’ Gag Reel Is Here, And It’s Probably Better Than The Movie!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Fans and critics everywhere were obnoxiously divided over Avengers: Age of Ultron when it hit theatres earlier this year. As always, many fans ate up and became infatuated with every single frame of the entirely too long Summer blockbuster, while others found the film messy and unfocussed.

Regardless of which side of Ultron‘s fence you sit on, Marvel has officially released the gag reel to be included with this week’s Blu-Ray release, and it’s better than the damed movie.

It also features way more dancing than you’d expect.

You can take a look at the reel below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Avengers: Age of Ultron hits Blu-Ray this Friday, October 2nd!

Jonathan (and I) also had an opportunity to chat with the cast before the film hit theatres, so you should probably head here and check that out too.

https://youtu.be/gJ2gdeMaUW8

‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Gets Official Home Release Dates

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

Marvel Studios has announced the official home release dates for Avengers: Age of Ultron. The official arrival on Digital 3D, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere is September 8th and on 3D Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital SD and On-Demand is October 2nd. Which begs the obvious question; is anyone still buying the old DVD format? If that’s still being made available by studios, why not shove a VHS in there too? Oh, wait. . . it would actually be pretty cool if they made movies available on Super 8 reels or something! I swear I would run out and buy one of those projectors if that was an option!

Okay, I’m getting off track—back to Avengers: The iconic heroes are forced to reassemble and face their most intimidating enemy yet—Ultron. The home entertainment release includes Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes, Making-of Featurettes, Gag Reel and more.

Another solid success for Joss Whedon and Marvel Studios.

I had a good time seeing this in the theater. I’m a fan of 3D—have it at home—this chapter used it well and so I’ll be adding this to my library of 3D titles. Personally, I had zero disappointment with this addition to the Marvel universe there was just a hint of “wanting” that I left the theater with—however, since I can’t exactly put my finger on what that was I let it slide. I think I’ll have a good time trying to figure it out as I watch this over and over again at home.

I enjoyed this film’s character dives into the psyches of Hawkeye, Black Widow and Dr. Banner. The elaborate battle scenes were something that I was already expecting from the film to begin with, all the flash and spectacle of the incredible effects—if they weren’t there, I would’ve been very disappointed—so it was nice to get the treat of seeing more of what made these characters tick. As was the case with Iron Man 2, I don’t know if they’ve yet found a way to portray brooding Tony Stark engagingly. It was a tight rope walk to find the way to pull it off with Bruce Banner—which has now been nailed, as far as I’m concerned—but Tony still needs some work in that department.

You can check out MCDave’s full review of the film for Geekscape here.

Ooo, trailer time! Enjoy!

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Avengers: Age of Ultron

by MCDave

Yesterday, the calendar turned to May and the summer blockbuster season wasted no time getting started with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. After its 2012 origin film amassed the third largest worldwide box office total of all-time, all eyes were on Joss Whedon’s enormously anticipated sequel. Unfortunately, though, this follow-up feature falls well short of the charm and frenetic thrills evident in the first installment.

The film opens with the Avengers doing what they do best, taking down a crime syndicate with remarkable ease. That is, until a pair of “enhanced” siblings (Godzilla‘s stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen) reveal their superhuman abilities, unmatched speed and deceptive mind-control. Eventually, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) retrieves what they’re after from the mission and discovers its ability to produce highly advanced artificial intelligence. Without the approval from his team Stark creates Ultron, an experiment that goes terribly wrong. The evolved A.I. denounces his maker and joins forces with the enhanced siblings, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, to destroy the Avengers.

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Cluttered and unfocused, Age of Ultron falls apart in many different areas. Whedon and company effectively mastered the balance of a star-filled story in this film’s predecessor. However, more isn’t always better as Whedon struggles to keep things fluid with the addition of many, and I do mean many, new characters. Displaying an unnatural flow throughout the movie, things get even worse once the script takes a strange turn by diving deep into the personal stories of its characters. Where the original successfully glazes over each hero’s backstory and jumps right into the action, Age of Ultron ventures further into their psyche thanks to the Scarlet Witch’s mind tricks. With each of these developing drama-filled plot lines, the minutes continue to mount and the pacing becomes crippled.

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In addition to an unnecessary change of course in the script and an overabundance of characters, Age of Ultron‘s action sequences are extremely drawn out and exceedingly unwarranted. If you thought 2013’s Man of Steel was flooded with obnoxiously destructive scenes, just wait until you feast your eyes on this film. The damage is beyond catastrophic and it makes the Avengers feel less like heroes and more like ticking time-bombs. And finally, Age of Ultron does a huge disservice by completely mishandling its chief villain and title character. Forced into sharing screen time with each and every main character – and there are plenty of them – Ultron becomes an overlooked antagonist who never grows into the monstrous adversary this franchise deserves. Although his mishandling isn’t as big of an abomination as Sir Ben Kingsley’s the Mandarin in Iron Man 3, it’s a lot closer than any of us would desire.

At its core, Age of Ultron attempts to stick to the same philosophy that’s been working for all of the Marvel films, tons of comedy and action. But despite achieving a good deal of laughs, albeit at a less impressive clip than the original, the film suffers in far too many areas to sustain its winning formula. With grand expectations Joss Whedon seemingly got suckered into the “bigger is better” mindset. Perhaps, Age of Ultron would have benefited more from a slightly scaled-down approach.

GRADE: 2.5/5

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