Marvel's Avengers - Age of Ultron

Marvel Studios is back with Avengers: Age of Ultron, the epic sequel to one of the largest superhero movies made. The Avengers find themselves facing the experiment of HYDRA leader Baron von Strucker, twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Elisabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) during an assault of his castle. Wanda has the power to warp reality and takes down the entire team of Avengers. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is worried after getting a glimpse of a possible future and decides to use Loki's scepter to bring the A.I. to life that he and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) were creating: Ultron. Ultron (James Spader) was designed to protect Earth, but being an A.I., has a mind of it's own and decides humanity needs to evolve - by being exterminated so machines can inherit the Earth.

There is a lot going on in Avengers, and writer-director Joss Whedon does a good job of allowing each character to get their own moment, and what a cast of characters. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, with the additional support of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

There is plenty of humour and action packed sequences. The Hulkbuster was definitely my favourite! Some of the stories feel too contrived (Natasha and Bruce?) but maybe that can't be helped with so many big characters. We do get to see some of the backstory of the characters through the visions they have when Wanda works her powers on them which was quite interesting, though Thor's vision was a bit confusing and made me think they just wanted to have material to spin-off for more standalone Thor movies. James Spader makes a delicious villain (but I only heard a more sinister Alan Shore from Boston Legal) and you can't help but cheer when he is finally defeated. I'm not familiar with the comic-verse, but you do find out who will be in the new Avengers film.  Avengers drags on a little bit near the end, especially with a two and half hour running time. Make sure to stay through the credits for an extra scene.

Overall, Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn't capture the same excitement as seeing all the heroes together for the first time,  but nonetheless it was an entertaining movie worth seeing on the big screen.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy In Theatres Today!

Guardians of the Galaxy, one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer, comes out in theatres today. A rag-tag group of unconventional heroes, and not quite mainstream in the Marvel world, Guardians is definitely a fun movie to watch.

Taking place in a faraway galaxy, a human, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is a junkman who is after an orb for his boss, only to find out a ton of other folks are after it too. Gamora (Zoe Saldana), a trained weapon, is sent by villain Ronan (Lee Pace) to retrive the orb. Rocket, a genetically altered racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and his friend Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), a walking tree, are bounty hunters who come along for a cut in the price that the orb would fetch. Rounding out the crew is Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) who the other meet in a Kyln prison. These five misfits form an unlikely team that must defeat Ronan and save the galaxy.

Guardians paint a pretty impressive CGI world and the action sequences are fast-paced. There are plenty of witty one-liners and off beat jokes that will have you laughing throughout the movie. Sprinkled with great tracks from the 70's (I Want You Back - Jackson 5, Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede), Guardians of the Galaxy definitely promises a fun ride for everyone. Guardians of the Galaxy is out in theatres today.

IMAX 3D Sneak Peak of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Studios announces Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy”: An IMAX 3D First Look—featuring 17 minutes of exclusive footage of Marvel’s highly anticipated summer blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The sneak peek will be showcased in select IMAX locations across Canada on July 7, 2014, at 7 p.m.

Select IMAX 3D theatres nationwide and internationally will offer the special screening of thrilling, never-before-seen 3D footage of the James Gunn-directed epic space adventure, which opens across Canada on August 1, 2014.

Commenting on the exclusive footage, director James Gunn says,  “We’ve re-mastered some of our epic sequences into the IMAX format, taking the scope and scale to new heights while creating a truly immersive, cinematic experience that will take you further into the Marvel Universe than ever before.”

Tickets to the July 7th Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy”:  An IMAX 3D First Look are free and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis starting today at 12:00 p.m EST through www.facebook.com/MarvelCanada.

Fans who attend this sneak peek will also receive a limited edition collectible Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” IMAX poster.

Midnight launch for The Avengers @ Futureshop (Sept 24)

The Avenger's is coming out on Blu-ray and DVD, and you can get it at Futureshop at midnight on Monday, September 24th 11:59am (alongside the World of Warcraft launch)! There will be 10 free The Avengers POP toys and a minimum of 40 free The Avengers lithographs when you purchase the movie.

More details here.