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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film Handlers' Movie Reviews   » Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) (Page 1)

 
This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2   
Author Topic: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004

- posted 05-01-2015 09:05 PM      Profile for Sam Graham   Author's Homepage   Email Sam Graham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
CINEMA: 13th Avenue Warren, Wichita, KS
AUDITORIUM: 14
PRESENTATION: Dolby Digital Cinema/THX
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: Idiot sitting behind me, who was chatty AND snored
RATING: Two and one half stars (out of four)

There was quite a line at the door before they opened this morning. And every one in front of me went straight to the ticket taker. I was the only one who went to the box office. Hadn't realized advance ticketing had become quite THAT popular.

THE PLOT: A program becomes a villain. Wackiness ensues.

Spader's Ultron is pretty great. Looks cool and has a wit about him. Everything else? Well, the movie has its moments, but the action sequences are kind of a blur. Didn't get much out of them.

The big Marvel fans are clearly getting more out of this than I did. One such friend of mine rated Ultron "sixteen stars out of four" on Facebook.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

- posted 05-02-2015 03:10 PM      Profile for Monte L Fullmer   Email Monte L Fullmer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
And, at a fee price of a buck fifty per ticket purchased that Fandango is charging, they could open up their own "Big Box," thousand screen plus cinema circuit and pay cash for it!

-Monte

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Lyle Romer
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1400
From: Davie, FL, USA
Registered: May 2002

- posted 05-04-2015 05:43 AM      Profile for Lyle Romer   Email Lyle Romer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
It was relatively entertaining. The issue with the superhero ensemble is that it is hard to get them all screen time and have the plot make sense. Getting them all screen time also leads to it being probably 30 minutes too long.

The battle scenes are pretty repetitive and just a jumbled mess.
Spoiler Alert - Click to Toggle
James Spader's performance is a reminder that, with the exception of a handful of great actors, most actors just play the same role over and over. It is up to the casting director to pick the right "character" for the part. You could literally take Ultron's lines and splice them right into an episode of The Blacklist and it would seem like it belongs.

Bottom line is 2 1/2 stars out of 5. Not a waste of money but not a "must see" either.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

- posted 05-04-2015 08:22 AM      Profile for Marcel Birgelen   Email Marcel Birgelen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Am I the only one who's just slightly astonished at the fact that Tony Stark himself creates Ultron, the thing that's responsible for practically all the loss of life and destruction in this movie and nobody really seems to care?

Even if he defends the destruction caused by it as being part of the "greater good", he's more like patted on the back for doing so...

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 05-04-2015 12:41 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I guess you need to be a fanboy to appreciate these movies. To me they are repetitive, boring, and a big blur of noise with a few jokes thrown in. Well, not jokes -- smartass remarks is a better term.

This movie is just like all the other Marvel movies. Big fights that have absolutely no basis in reality (and sometimes contribute nothing to the story). Superheroes that all seem to have super speed and invulnerability in addition to their distinctive superpower...meaning none of them are ever in any real danger, so why should we care about them? Machines that can withstand bomb blasts, gunfire, falling from great heights, etc and still work flawlessly. Stories that are so jam packed with random similar characters and subplots that it's impossible to follow them (unless you're a fanboy, I guess).

The one bright spot in the movie for me was James Spader's voice of Ultron. He had the most personality in the whole movie, which is weird considering he is a robot.

The thing that's never addressed in these movies is the billions of dollars of apparent damage that's done to the cities of the world when these epic battles get started. Buildings falling to the ground, hundreds of people getting crushed by giant "vehicles" colliding with buildings, roadways getting plowed up when Iron Man decides to land on them in his gigantic suit, etc. If I was the citizenry I think I'd object to "superheroes" destroying my town back to the stone age every couple of years. But, they ARE "saving the planet" so I guess you have to put up with a little mass destruction if you want to keep on living.

I think it'd be hilarious if, in some future movie, they'd pass by some destroyed building in New York City and Captain America would say, "Looks like Iron Man's been here."

The sound mix was nice. We didn't play the movie in 3-D because our (Dolby) 3-D system glitched and/or crashed right before our first 3-D showing, but there were several segments that looked like they would have been impressive in 3-D.

Overall - fun to watch, but I forgot pretty much the entire movie by the time I went to bed last night. Considering there are about 30 of this kind of movie coming in the next 10 years thanks to Marvel and DC, I fear for the future of the planet and the movie business.

2 out of 5 stars.

The Batman V Superman trailer didn't impress me either. They've taken all the fun out of Superman and turned him into a Batman clone with superpowers instead.

The new Star Wars trailer is awesome though. Color me excited about that one. I just hope Disney can manage to keep the original spirit of the universe alive, instead of ruining it with ever-more-spectacular implausibilities the way Marvel has with theirs.

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Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004

- posted 05-05-2015 10:05 AM      Profile for Sam Graham   Author's Homepage   Email Sam Graham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Marcel Birgelen
Am I the only one who's just slightly astonished at the fact that Tony Stark himself creates Ultron, the thing that's responsible for practically all the loss of life and destruction in this movie and nobody really seems to care?
A reviewer friend of mine pointed out that the creation of Ultron came out of Start's vision given through the Scarlet Witch's power, which gives him a plausible pass somehow. That, and Ultron was intended for peace.

I didn't get that either.

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Terry Monohan
Master Film Handler

Posts: 379
From: San Francisco CA USA
Registered: May 2014

- posted 05-05-2015 11:55 AM      Profile for Terry Monohan   Email Terry Monohan   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I will be seeing this next week on the giant curved screen at the Seattle WA Cinerama Theatre. They are only showing It in old 2-D? I wonder why they are not running the 3-D version. The Cinerama Seattle just put in all new projection equipment ect. I think this film was converted to 3-D as most people I have talked to say the 3-D is not that good. I'll go for the new sound system and forget about 3-D.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 05-05-2015 12:12 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Our booker told me the 3-D percentage for this movie was pretty low, something like 27% and that among his clients, the highest was 17%.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

- posted 05-05-2015 12:21 PM      Profile for Bobby Henderson   Email Bobby Henderson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Mike Blakesley
If I was the citizenry I think I'd object to "superheroes" destroying my town back to the stone age every couple of years. But, they ARE "saving the planet" so I guess you have to put up with a little mass destruction if you want to keep on living.
Movies like The Incredibles and Team America: World Police have made fun of that particular thing, showing the physical destruction left behind after the heroes save the day or attorneys having a field day with medical liability lawsuits against the heroes. I think the Honest Trailers series on YouTube has made cracks about that sort of thing too (see their trailer for Man of Steel).

quote: Terry Monohan
I will be seeing this next week on the giant curved screen at the Seattle WA Cinerama Theatre. They are only showing It in old 2-D? I wonder why they are not running the 3-D version.
It's just a guess, but does the theater have a single d-cinema projector in the booth? Normally single projector 3D can scale to only so large a movie theater screen before the image is too dim and plagued with technical issues with the 3D. Dual projectors seem to be the way to go for 3D on large screens, and that's even with laser involved.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

- posted 05-05-2015 03:13 PM      Profile for Terry Lynn-Stevens   Email Terry Lynn-Stevens   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Terry Monohan
I will be seeing this next week on the giant curved screen at the Seattle WA Cinerama Theatre. They are only showing It in old 2-D? I wonder why they are not running the 3-D version. The Cinerama Seattle just put in all new projection equipment ect. I think this film was converted to 3-D as most people I have talked to say the 3-D is not that good. I'll go for the new sound system and forget about 3-D.
The Cinerama is single projection laser. I think the with Pacific Science IMAX laser opening has a lot to do with it. Both theaters are single stand alone destination centers, both are about 500 seats so why fight for the same 3D audience. The IMAX location can (will) get their audience quota, so why not broaden the appeal of the Cinerama by offering the movie in 2D which likely not playing anyway in 2D on such a large screen.

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Brian D. Whitish
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 103
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

- posted 05-06-2015 12:37 AM      Profile for Brian D. Whitish   Email Brian D. Whitish   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Just got home from seeing it at Seattles Cinerama. Great presentation, okay movie.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

- posted 05-06-2015 12:49 AM      Profile for Terry Lynn-Stevens   Email Terry Lynn-Stevens   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Any masking?

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Allan Young
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 125
From: EGHAM, Surrey UK
Registered: Jun 2011

- posted 05-06-2015 01:56 AM      Profile for Allan Young   Email Allan Young   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Mike Blakesley
If I was the citizenry I think I'd object to "superheroes" destroying my town back to the stone age every couple of years. But, they ARE "saving the planet" so I guess you have to put up with a little mass destruction if you want to keep on living.
This is one of the many reasons that Watchmen is the finest superhero movie ever made.

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Jason Whyte
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 132
From: Victoria, BC, Canada
Registered: Sep 2002

- posted 05-07-2015 04:00 PM      Profile for Jason Whyte   Author's Homepage   Email Jason Whyte   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
The Cinerama is single projection laser. I think the with Pacific Science IMAX laser opening has a lot to do with it. Both theaters are single stand alone destination centers, both are about 500 seats so why fight for the same 3D audience. The IMAX location can (will) get their audience quota, so why not broaden the appeal of the Cinerama by offering the movie in 2D which likely not playing anyway in 2D on such a large screen.
Once again you have no idea what you're talking about. This is NOT the reason why Seattle Cinerama decided to book AVENGERS in 2D. There are many more reasons for this decision and it was made a while ago. 2D screenings are also playing in Seattle at the Regal Meridian 16 location too.

Also Cinerama has manual masking which can fit to any format that they are running (DCP, 35mm, 70mm). This title didn't open "with a whimper" as you so ignorantly claimed in another post but has been doing great business since it re-opened last fall.

If you'd like some further numbers or info I'm more than happy to answer a private message on this subject.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

- posted 05-07-2015 04:29 PM      Profile for Terry Lynn-Stevens   Email Terry Lynn-Stevens   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thanks for the info about the masking [thumbsup] Its becoming all to rare these days to have masking on presentations. Interstellar at the Varsity in 70mm was with masking but all of the other cinemas in the complex except #7 showed scope movoes at the same time on an open flat screen.

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