Avengers: Age of Ultron

Batter Up-p!! Well, today marks the opening of the summer movie season, and I'd say we're in for some roller coaster rides (film wise) going on. Hey, we can see dinosaurs going amok, watch a terminator attempt to save someone else, see yet another beginnings of the guys from the fantastic 4 group, and even witness those little voices in your head. All in good fun, of course. What a better film to kick off this first day than that of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in my book.

When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things end up going awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man (Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron (voiced by James Spader) emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for a global adventure. Will Stark and the others be able to change this dormant peacekeeping program, Ultron from following through with his diabolical plan, or will Ultron continue until he succeeds in masterminding the extinction of the human race?

Others to round out the cast are Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as voice of Jarvis, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/The Falcon, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Stellan Scarsgard as Erik Selvig, Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton and Claudia Kim as Helen Cho.

This was directed with the effectiveness as we've come to expect from Joss Whedon ("Serenity" '05, "The Avengers" '12, "Much Ado About Nothing" '12). His resume is clearly eclectic, which is why I have so much respect for him--he cannot be pigeon-holed. He's focused, determined and knows actors well. This could be that he done quite a bit of writing, this being another he wrote along with: ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" '92, "Toy Story" '95, "Alien: Resurrection" '97, "Titan A.E." 2000, "Serenity" '05, "The Cabin in the Woods" '12, "The Avengers" '12, "Much Ado About Nothing" '12, "In Your Eyes" '14). This was based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.Whedon actually gnawed his teeth on a ton of TV and continues to do so, which definitely allows him to cross over into different medias when he feels the creativity leads him. The guy is a phenomenal writer, and with the exception of a couple of very small areas of discontinuity, this film actually rocked. The visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Double Negative were seamless, but we're talking about ILM, the granddaddy of all visual effects companies. There were a plethora of other companies, far too many to name, involved in the visuals, so this has to be experienced on the large screen which it was designed for.

What a film to kick off the season! If this is a benchmark of how the summer is going to roll, then we are into a ride to beat none. And this is all in a nifty 3D format as well. Have fun at the multiplex--I know I did.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                               Rated: PG-13                                 141mins.