Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer Review

The trailer for the Marvel extravaganza that is Avengers 2 has finally arrived. I was highly anticipating this movie before I saw this trailer, and I can safely say I'm even more pumped for it now. Let me talk about a few of the things that caught my eye in this trailer.

First off, Ultron is the villain in this one. Loki had his time, and certainly made the most of it. But it's time for Tom Hiddleston and that character to step down as the Avengers' main foe. James Spader was cast to provide the voice of Ultron, and based on what the trailer shows, he has done a knockout job. His voice is very menacing, even scary. And Ultron seems like he will be quite an on-screen presence. I can't wait to see more of him.

One thing that really struck me while watching the trailer was how dark the tone was. The first Avengers movie was, for the most part, a light-hearted comic book movie that mostly had the intention of being fun and entertaining. Of course, it succeeded in that immensely, as it is in my opinion one of the greatest superhero films ever made. But, I was hoping that they chose a bleaker route with the inevitable sequel. And it seems that's exactly what is happening.

In the trailer, you see a lot of the characters we've come to love like Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, even Hulk getting physically challenged and sometimes beaten. I know there are some people that prefer comic book films that are more like Guardians of the Galaxy than The Dark Knight, and usually don't like a darker tone. However, I am in no way one of those people, and seeing these beloved characters losing in a fight has me very excited.

Andy Serkis makes a very brief appearance in the trailer. There had been reports that he was cast in the film, but I really didn't know where he would fit in. I heard rumors that he might be Doctor Strange, but that's obviously not the case. Just based off of what I saw in the trailer, Serkis' physical appearance suggests that he may be Black Panther. This is just speculation, but that's what came to my mind when I saw him. I may very well be dead wrong, but Serkis is a great actor and a good choice for the role if it's true.

We also get to see a glimpse of the Hulkbuster armor. This is used for one thing: fighting the Hulk, as the name would suggest. This battle between Iron Man in his Hulkbuster suit and the Hulk could very well be one of the greatest cinematic moments of next year. I don't think that's overstating it by any means. We get a short look at it in the trailer, but I absolutely can't wait to see the fight in its entirety, as well as see how Joss Whedon chooses to handle the plot of dissension among the team.

In Ultron's earliest appearances in the comics, he was created by Hank Pym, who is also known as Ant-Man. It's been announced that Pym is getting his own film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe next July, but it seems he won't be in Age of Ultron. Tony Stark appears to be the inventor of Ultron, which takes more from newer iterations of the character.

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also in this trailer. The twin siblings appeared in one of the after-credits scenes for The Winter Soldier, but we get to see even more of them here. Evan Peters' portrayal of Quicksilver in this year's X-Men: Days of Future Past was awesome, especially, of course, the breathtaking sequence that I don't need to describe for you to know what I'm talking about. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'm not a big fan of Taylor-Johnson. Everything I've seen him in he's either been bland or just okay. I'm hoping he's great in this movie, but I feel like Peters left some pretty big shoes to fill. We'll see how it goes.

All in all, this trailer was spectacular. It has me extremely excited for a movie that I was already greatly looking forward to, and it has quelled any fears I had about the project beforehand. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in good hands, and has shown no signs of letting up any time soon. DC made headlines by announcing its 10-movie lineup over the next 6 years. I look at this trailer as Marvel's answer to DC. And man, it is quite a statement.