5 Reasons to See Avengers: Age of Ultron In Theaters

Marvel Studios

This weekend the world will finally be able to see, en masse, the final piece to Marvel Studios’ Phase 2 of its cinematic universe. This is a culmination of storylines that have spanned several movies, including Captain America: Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World and even events that have taken place in the TV show Agents of SHIELD. At this point, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled to the brim with storylines, so it should come as no surprise that Avengers: Age of Ultron is filled with… well, it’s filled with everything.

As the film hits theaters and undoubtedly becomes the first big hit of summer, you might assume that everyone and their mother are headed out to see it. Their mothers mostly want to be there in case Chris Hemsworth takes his shirt off, at least that’s why mine would be there. But just in case you are still on the fence about this summer’s most anticipated movie, I’d like to give you 5 simple reasons why you should see it in theaters, rather than waiting for it to hit DVD or Netflix.

1. Even the biggest of screens can’t contain this movie.

Marvel Studios

From the first moment the audience arrives on scene, there is action. Every frame of this movie seems to include two things: (a) a character who is cool (b) doing something cool. Its visual onslaught, which erupts from the word go, cannot be contained by conventional screen sizes. It requires the biggest, loudest, most comfy auditorium you can find. That’s the way the filmmaker has intended it to be seen. Joss Whedon has earned our respect in this regard, so we may as well honor his wishes.

2. It sets up what is to come.

Marvel Studios

This may seem like a foregone conclusion — the fact that Age of Ultron would have plenty of easter eggs for Marvel’s next phase — but it’s still worth pointing out. There are whiffs of Phase 3 everywhere in this movie, from mentions of Wakanda (Black Panther) to some dark and ominous stuff for Thor (Ragnarok). The very existence of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and her powers propels the fact that Marvel is bringing in some of the mysticism and magic of its universe into the movies. This will make everything that’s going to happen in Doctor Strange easier to understand and accept for the mainstream audience. And of course, the seeds of Captain America: Civil War are being planted in the relationship between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. If you pay close enough attention, you can feel them coming apart on an idealogical level even as they are coming together in a literal way to defend Earth from Ultron.

3. It has a sense of humor.

Marvel Studios

Much has been made about the DC Comics movie universe and its “no jokes” policy. It’s an argument that has certainly divided fans of superhero movies into two categories. You either enjoy your movies more playful free to explore both the light and the dark within these characters or you want something that’s gritty and real. With Age of Ultron, Marvel is playing in the more free-flowing side of that sandbox. This isn’t to say that Age of Ultron doesn’t have big stakes or solid dramatic moments, it does. There is just also a sense of humor and levity about the way these characters interact that makes the entire thing less of a slog. The fact that it is packed with wall-to-wall high stakes action is enough to exhaust even the most dedicated fan. The lighter moments are, at times, a saving grace.

4. Vision.

The transformation of Paul Bettany from the voice of Tony Stark’s digital butler JARVIS into the walking, talking, other-worldly character Vision is one of the most interesting things about Age of Ultron. His arrival in the flesh is the moment when the film really takes off into the most comic-booky territory of any Marvel movie yet. The entire landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is elevated by his presence. Even with limited screen time, Vision becomes an integral part of the universe that we can only hope will play a bigger role going forward.

5. There is a beating human heart to it.

Marvel Studios

One of the things that seems to set Marvel’s films apart is their ability to be silly and fun and full of action but still find the great character moments within each movie. Age of Ultron, even amidst its onslaught of action, finds its most compelling storylines within the very non-super relationships. There’s a strong bond between Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). There’s a nice thread about Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and his place among the titans of The Avengers team. And there’s a nice sibling story between Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch. Finding the human connections is important in a movie like this, otherwise it’s just loud noises. Age of Ultron accomplishes enough on this front to maintain our interest between big set pieces. And then those set pieces are awesome.

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