Last night I got to go to the crew screening of the new Avengers movie- Age of Ultron. The experience was thrilling, to say the least. The screening took place in Beverly Hills, in a fancy theater that had giant statues of Oscar Awards throughout the hallways and framing the screen. One of the producers of the film came out and addressed the 800+ people who were in the audience, saying how the people who worked on this film, in any aspect, were heroes themselves.
It was an interesting phrase to use considering the movie we were about to see- it made me think of earlier in the semester when we were defining the superhero. What makes them heroes is not that they are super and the pride in the room, from all of those people who worked on the film but may never get recognized for it, was profound.
Since this movie does not come out in theaters for two more days I cannot, as much as I want to, talk about what happens in it, plot wise. I hate when people spoil movies for me so I cannot do that for someone else (even if there are those who do not care about spoilers). Though I can say- BEST MOVIE EVER!!
The film starts with an action scene, giving the audience no time to build up to the thrills, but throws them right into the middle of an ongoing battle. It is a non-stop action movie, with some serious moments, some don't-do-it-bad-idea moments, and some very humorous moments.
Talking to avid comic readers, and having seen all of Marvel's movies, I can say that I know my fair share about this world. But I am also just getting to reading comics myself so there is so much more that I do not know. I feel like this is the perfect balance for watching this movie- I had no expectations going into the theater but I knew enough about the Avengers world to understand the meta-comments happening in the film.
Of course this movie is going to be centered on superheroes- it is an Avengers movie. However, the film does some interesting things with these heroes. Again, since the film does not come out for two days I do not want to reveal anything so this blog post is difficult. I can say this - the discussions in class about superheroes (what makes a superhero, what they represent ideologically, and the fine line between good characters and bad characters) and the various blog posts, both on this blog and on my classmate's blogs, all have to do with what the film portrays. There is a lot going on in this film and I can't wait for Friday, May 1 when the film is released in theaters everywhere so that I can then go into more detail.
I must end this post by saying one last thing: you should go see this film at least twice while it is in theaters.
The first time should be for the pure enjoyment of the Avengers. The second will reveal the minute details that will surely be missed in the first viewing. So much happens in this Avengers film, just as it did in the previous ones. The second viewing will also help in any sort of analysis, or deconstruction, of the film that one may wish to engage in.
I hope to see theaters filled with people who are all going to see Avengers: Age of Ultron for a while (multiple weeks/months) because it is just that good.