Avengers Endgame Film Review

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Avengers, Avengers Endgame, Avengers Endgame film review, Avengers Endgame review, Marvel, MCU, Thanos

Avengers Endgame

Review by Paul Bowler.

Avengers Endgame explodes onto the big screen in the wake of Avengers Infinity War’s devastating cliff-hanger from last year which saw fifty per cent of the MUC’s heroes turned to dust by cosmic super-villain Josh Brolin’s Thanos.. This spectacular, 22^nd instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeelyand, brings the saga to a shattering conclusion – and yes Avengers Endgame is every bit the triumphantly bombastic finale we could’ve ever hoped for!

The 　surviving Avengers are back, with the classic trinity of Robert Downey Jnr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth returning as Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, along with Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner / Hulk and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, and a wealth of other surviving MCU heroes including Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes / War Machine, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man to name just a few of the films star-studded ensemble cast uniting to avenge their fallen comrades by striking back to defeat the　all-powerful Thanos and save the universe.

This time though the Avengers will have Brie Larson’s cosmic powered Captain Marvel fighting alongside them! Captain Marvel certainly brings a fresh new dynamic to the team. Captain Marvel’s presence somewhat redresses the slight gender imbalance in the Avengers team line-up, she’s a major powerhouse in her own right, and has a mischievous no-nonsense attitude and slight disdain for following orders.

Josh Brolin remains as compelling and powerful in the role of Thanos. The Mad Titan is confident to the extreme, sure in his power, and as ruthlessly intelligent as ever. As villains go in the MCU, Thanos is one of the most well written and developed so far, and Avengers Endgame delivers a spectacular showdown between the Avengers and their intergalactic arch-enemy.

Anthony Russo and Joe Russo have weaved their spellbinding magic again with Avengers Endgame. If you thought Infinity War was epic in scope and scale, well you better buckle up, because you ain’t seen nothing yet! Avengers Endgame is packed with awesome action-set-pieces, jaw-dropping CGI, and plenty of glorious character moments for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they dust themselves off and take the fight to Thanos.

With its three hour run time of thrills, action, and shock surprises, Avengers Endgame will have you on the edge of your seat as the plot twists and turns through a myriad of plot threads that skilfully encompasses the entirety of the MCU amidst all the spectacle.

To say more could end up risking spoiling this incredible cinematic event. So, suffice to say Avengers Endgame provides an emotionally charged finale to the current MCU film series, its also brilliant fun, and one of the most epically action-packed superhero movies ever!

 

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Invincible Iron Man #593 Review

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Alex Maleev, Avengers, Brian Michael Bendis, Infamous Iron Man, Invincible Iron Man #593, Invincible Iron Man #593 review, Iron Man, Ironheart, Marte Gracia, Marvel Comics, Marvel Legacy, Stefano Caselli, The Invincible Iron Man #593, Tony Stark, VC’s Clayton Cowls

Invincible Iron Man #593

Review by Paul Bowler

A startling new era for Marvel’s armored Avenger begins in Invincible Iron Man #593 as Marvel Legacy gets under way. The comatose body of Tony Stark has vanished! Now it falls to Stark’s friends and foes, those who have overseen his business interests and assumed the mantel of Iron Man since his battle with Captain Marvel during Civil War II left Tony in a medically unexplainable coma, to finally decide who will succeed him as the Invincible Iron Man!

Well, now that we’ve got all the hoo-ha with Secret Empire out of the way, Marvel can concentrate on getting things back on track with Legacy. To be honest, this is bit of a quirky issue of Invincible Iron Man, there is a sense of getting back to basics and core elements of the character, which I guess is what Legacy is meant to be all about, and the return to the series’ original numbering – along with a great cover by Adi Granov – gives you a real sense that you are witnessing the start of something with great potential here.

The issue is positively bursting with insightful character moments and exposition, and writer Brian Michael Bendis keeps Invincible Iron Man #593 on an even keel as he skilfully juggles the numerous plot threads. Tony’s AI, Friday is every present throughout, quickly brining us up to speed with current events: with Tony’s condition in stasis at a Stark Facility, Riri Williams role as Iron heart (whose Armor is run by an AI downloaded from Stark’s consciousness), and Victor Von Doom’s self-proclaimed path to redemption as the Infamous Iron Man.

The Star Expo that opens the issue, overseen by Stark’s Mother, Amanda, and Mary Jane Watson, is a poignant affair tinged with both sadness and hope; despite the dour board of directors resolve to spoil the party. Throw in the mystery of Tony Stark’s body going missing and a tense face-off between the Thing and Victor Von Doom after an incident at Riker’s Island, and you have an issue that poses as many questions as it does answers.

Featuring the work of artists Stefano Caselli and Alex Maleey, with Color Artists Marte Gracia and Alex Maleev, Invincible Iron Man #593 ticks all the boxes visually and stylistically, and the transition between artists and color artists doesn’t impede the overall enjoymenty of reading the issue. The panel layouts are straightforward, nothing fancy, the characters and location are well realized, and there’s a nice jaunt around the Marvel Universe as everyone concerned ponders who ya gonna call when Tony Stark goes missing!?! Although there’s probably enough story in this issue for a couple of issues, for me though, the standout scene was between Victor and The Thing, where some especially scathing home truths are finally aired – and about time too!

Ok, now I’m a big fan of Iron Man / Tony Stark. However, I wasn’t impressed with his fate at the end of Civil War II, Riri Williams was ok as Ironheart, but I didn’t really warm to Doom being the Infamous Iron Man that much, and having skipped Secret Empire completely I’m hoping that The Search For Tony Stark Part 1 sets things up for Tony’s return as the one, true, Iron Man. The question is, is that what’s happening here in this issue?

That’s something this issues surprise ending will certainly leave us guessing about for now. While the story is adequate enough, I was hoping the art would be a bit more spectacular, but it’s still a fairly good issue for fans and newcomers alike. Suffice to say; if Marvel Legacy is all about getting back to the core mechanics, ethos, and distinctive look of Marvel’s most iconic characters, then Invincible Iron Man #593 is definitely a step in the right direction.

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis / Artist: Stefano Caselli & Alex Maleev

Color Artists: Marte Gracia & Alex Maleev / Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowls

Cover: Adi Granov

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Avengers Age Of Ultron Film Review

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Avengers, Avengers Age of Ultron, Avengers Age of Ultron Review, Black Widow, Captain America, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Hawkeye, Iron Man, James Spader, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, Paul Bettany, Quicksilver, Robert Downey Jr, Samule L Jackson, Scarlet Johansson, Scarlet Witch, The Hulk, The Vision, Thor, Ultron

Avengers Age of Ultron Movie Review

Review by Paul Bowler

Earth’s mightiest heroes are back in Marvel’s incredible Avengers Age of Ultron. This action-packed superhero sequel from writer / director Joss Whedon, the man who helmed the first film, Avengers Assemble (2012), kicks off 2015’s blockbuster season in tremendous style with this epic Marvel superhero movie that will both thrill and entertain comic book aficionados and film fans of the genre alike.

Following the Avengers latest mission to raid a secret Hydra facility and recover Loki’s sceptre, they return to New York where Tony Stark’s experiments with the staffs power to develop an advanced peacekeeping programme goes wrong and the artificial intelligence becomes a lethal sentient robot – Ultron! The Avengers: Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), must unite in these dark times to face their greatest challenge as Ultron instigates his heinous plan to wipe out humanity. As Ultron’s power grows, the Avengers must stop him at any cost, and new alliances will be forged as the mighty Avengers battle to save the world from Ultron!

Avengers Age of Ultron is an exciting and witty superhero saga bursting with exhilarating action sequences, back stories, cameos, and adventure on a global scale. Whedon’s dynamic script gives everyone a chance to shine: Robert Downey Jr is on fine form as Tony Stark whose hubris unwittingly creates Ultron, Chris Evans is great as super-solder Captain America from the 1940’s, Chris Hemsworth is commanding and impressive as the mighty Thor, there’s also more focus on Jeremy Renner as we learn more about Hawkeye’s life outside the Avengers, and the close bond developing between Mark Ruffalo’s anguished scientist Bruce Banner and Scarlet Johansson’s former spy Natasha Romanoff becomes increasingly evident as Banner grows more troubled about the destructive power of his rampaging alter ego.

Along with the threat posed by Ultron the Avengers also find themselves facing two new foes, the super-powered twins Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) aka Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is great as Quicksilver, and the super speedsters powers are well used on screen. However, it is Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and her uncanny telekinesis and mind control powers that makes the biggest impact when she uses her abilities to mess with the Avengers minds – causing them to experience haunting visions that play to their innermost doubts and darkest fears.

Ultron makes a worthy adversary for the Avengers and this sentient robot with a god complex soon proves to be more than a match for the Earth’s mightiest heroes. James Spader imbues the voice of Ultron with an unsettlingly cold malevolence that is quite unnerving. Its a great performance, Spader clearly revels in every evil line he delivers as the films main antagonist, and Ultron’s ambition to facilitate the destruction of humanity also includes recruiting Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch and constructing a robot army.

Writer / Director Joss Whedon has a perfect handle on all these characters. The character development in Avenges Age of Ultron is second to none; Whedon uses the 141 minute running time to great effect, deftly balancing the plethora of sub plots, action sequences, and characters in a way that underlines just how well Whedon understands what makes a comic book adaptation work on the big screen. Moments of levity also nicely counterbalance some of the films darker themes. There’s lots of fun banter between the Avengers to enjoy, Tony Stark gets some great one-liners, and Thor’s attempts to understand 21st century America also provides some laughs.

Needless to say the action scenes are absolutely stunning: the attack on the Hydra base is explosively exciting, Iron Man slugs it out with the Hulk in a spectacular building trashing smack down, and the final confrontation with Ultron is a breathtaking race against time as the Avengers battle to save humanity.

The extensive cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, together with Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, and Don Cheadle (James Rhodes / War Machine) in supporting roles. Perhaps most significantly Age of Ultron marks the highly anticipated debut of the mysterious Vision to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by Paul Bettany, who has voiced J.A.R.V.I.S in four films, and suffice it to say that the character more than lives up to all the hype generated by the films posters and trailers!

Avengers Age of Ultron is a brilliant film, Joss Whedon has done a fantastic job, the chemistry between the ensemble cast is superb, it’s packed with blockbusting action from beginning to end, and it also successfully sets things up for the next phase of Marvel films coming our way over the next few years.

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The Vision Official Character Poster For Avengers Age Of Ultron!

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Avengers, Avengers Age of Ultron, Joss Whedon, Marvel, Paul Bettany, The Vision, The Vision Poster

 The Vision Official Character Poster For Avengers Age Of Ultron!

Check it out! Marvel have released a brand new character poster for Avengers Age of Ultron featuring The Vision! Played by Paul Bettany, who also voiced J.A.R.V.I.S in four films, now portrays the mysterious Vision in this brand new poster! As anticipation builds for the release of Avengers Age of Ultron its great to finally get a look at the Vision in this great poster.

Avengers Age Of Ultron opens in the UK 23 April 2015 & the US on 1 May 2015

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Ultron Poster Released For Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron

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Ultron Poster Released For Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron

Check out the Ultron Poster Released For Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron! The Poster is the latest in the series of character one-sheets for the film. Ultron looks magnificent!

Avengers Age Of Ultron opens in the UK 23 April 2015 & the US on 1 May 2015

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Marvel’s New: Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer

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Age of Ultron Trailer #3, Avengers, Avengers Age of Ultron, Avengers Age of Ultron Official Trailer, Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer, Joss Whedon, Marvel

Marvel’s New Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer!

Check the awesome new trailer for Marvel’s: Avengers Age of Ultron!

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Marvel’s New Official Avengers Age Of Ultron Poster

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Avengers, Avengers Age of Ultron, Avengers Age Of Ultron Official Poster, Joss Whedon, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Ultron

Check Out Marvel’s New Official Avengers Age of Ultron Poster!

Marvel Studios has unveiled the official poster for Joss Whedon’s ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.’ It features the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, together with the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, with the Vision obscured by sunlight overhead as Ultron’s lethal robots swarm down from the sky. Eagle eyed fans have noticed that as well as the main cast members, the posters credits also feature the names of other actors: including Anthony Mackie (The Falcon), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Idris Elba (Heimdall), and Stellan Skarsgard (Erik Selvig). The credits also reveals that the composer Danny Elfman has contributed “additional music” to Brian Tyler’s score.

 Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron is release in the UK April 23rd 2015

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New Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

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Avengers, Avengers Age of Ultron, Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer, Joss Whedon, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Ultron

New Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer

Check out the awesome new Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer!

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Special Look At Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron

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Avengers, Avengers Age of Ultron, Avengers Age of Ultron Clip, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Special Look At Marvel's Age of Ultron, Ultron

Special Look At Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron Clip & List of Marvel’s Phase 3 Films

Marvel certainly know how to make an impact, with the announcement on Tuesday of Chadwick Boseman’s casting as the Black Panther and the new films that will feature in Marvel’s Phase 3. The list of films and their release dates are: Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016), Doctor Strange (Nov4, 2016), Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (May 5,2017), Thor: Ragnarok (July 28, 2017), Black Panther (Nov 3, 2017), Avengers: Infinity Wars Part 1 (May 4,2018), Captain Marvel (July 6, 2018), Inhumans (Nov 2, 2018), Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 (May3, 2019). Along with all that awesome news, during the new episode of Agents of SHIELD on ABC, Marvel also released an exclusive scene from Avengers Age Of Ultron!

Check out the Special Look at Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron 1st Clip as the Avengers try to prove their worth!

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A Look Back At Marvel’s Cinematic Universe Phase 1 & 2

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A Look Back At Marvel's Cinematic Universe Phase 1 & 2, Avengers, Avengers 2 Age Of Ultron, Black Widow, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, Iron Man, Josh Brolin, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Films, Marvel Phase 1, Marvel Phase 2, Nick Fury, Thanos, Thor, Ultron

A Look Back At Marvel’s Cinematic Universe Phase 1 & 2

Marvel Studios have released this awesome look back at their Phase 1 & Phase 2 movies in order to celebrate the expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy”

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