Ridiculous, Utterly Enjoyable

Do you ever binge watch several episodes of “Breaking Bad” or “Game of Thrones” in a single day? It’s like the self-indulgent, sugar rush of a whole pint of ice cream or a box of Oreos. Well, that’s how watching “Avengers: Age of Ultron” feels. Plowing through layer upon layer of characters and story and subplots and conflicts and pop philosophy, writer-director Joss Whedon’s film ought to crumble under its own weight; but it doesn’t. Despite occasional miscues and troughs, it flies by — the first extra-long blockbuster in years that feels short.

Now you may say superhero movies are killing “real” movies. But think of it this way: Other blockbuster films can provide the money — “Furious 7” just became the top grossing American movie in Chinese history — to fund films of greater cultural merit, whatever that may be. Certainly for me there is no problem when a film is as crazy, silly, exuberant, exhilarating and fun as “Ultron.”

If you think I will even attempt to reveal the plot of the movie, based upon many Marvel comic book characters, think again. All I’ll say is that Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr., who delivers one-line wisecracks with machine gun precision) has assembled his crew of superheroes to put an end to Hydra. 

Instead, in an effort to bring the world peace in our time — shades of Neville Chamberlain, no less — Stark unleashes Ultron, a computer program in a robot’s body, whose idea of bringing world peace is to eliminate humans. 

But you see “Avengers” for the effects and the cast. Whedon lets us down a little with the effects. There are too many robot fighters that our heroes easily blow away; a rampage by the Hulk is simply ridiculous and too long, and the final, long confrontation involves saving a country we don’t much care about and its citizens, whom we have never before met.

Ah, but the cast. Downey is superb in the role that, for better or worse, will probably define his whole career. Mark Ruffalo is excellent as the sensitive, troubled and introspective Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk, for whom morphing back from the green giant to the doctor is increasingly difficult. He is now coaxed by Black Widow, well played by Scarlett Johansson with redder hair than in the first Avengers movie. 

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, the god from outer space (and Norse legend) with biceps that seem to grow bigger from scene to scene, is swaggering; Chris Evans’s Captain America is again a reminder of stolid, World War II American values; and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye remains the most retro and oddest Avenger with his bow and quiver of arrows. (But how I miss Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Thor’s brother, from the first Avengers film. He will surely appear again in one of the seven — yes, seven — Marvel superhero movies in the works.)

If all this seems more than a bit mad and the final confrontation over familiar, you will seldom see a film made with such joy and sense of fun. (In what other film will you hear a wife say, “I entirely support your avenging?”) Ridiculous, yes; but entirely enjoyable.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is playing widely. Rated PG-13 for entirely bloodless violence.