'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Review: Avengers, Disassemble!

Warning: This review contains minor spoilers.

Here it is. Blockbuster season is upon us. And the film starting things off is none other than the highly anticipated and sure to be one of the most successful films of the year: Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Avengers (2012) managed to assemble all the characters coming from solo movies in a compelling way, without facing any pacing problems. It struck an extremely good balance between epic action scenes, funny banter, and characterization. I don't know about everyone else, but when I left the theatre in April of 2012, I felt euphoric, overjoyed by what I had just witnessed. Did I leave the cinema with the same sentiment this time? Not exactly, but maybe that's the point. Read our review below.

Here's Marvel's Phase 3 Slate!

(L-R): Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, and the core cast of Captain America: Civil
War: Robert Downey, Jr., newcomer Chadwick Boseman and Chris Evans.

Phase 3 of the multi-billion dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe was announced at a special Marvel event yesterday! We'll cut to the chase and tell you what you an expect from these new Marvel films, and when. Check out the breakdown below!

Avengers: Age of Ultron Comic-Con Teaser!

I've been careful to use the words 'Comic-Con teaser', because what we are presenting to you has absolutely no footage from the next Avengers film. However it's still an extremely exciting little video.

Like I said, nothing really happens, apart from seeing Ultron's steely helm form from Iron Man's, whilst lines from the heroic team are played back from the first film.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is again directed by Joss Whedon, and due out for 1st May, 2015.

Reminder to UK readers- Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. begins tonight, 8pm on Channel 4!

Cool UK TV Spot for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Now the dates are set for both the US and for us Brits, we must play the waiting game until Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Until then, we have a pretty exciting teaser that basically just tells us to get excited.

From the people that brought us The Avengers and Iron Man is a safe way to sell the new TV show. I mean, who isn't looking forward to meeting Lola?

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D starts in the UK 8pm, Friday 27th September.

James Spader to Play Lead Villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron

James Spader (Boston Legal, The US Office) will be battling against Earth's mightiest heroes in Joss Whedon's sequel to The Avengers, as the titular baddie, the villainous artificial intelligence Ultron.

The Avengers 2 Subtitle Revealed... And Villain?

Avengers director Joss Whedon took to the stage for Marvel's Comic-Con panel and told audiences, “I actually don’t have much to say, but I do have something to show you.” What a tease.

A small teaser for The Avengers 2 played, including the official title card for the film: Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Avengers 2 Cast, Characters and Contract Updates

A lot of fresh character news has risen about Joss Whedon's The Avengers 2, involving two new characters, an update on the return of Iron Man, a possible non-returning character and location details for another possible character. Like I said, a lot.

Watch: First Promo for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The first trailer for The Avengers' spin-off TV series, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. now has its first promo. Watch it, and read more about the Coulson-revivin' series, below!

Robert Downey, Jr.'s Marvel Contract's Up; Will He Sign a New One?

Since Iron Man 3 hit cinemas (read our A113 group review here), there has been speculation over Robert Downey, Jr.'s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as his extensive contract with Marvel has now ran its course.

Iron Man 3 Review - Avengers Disassemble

*This review is largely spoiler free, and most plot-details mentioned are evident in the trailers, but read cautiously if you haven’t seen the film yet*

Marvel Studios are absolutely golden right now. Iron Man was big, Iron Man 2 was bigger (The Incredible Hulk, not so much), Captain America and Thor were no slouches either; but I don't think even Marvel knew how huge The Avengers was going to be. So coming on the back of that is a pretty unenviable task, yet one Iron Man 3 manages to accomplish with vigour, by fully addressing the events of last year's blockbuster smash and pondering "what next?". Although Iron Man 3 very loosely resembles its trailers - beyond a few key set pieces - it is nonetheless a fully enjoyable film.

Editorial: The VFX Dilemma

This is what most modern blockbusters would look like without
VFX.

2012 was a great year for animation, we saw a plethora of exciting animated films and some of the most stunning computer-generated creations ever conjured up on-screen in big budget blockbusters like The Avengers, The Hobbit and Life of Pi. Yet, amidst the awe, between the breathless delight of movie-goers, the artists behind a large portion of these films are struggling. It's a tough market; the work has to be done superbly, it has to be done quickly and, as Oscar winning director Ang Lee hopes, it often has to be done cheaply. As such, the visual effects artists behind creations like The Hulk and Richard Parker often have to work exhaustingly long shifts for little practical reward.

66th Annual British Academy Film Awards Predictions

Tonight's the biggest night of the year for British film, and quite a prestigious one for film in general. From 9 PM (GMT) on BBC1, the 66th annual British Academy Film Awards will take place - hosted by Stephen Fry - as BAFTA honour the best in film of the last year. As such, it's time for A113Animation to offer up our predictions (if you're interested in our own picks, check out the nominations for the 3rd annual A113Animation Awards).

How it works with our predictions is that the films I think should win are in bold, but the films that I think probably will win are underlined. Check them out, starting with animation, of course, below. If no prediction is offered, it's because it's a category I'm clueless about/haven't seen any of the nominees for, and the nominees are listed purely for informative purposes. The results will be highlighted in gold as and when they occur.

Brave Wins Big at VES Awards

At yesterday's 11th annual Visual Effects Society Awards, Pixar's Brave got some much deserved awards recognition, taking four of the prestigious awards home from the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton.

Watch: Behind the Magic Clip Shows How ILM Created The Hulk

The Avengers, everybody loves it. It's funny, it's exciting, it's epic, it's touching and it looks absolutely great; a key part of almost all of those criteria is The Hulk. As the clip we got a couple of weeks ago showed, ILM are the whizzes responsible for a lot of the fantastic visual effects present in Joss Whedon's superhero blockbuster, and they've rolled out a series of videos highlighting the pinnacle of that: Hulk.

The video, which is actually Part 2 (check out Part 1 here), shows how the geniuses over at ILM (who debuted in the feature animation world with 2011's Oscar winning Rango) married together Mark Ruffalo's charismatic mo-cap performance with sensitive and detailed animation. Check it out above.

I adored the visual effects and exquisite character animation in Life of Pi (check out my interview with the film's animation director here) but The Avengers is a major contender for the Best Visual Effects Oscar come 24th February.

If Pixar Made The Avengers...

Briefly, the above brilliant mash-up of the Pixar universe with Marvel's The Avengers has been making its rounds as of late. I particularly enjoy Horst as Hawkeye; Horsteye if you will.

Via Cartoon Brew.

The Corner - Heather Reviews The Avengers

Where can I start? Where can I possibly start? Starting at the beginning would require delving back to 2008, when Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were released. These two films were the beginning of a Marvel-lous work of cinema. Following the aforementioned films came Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011, also). This was the beginning of the Avengers… It was here the Avengers were to, indeed, assemble.

Directed by Joss Whedon (who helped write the Toy Story 1 script; produced hit TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse and Firefly) meant that great things were expected. And boasting a cast of incredibly talented actors – Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man); Chris Evans (Captain America); Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk); Chris Hemsworth (Thor); Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)… etc, put a lot of pressure onto what was already expected from this film: wonders. It definitely delivered. Another point worth making: so many superheroes. In a one-superhero film it seems perfectly… perfect, seeing them take the limelight. In The Avengers, so many heroes – who was to dominate? Chris Hemsworth (Thor) was interviewed by Empire Magazine and quoted saying “It’s not an easy mix. They [the characters] all have some friction”. However, Whedon pulled it off…

I must say, I expected action-action-action-serious-save-the-world. Instead, there were genuine moments in which the whole cinema-audience were laughing: the children, the teenagers, the grandparents… It was brilliant. Of course, even Whedon has the One-Liner illness, but it was very much appreciated in this case. Of course, being the witty, handsome, rich, ex-weapon-maker, Tony Stark (Downey Junior) was given most of these. The occasional “guys, I’m bringing the party to you” and “I don’t play well with others” was much appreciated. The Hulk, terrifying at times, also proved to be a character that could inspire hilarity to the point of hysteria – unfortunately, Loki found out the wrong way that the Hulk could indeed “bully” a God.

The camera work was stunning; the acting was stunning; the music was stunning. There is so much to praise.

 The Avengers follows another of Earth’s plights – honestly, will we ever not be the target of an alternate race?! – this time the product of Loki’s unwanted administrations. Loki steals the Tesseract (an object creating a portal from Asgard to Earth) and uses it to unleash an army unto Earth, hoping – in typical villain style – to conquer Earth with his army and allies. However, one thing Loki couldn’t possibly have foreseen: The Avengers. All of the superheroes gathered to make a team, a rescue-mission for Earth. Or, as The Hulk (Ruffalo) put it: “not a team, we’re a time bomb”. Sure, the crew have rough patches – which friendship groups don’t? Friendship groups. Yes. That’s what they are like: there’s the one who acts like a prat, and in doing so, becomes wittily charming – that would be Tony Stark (Downey Jr.). Then there’s the one who doesn’t get on with him – Captain America (Evans). Then you have the geek, who they use for science as well as credit – Hulk. The two assassins, which friendship group doesn’t have assassins? – those being Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Johansson). Then there is Thor.

Confession time: I love Thor. There we go. Deep breaths. I am limiting myself to that little smidgen of adoration. Be thankful.

And of course, the leader of this rag-tag gang? It could only be Nick Fury, played incredibly well by Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson has this character down to a ‘T’. He masters the brooding, commanding Fury, rocking the eye-patch all the while. It is hard not to appreciate acting like his, where he has obviously thought long and hard about his character, and it shows.

I’m going to stop ranting and raving now, because it could get out of hand, especially if I start on Thor again… He is wonderful, though. Acting skills, heroic-abilities and all. Sorry. I digress.

Ten out of ten. Nothing less. If there was an eleven, it would be that. Highly amusing, but not too much, filled with action, likeable characters – and legitimately unlikeable characters – brilliant acting and directing. High standard.

I wouldn’t expect anything less.