Ant-Man is the latest movie that takes place in the “Marvel Universe” of comics.

The film starts in the late ’80s. Scientist Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) has discovered the Pym Particle, something which allows him to shrink the size of anything down to tiny proportions. He’s having a discussion with the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (and Howard Stark, Tony’s father) about the usefulness of his discovery, and is worried about who controls it. He makes the tough choice to quit the organization, destroy his research, and pretend it never existed.

Cut to now, in a prison. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is being released. He needs to get his life back together. He was serving time for hacking into his former company’s computers and revealing corporate secrets he had discovered. One Cybercrime later, he’s released, but after his wife (Judy Greer) divorced him and is involved with a police officer (Bobby Cannavale). He’s accepted that, but still wants to be in his daughter’s life. His ex won’t allow that until he comes up with the past due Child Support. His only option is to return to his technical skills and more crime.

Meanwhile, Hank’s been invited to an unveiling at the company he founded after he left S.H.I.E.L.D. He has retired. Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), his protégé, has been working towards creating the “unproven” Pym Particle and make millions. Fortunately his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) still works at the company. They have devised a plan to stop Cross from going any further and halt his plans. They have a scheme of their own, and it involves recruiting a certain ex-con.

So begins the film. Scott, who has reunited with his former cohort in crime, Luis (Michael Peña), who sets up a robbery that turns out to be Hank Pym’s home, where he’s stashed his Ant-Man costume. Eventually, Hank gets Scott to join in on his plan to ruin Cross’ plan, but only after an extended training montage. Scott also brings in Luis and the others who helped him with the post-release burglary. The plan is set, and the fun begins.

It was an odd choice to bring Ant-Man to the screen. I’m sure there are plenty of other Marvel Superheroes that deserve it more, but the film had been in development for several years. In the comics (and cartoons), there’s a connection between Ant-Man and the Avengers – Hank Pym was an Avenger, but left the organization. There are direct tie-ins to the Avengers franchise, which are made known throughout the film.

This film focuses more on comedy than the other Marvel movies. They acknowledge the premise is not as serious as the other Superhero films, but it has its place. I believe that is why they chose Paul Rudd as the star, rather than someone who would’ve been more serious in the role. He’s fine, as is everyone else in the film. I do have to say mention that someone must’ve had a strong Lee Grant fetish, because I kept looking at Evageline Lilly and thinking that was the look they were trying to achieve. The chemistry between her and Rudd is not what I’d call ideal, more a bit off. Let’s just say it was an odd pairing.

I left the theater with nothing more than a sense of “OK, yeah, I’ve seen it. Next!” I didn’t hate the movie, and the comedy worked. They make several references along the lines of “Yes, this is what we’re doing, and we acknowledge it seems a bit silly, but we’re doing it anyway”. Most of that humor works – for example, the song Luis whistles was an appropriate choice. I dunno, maybe it was better in 3D? Please let me know if you saw it that way, because I’d like to know. It’s an acceptable film, just not something you definitely have to rush out and see. I guess that means, more or less, that I recommend the movie.

There is a mid-credits scene, as well as one after the credits are over.

Trainwreck is the latest romantic comedy from Judd Apatow. Well, not exactly. Judd Apaatow produced and directed this film, but it’s really Amy Schumer’s film. She wrote it, presented it to Judd, and had implied that the latest ‘it’ girl could star. Judd told Amy that she should be the star, and thus it was so.

Amy and her sister Kim are the children of a divorce. Their father, played by Colin Quinn, was unfaithful to their mother, multiple times. He’s convinced himself that Monogamy is a joke, and at the start of the film, he gets his kids to repeat it, like a mantra.

Cut to some twenty years later, Amy has become exactly like her father. She’s all about one night stands, and never seems to be with a guy more than once, though she has her safety guy, Steven (John Cena). She writes articles for a men’s magazine, or more a magazine that caters to male chauvinists, which is made clear when her boss Dianna (Tilda Swinton) has a pitch meeting, and entertains ideas for new articles that are focused on male sexual behavior. One other writer suggests a story about a sports doctor, and Dianna gives the assignment to Amy, who is totally uninterested in sports. Amy sets off to meet Aaron (Bill Heder), the doctor in question. At their first meeting, LeBron James drops by because he’d left something behind, and a bit of silliness occurs. Amy is entranced by Aaron, and thus the romantic comedy begins.

This movie follows the traditional romantic comedy plot – Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, etc, however, since it’s Amy, it’s the reverse – Girl meets Boy, etc. I won’t kid you in saying that it isn’t formulaic, because it is. This movie is almost entirely from Amy’s perspective, but it includes some from the Boy’s. Amy loves her father, even though he’s a pain in the ass. Her interactions with her sister Kim (Brie Larson) are really strong, but also very antagonistic towards each other’s choices. It’s all told with Amy Schumer’s perspective. Her humor guides this film and it’s definitely refreshing and enjoyable. The MPAA has rated the film an R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use, so be forewarned.

I have to admit that a year ago, I was not a fan of Amy Schumer. Her style of humor is not a hit with everyone, but I’ve had a chance to see her TV show, which is hilarious and poignant. It’s very up close and personal, and honestly, most people wouldn’t have an issue with what she says if it were spoken by a man. However, if you like it, you’ll love this movie. I know I did.

One other tidbit to point out is that there are a LOT of cameos in the movie. There are many people who’ve appeared on Amy’s TV show, as well as a few celebrities, both of stage/screen, as well as the sports world.

Ted 2 is the latest film from Seth MacFarlane, best known for his work on Family Guy.  Ted 2 is the sequel to the movie Ted, where, as a child, John (Mark Wahlberg) makes a wish that his teddy bear  was alive. As an adult, John struggled to put away his childish things, including Ted, in order to win the woman of his dreams. The movie ended with them getting together.

Ted 2 starts as Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is marrying Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth).  There’s a huge self-indulgent dance number that mirrors the production style of Busby Berkeley, which, for some reason doesn’t include Tami-Lyn.  John is divorced, and has given up on love.  Cut to several months later, where Ted and Tami-Lynn are fighting over money, and can’t seem to reconcile their differences.

Ted is convinced by a fellow cashier that having a baby with Tami-Lynn will be a great way to reconnect. Ted, unfortunately, is unable to father a child (he’s a stuffed bear, after all), so he and Tami-Lynn (with John’s help) try several alternatives before deciding to adopt. Their application sets off all sorts of red flags in the Massachusetts government, who retroactively declare Ted is not a person, and is therefore without any rights as a human. His marriage is annulled, and he’s fired from his job.

John and Ted seek help from the top law firm in Boston. The chief partner turns them down, but directs them to a novice lawyer to the firm, Samantha Jackson (Amanda Seyfried).  This will be her first case, and she’s determined to win it.

I’ll point out that this is a Seth MacFarlane comedy.  He has a style of humor that not everyone likes.  Generally, he throws out a lot of jokes. He never lets up and will often shift gears to some new comedic build. There are some very memorable jokes, some spoiled by the trailer, but there are a plenty more. There are a ton of cameos in the movie, and almost all of those are funny and cut right to the core. There’s a fight in the movie that could have been brilliant, but it’s not the focus of the scene, and falls flat because the elements don’t receive enough focus, in my opinion. Some of them are so rapid fire that are ‘blink and you miss it’, so I will await a repeat viewing so I can catch them all.

I do recommend this film, but only if you’re a Seth MacFarlane fan and/or are nerd, because there’s plenty of nerd humor sprinkled throughout the film.  MacFarlane’s sense of humor isn’t for everyone, but you’ll know this is his movie. I couldn’t remember most of the jokes, but I do remember laughing to myself a few times throughout the movie. The cameos save this film from being just a moderately amusing also-ran.

There is a post-credits scene that just floored me (it probably won’t do the same for anyone else, though).

Spy is the latest collaboration from Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig. They’ve worked together on such films as The Heat and, of course, Bridesmaids.

Melissa McCarthy works at the CIA.  She plays Susan Cooper, a support agent for Bradley Fine (Jude Law).  Bradley is the perfect spy, suave, smooth, and talented, essentially an American James Bond.  Sharon acts as his external eyes and ears, directing him to where the action is, and where he can make a quick escape.  He’s hot on the trail of a someone who’s about to sell a small nuclear weapon to the highest bidder.  Bradley confronts him, and accidentally kills him before he reveals the location of the bomb.  Chaos ensues, and escapes, but only with Susan’s help.

Undaunted by this tremendous setback, Fine chooses to follow his target’s daughter Rayna (Rose Byne), who will be resuming the negotiations ASAP, so time is short. He sneaks into Rayna’s home and is found out.  He is killed, but not before Rayna reveals she knows who he is, and also claims to know every current field agent who would stop her.

The head of the CIA’s operations, Elaine Crocker (Allison Janney), realizes what’s at stake, but also that they can’t send their top agents anywhere near Rayna.   Crocker is forced to choose Susan, who had passed all the requirements of field service, but was commandeered by Fine.  This angers agent Rick Ford, who wants to avenge Bradley’s death, as well as find the bomb. So, off goes Susan, and the typical spy sequences occur. She’s given a cover, but it’s of some frumpy, middle aged woman on vacation. Her best friend/co-worker Nancy (Miranda Hart) becomes her handler, and guides her onward, who behaves as one expects Miranda Hart to behave.

At this point, one would expect the bumbling-agent-stumbles-toward-victory kind of movie, but that’s not exactly what happens. Susan is more than competent, and manages to stay focused enough to go with the events that transpire.

Mind you, this is a comedy.  I find it funny in places, and there are funny elements in the film, including several good laughs (one or two spoiled by the trailer).  Jason Statham plays it straight, and is intentionally untentionally comedic. At its heart, though, Spy is an action movie, and it’s not bad.  There are some plot holes that you could probably drive a truck through, but we’ll forgive those, as they’re a part of any film in the spy movie genre.

There is a mid-credits scene that’s worth waiting for.

Recommended, but you can wait until it’s up for rental.

Terminator: Genisys Is the latest movie in the Terminator franchise. Aside from the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger, this film reboots the entire series, and is intended for the fans, but others will like it, too.

I must start with the basic concept. In The Future (future…future…future…), Some computer called Skynet has practically destroyed humanity. The humans were not entirely wiped out, and learned to fight back. The resistance leader, John Connor (Jai Courtney), is almost victorious, but Skynet sent a robot back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of John. John was aware of the plan, and manages to send a soldier named Kyle Reese (Jason Clarke) back to protect his mother from the Terminator robot. While Kyle is successful, he sacrificed his life for Sarah, but not before the two fall in love. Kyle is, you see, the father of John Connor. The entire franchise is based on the notion that there were backup plans in place. I’ll leave it to you to revisit the films, but, thankfully, you can skip the last two.

Terminator: Genisys starts with Kyle’s reminiscences of his childhood, and how John Connor saved Kyle’s life. The two were inseparable, and Kyle becomes John’s right hand man. The humans are about to start the attack that will end the war with Skynet, but its done on multiple fronts. Some will attack Skynet directly, but John’s forces are to go after a facility in what used to be San Francisco. The fighting is fierce, but Skynet realizes something is up, and activates a Terminator and sends it back to 1984, this fulfilling that history will remain as it should be. John sends Kyle back, to fulfill his story, but as that plays out, John is attacked in the future, but Kyle makes it back.

It was quite interesting to see the scene played out. The scenes that come after turn the whole story on its edge, and thus have ruined everything that happened in the previous movies. A time travel paradox is created, and everything’s different. Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke (no relation)) is not what she’s supposed to be, and she has a friend. It would seem that once you muck with a timeline, further mucking is bound to occur. The rest I leave for you to discover.

Those of you who want to talk about time travel and its impact, think of this film along the lines of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, though not as clever.  For those of you who get easily confused about time travel, I suggest you watch this clip.

The story is a good one, and it’s never clear what will actually happen next, and that’s a good thing. Things have changed, and while things appear to be certain to transpire, they most definitely do not. While Emilia Clarke does well, she does not have the hard edge that Linda Hamilton developed for Terminator 2. While I did like the resolution of the story, there were some liberties taken to ensure that the franchise is not entirely done, yet. There’s a mid-credits sequence, so be sure to stay for that.

I do recommend this film.

Inside Out Is the latest release from Pixar. In the tradition of their legacy, this film is one of their very best. It is difficult to discuss the film

Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is the only child in a family (Kyle McLaughlin and Diane Lane) that moves from Minnesota to San Francisco when the father takes a new job. The adjustment is rough and it sends Riley into a tailspin of emotions. That’s a pretty straightforward description of the external events that take place in the film, but actually, The main story happens in Riley’s brain. At its core, Riley’s brain is run by 5 emotions that are portrayed as 5 individuals- Joy (Amy Pohler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Heder), Disgust (Mindy Kahling), and Anger (Lewis Black). Joy is the leader of this group, and the others generally let her take charge of what Riley does. This concept has been around for decades, brought to life in the sitcom Herman’s Head, but it diverges in enough ways to set it far apart from it.

The rest of this review does go into some details that spoil the movie, so if you do not want to read beyond this paragraph, you can rest assured that Pixar has another hit movie on their hands, and this is highly recommended. It will definitely make my top 10 films for 2015. I saw it in 3D, and it’s done well, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this film!

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As time progresses, memories are formed in the control center, and take the shape of a sphere. These are stored nightly in ‘memory’, out of the control center. Life-changing memories are stored in a special place, and make up the core of Riley’s personality.

After the move to S.F., Joy and Sadness are accidentally taken from the control center, and are presumed lost. Fear, Disgust, and Anger try to keep things going, but fail miserably. Joy and Sadness end up with the core memories, and Joy realizes she has to get back to the control center to regain some sense of sanity. Their trip has them wandering through the inner workings of Riley’s mind and they visit many of her memories. They stumble onto an old friend, who helps them on their way back to the control center.

This movie was a lot more complex than I had expected it to be. It tugs on your emotional heartstrings in a way that only Pixar seems to be able to do, these days. The finale of the film is satisfying and implies a growth of maturity. The epilogue was totally unexpected, but hilarious, satisfying, and ultimately enjoyable.

Pixar has done it again.

Oh, and the short at the beginning of the movie was OK, but not their best work. Completely forgettable.

Jurassic World is the latest sequel in a string of Jurassic Park films. Dr John Hammond, the original creator of Jurassic Park, has long since departed this world. He’s left his legacy to his granddaughter Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is now running Jurassic World, a successful replacement for the failed Jurassic Park. The park hosts thousands of guests, and is a success, thanks to an investment by billionaire Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan). It’s been active for years, but is looking for the new hook to draw in more guests. Claire has a plan, but goes a bit too far, and it all comes crashing down.

What can I say about this film? It’s got action, Dinosaurs, characters to care about, and trouble aplenty. What it really lacks is uniqueness or any sort of real draw. We’ve seen this before. Humans think they can control the dinosaurs. When they break out, the humans think they can contain them. We all know they can’t, otherwise, why bother with the movie? Just add a pinch of corporate greed, and some career vs family life nonsense, and then you have a movie. Or, do you?

Forgive me for going a bit meta here, but Claire says it best early in the film. Dwindling numbers in attendance are driving the park owners to consider how to draw the crowds. People aren’t happy with the same old Dinosaurs they have. The Park people have choosen to create new Dinosaurs that are unique, to re-interest people in coming back. They blend some genetics and come up with an ultrapredator to wow the crowds, which should hold ’em for a few years until they come up with yet another wondrous beast in the future. As I was thinking of this review, I can see the parallels between Jurassic World, and a movie studio, where the Dinosaurs are actually the movies the studio releases. Then, that commentary becomes all clear.

The big new dinosaur obviously breaks free, and mayhem ensues. Claire’s two nephews are at the park, but she’s too busy to show them around, so she assigns her assistant. Naturally, they’re caught up right in the middle of all the chaos. That’s what Claire gets for ignoring a family and living a life. Owen (Chris Pratt) is sort of a Dinosaur whisperer, and has been training a brood of Velociraptors as if they were hunting dogs. He gets “it”. The dinosaurs are living breathing entities instead of commodities, and he has to remind Claire of that, time and time again. Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus portray technicians who help “control” the park. Vincent D’Onofrio plays Pratt’s boss, and is the corporate mouthpiece.

There are a lot of cliches in the film, almost too many. There are very few surprises, too, and sadly, that’s what I took away from the film. They can’t have just one failure, it ALL has to come crashing down. It’s the big budget disaster movie, where the lessons supposedly learned from the previous movie were ignored, and that’s the only reason the movie happens. I almost hate it for that.

Human and animal violence run through the film. There are several gruesome deaths, including one person who was supposed to be annoying, but was only doing their job. Either it was gratuitous, or they cut out most of the character’s part from the script.

I almost want to say you should avoid this film. There are some moments that were good, but overall, I’d have to say you don’t need to see it. If you feel you must, you definitely do not have to see it in 3D, like I did.

San Andreas is the latest disaster movie to hit the theaters. It’s available as a 3D experience, as well as the regular 2D. There is some good use of 3D, which is how I saw it. It’s almost enough to recommend seeing it in 3D, but you won’t be missing too much if you don’t see it that way. This film is a traditional disaster film, reminiscent of several others.

Dwayne Johnson plays Ray, a helicopter rescue pilot working out of L.A. The film starts with a TV news crew interviewing him and his team as they rescue someone who’s crashed their car in the hilly L.A. suburbs. He’s going to go camping with his daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario), before she goes off to college in San Francisco, but is called away, because other matters get out of hand.

In a separate storyline, two seismologists from Caltech, Doctors Hayes and Park (Paul Giamatti and Will Yun Lee) have developed a predictive model of earthquakes, and go to the source of their latest prediction, near Las Vegas. Their calculations are accurate, and all hell breaks loose. They are caught up in a colossal quake along a previously undiscovered fault line near the Hoover Dam. After returning to Caltech, Dr. Hayes’s model shows that the actual San Andreas fault is about to give way, from L.A. up to San Francisco.

We find that Ray is about to get divorced from his wife Emma (Carla Gugino), and she’s moving in with her new boyfriend, a real estate devloper who’s building will be the tallest in San Fran. He offers to take Blake to SF since Ray is no longer able.

Then, the big one hits L.A., and Ray, who was on his way to Vegas in his chopper to help with rescue attempts there, turns around to rescue Emma, who’s downtown. Meanwhile, Blake is trapped up in San Francisco, and Ray decides to fly up to save her. There’re some spectacular bits of destruction going on. There are some scenes reminiscent of 1974’s Earthquake

From there, onward, the situation goes from bad to worse. The disaster porn really kicks into high gear. Ground shakes, buildings tumble, and so on. What we see is more on a personal level, as the movie sticks to following the characters instead of the bigger picture. Perhaps personal isn’t the right word, it’s more intimate. They are involved in the situation, but the focus is clearly on them in the midst of all the chaos.

I have to say that I am a huge fan of these Disaster Porn flicks. All the destruction at the hand of Nature really just amplifies how powerless we are, regardless of what we believe we are in control of. San Andreas is a good film with an OK script. The side story with the seismologists really helps the story, IMO. There are several typical disaster movie tropes in the film, but they’re not too much of a cliche. There are a few graphic deaths, the kind you’d expect in a film like this. I do recommend the film.

There is one issue that bothered me early in the film, but I will explain it below.

Spoilers follow, so you may stop reading if you do not want to be spoiled.

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I have one major quibble about the film. Ray’s on his way to Vegas, supposedly with his crew. When he decides to go save his soon to be ex, his crew disappears. What happened to them? I’m trying to remember if they were even in the helicopter when his wife calls for help. There’s no mention of them beyond that point, and they were supposed to all be comrades from Afghanistan who stuck together, no matter what. THEN, he decides to ignore all that’s happening around him in L.A. and fly up to San Francisco. I guess his sense of duty went out the window right with the rest of his crew.

Before you reply, yes, I know it’s a movie and I’m not supposed to expect things like consistency, but still, I had to mention it. It’s a pretty big plot hole that they could’ve explained better. I hope that explanation shows up as a deleted scene when it’s available for rental/purchase/etc.

Mad Max: Fury Road is the latest Mad Max movie from George Miller. You’d think the series is done, having shown enough, but you’d be wrong. 90-95% of this movie is action thriller, and it pays off.

That being said, it helps if you’ve seen the other MM films, but it’s not entirely necessary. Society has totally broken down and degenerated into chaos. There are towns, whose sole focus is the production of some sort of product. Each trades with the others, but it’s a dangerous operation. Raiders loners exist everywhere. Max (Tom Hardy) is one such loner, captured at the beginning of the film, and is brought to the town run by Immortan Joe, whose commodity is water. He leads his people with promises of reincarnation, and glory through battle. While he’s no Ayatolla of Rock and Rolla, he’s definitely got some form of barbaric psychosis, with a ‘uniform’ to match.

Meanwhile, a trade event is happening. Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), leaves with her truck and trailer on the premise of getting gasoline and ammo from nearby towns. She diverts from that plan and goes her own way. The chase is on. Meanwhile, Max has type O Negative blood, and has been imprisoned in the hospital, plugged into Nux, who’s suffering from an indeterminate illness. All warriors are summoned to chase down Furiosa. Nux is a driver, and lashes Max to the front of his vehicle, and they give chase.

Why is Furiosa running away? Where is she going? I’ll leave that for you to find out. This film is one long chase scene, punctuated by periods of exposition. I really couldn’t understand why they made another Mad Max movie, but then again, it’s been 36 years since the original Mad Max film was released (34 since The Road Warrior). This film offers no insight into the world that was, but honestly, it’s not necessary. The action is frenetic, even sped up at times, but it isn’t rehashing stunts you’ve already seen. It’s an exciting film that hooks you and doesn’t let go. Recommended.

Note: This film has extreme violence.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is the latest film from the Marvel Comic Book Universe. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon, who also did the same for the first Avengers movie. The bulk of the review is spoiler-free, but some discussion of the events is necessary. There will be a break in the review before those details are revealed, but notice will be given, first.

After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers have been on a quest to recover special items that were lost – weapons, devices, and artifacts. Amongst those are the relic called the Chitauri Scepter, which was the device Loki used in the first Avengers movie to summon the Chitauri to Earth. They have traced it to be in the possession of a man known as Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, in the nation of Sokovia. The movie starts with the raid on his castle, with all of the Avengers in on the attack. Some things occur that interfere with their complete success, but they manage to escape with the scepter, mostly unscathed, and angering the nation of Sokovia in the process.

The raid is (mostly) successful, and the intention is to return the scepter to Asgard, Thor’s home, where it can be properly protected from falling into the wrong hands. However, before that happens, Tony Stark and Doctor Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk) examine it, and unintentionally unlock something they shouldn’t have. And with that, the fun begins. They realize they must contain what has been created before it gets out of control.

There’s a lot that happens in this movie. Many subplots are revealed, as is some of the backstory of a character or two. In most movies, this would have been eliminated as unnecessary, but here, time is devoted to a bit of exposition. I suspect that some of the material that was not actually shown may end up as extras on the release to home video. What is shown, however, explains some of the Avengers’ motivations and drives, and is important to the story. There is a lot of humorous banter throughout the movie.

The runtime of the film is 141 minutes, so be prepared. It has been released in 3D and traditional 2D. While I did not see the 3D version, I do not feel it is necessary to pay to see that version. Highly recommended if you are a fan of comic book films, as this one follows along with the first Avengers movie in its quality.
As with other Marvel movies, there is a short clip in the middle of the credits, however, in breaking with tradition, there isn’t one at the end of them.

Regardless, it’s a good action movie, with a touch too much shaky camera action.

Spoilers follow, so you may stop reading if you do not want to be spoiled.

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I am left feeling a slight letdown now that I’ve seen it, but perhaps that’s from all the media exposure this film has received in the last few months, but I don’t know. Maybe it fell flat in some ways, mimicing the underlying concept of the need to evolve: The Avengers really don’t seem to have changed all that much nor have they felt the need to. Hard to say, but maybe I’m just overanalyzing it.

Oh yes, and Whedon broke a movie trope – In war films, the guy who shows us a picture of his best girl/wife and family has to die. It’s a rule. That didn’t happen with Hawkeye!

One thing I noticed was that for some characters, the Avengers would use their actual names instead of their superhero names. For example, they’d call Black Widow Nat, Natasha, or Romanov, or Iron Man as Stark, or Tony. Other characters, like Captain America, Hawkeye, and Thor, would be called Cap, Hawk, or Thor. I can almost understand why, but I wonder if this familiarity, or lack thereof, indicates the rift amongst the team, and how they will choose sides in the expected Civil War story, which is rumored to be the topic of the next movie.

James Spader is the voice of Ultron, and his vocal delivery has the deliberately slow cadence of Raymond Reddington from The Blacklist. It took me a while to get past that.

One thing that gets me about computer/A.I. personalities is how they seem to be unique, and there are no such things as backups, so that once something’s gone, it’s gone. I never understood why. In this film, there are two – Jarvis and Ultron. Jarvis is unique, but Ultron seems to be able to transfer to multiple bodies. Why not just duplicate ‘himself’ and remove the need?