Although I simply cannot wrap my geeky brain around it, I know that it is statistically probable that somewhere out there there is a person who checked out all the trailers, pics, TV spots and featurettes for Avengers: Age of Ultron and thought “Meh. I’m not so sure about this. I need more evidence from people who have actually seen the movie to convince me of its awesomeness”. Well, this post is dedicated to you Mr Doubting Thomas, as last week Thursday saw the very first press screening in the world held in Los Angeles, and with no social media embargo being enforced, a number of the press in attendance have taken to Twitter to give their initial reactions to the movie.
Slashfilm, Collider and ComicBookMovie (who all had their own people in attendance) collected several different tweets, and I’ve just collated them together here for easier reading. And they’re great! For the most part, people really loved what writer/director Joss Whedon did with the follow-up to his blockbusting Avengers, despite the sequel apparently being much darker in tone and also far more complex than the previous film.
Just saw AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. Soooooooo many characters and soooooo much going on, I can’t believe it’s coherent, let alone so fun.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
And out of all the AGE OF ULTRON chaos, somehow Hawkeye gets the best role in the movie. AND the best line of the movie, maybe the series.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
One more: Spader’s Ultron so much more snarky than I thought he would be. So, yeah, he’s basically James Spader.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
By all means @Marvel is still firing on all cylinders – was fun to geek out to Avengers: Age of Ultron – a highly entertaining follow-up!
— Jeff Goldsmith (@yogoldsmith) April 10, 2015
Big love for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tons of fun, awesome action, and fantastic performances from all
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) April 10, 2015
#AvengersAgeOfUltron is spectacular and a very different film than the first Avengers. Joss leaves on a high.
— Adrian Askarieh (@AdrianAskarieh) April 10, 2015
Avengers 2 is both an amazing sequel and a fantastic setup for the rest of the MCU. So nerdy in the best possible way.
— Mike Sampson (@mjsamps) April 10, 2015
Whedon stuffs Avengers Age of Ultron with an impossible amount of great geekiness. Sometimes it feels like too much, but he pulls it off!
— Kevin P. Sullivan (@KPSull) April 10, 2015
Whedon’s love of Scarlet Witch and his guilt for Hawkeye’s Avengers role stand out. Both are fantastic!
— Kevin P. Sullivan (@KPSull) April 10, 2015
#AvengersAgeOfUltron is darker, weirder and more emotional than the original. It’s also the thrill ride to beat this summer.
— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) April 10, 2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron: An entire “phase” in Soylent brick form. More nerd plot, more spectacle, more sarcasm. Feeling good dizzy.
— Matt Patches (@misterpatches) April 10, 2015
.@Avengers #AgeOfUltron might be the most true to the comic movie ever. So many images taken right off the page that made me faint with joy.
— Alex Zalben (@azalben) April 10, 2015
No spoilers, but biggest surprises: Thor is hilarious and Scarlet Witch kicks so much ass. Rest of the #Avengers ain’t too shabby, either.
— Alex Zalben (@azalben) April 10, 2015
AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON is loaded with insane action, great character moments, and funny dialogue. Joss did the impossible again.
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) April 10, 2015
Important to note AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON is a completely different movie than the first one. And that’s why it works.
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) April 10, 2015
We did see the after the credits scene at the press screening tonight but I won’t spoil anything here.
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) April 10, 2015
AGE OF ULTRON is a blast and there’s a ton of cool Marvel surprises!
— Silas Lesnick (@silaslesnick) April 10, 2015
Avengers 2 is way more fun and great than the trailers let on.
— Meredith Woerner (@MdellW) April 10, 2015
Avengers: Age of Oh Yeahhhhh It’s Good!
— Christopher Rosen (@chrisjrosen) April 10, 2015
While #Avengers felt like a bookend to Phase 1, #AgeofUltron definitely feels like a conduit of things to come. That being said, it rocks.
— Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) April 10, 2015
Yep, it was awesome. Sensory overload.
— Amirose Eisenbach (@Amirosie) April 10, 2015
And for the sake of fairness, there were some that still enjoyed the film, but had a niggle with either how much Whedon has put into this film, or the film’s deviation from its predecessor’s laugh riot ways.
AGE OF ULTRON: Liked, didn’t love. A lot more bleak than the first. Excellent banter, great action, SO MUCH HAPPENING.
— Ben Pearson (@benpears) April 10, 2015
Avengers: Age Of Ultron is bigger, more complex, darker, more action packed than the first film, but ultimately not as much fun.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) April 10, 2015
Even with those slights mentioned at the end there, that’s still a hell of lot of positivity from the crowd. After the comic book perfection of the first Avengers, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Whedon to match or surpass that effort, since the bar had now been raised significantly. The fact that he apparently didn’t just mimic the recipe from the previous film, but instead did something a little different here is actually something that I find commendable. Very few of the Marvel movies released thus far have felt similar, so it makes sense that the premiere franchise in their stable would be leading the charge in that regard.
But bleaker tone aside though, it sounds like Whedon and co have pulled off one incredible movie that is sure to set the stage for everything that follows in the Phase 3 endgame. And I cannot freaking wait to see it myself! Especially that James Spader-ized Ultron!
Avengers: Age Of Ultron stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stellan Skarsgard,Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, and Don Cheadle. It officially opens locally on Friday, 24 April, 2015, but there is a pre-screening happening that Thursday, 23 April and bookings are now open.
Last Updated: April 13, 2015
RinceThis
April 13, 2015 at 12:03
SO MUCH EXCITE!
Kromas is drunk with power!
April 13, 2015 at 16:31
Hell yeah!
Zander Boshoff
April 13, 2015 at 20:42
Marvel has been on a roll with movies. One day i fear they will make a film that is average but im really happy to hear its not with avengers 2
Ghost In The Rift
April 14, 2015 at 03:54
This here, is gonna destroy my life past 9000…