The most versatile substance on the planet and they used it to make a Blu-ray.
By Joshua Yehl
This past summer, the Avengers assembled once more to trade quips, welcome some new heroes, and take on James Spader’s glib, evil robot Ultron. Now, the movie comes to home video with a Blu-ray combo pack featuring a single disc Blu-ray, a 3D Blu-ray, and a digital copy. IGN has already scored the movie an 8.6/10 in our original Avengers: Age of Ultron review for its great action and excellent mix of humor and darkness despite a few story stumbles, and we stand by that. This review won’t cover the movie itself but rather answer whether the Blu-ray combo pack and its extras are worthy of your hard-earned dollars.
Given that it’s no secret Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron saw many edits that left quite a bit of footage on the cutting room floor, we dove right into the Deleted Scenes, each of which comes with the option to play director Joss Whedon’s commentary along with it. Of the four scenes, only two are particularly interesting. One reveals the Black Widow/Hulk romance once had a version where it became even more complicated and tragic than it already is, and the other sees an extended sequence where Thor channels the Norns of Norse mythology to deliver some intriguing information about the Mind Stone. Seeing how Thor’s cave bath scene was a sore spot for many fans, it’s a wonder this far more compelling and informative take didn’t make it into the original cut.
We want to hear it.
The Featurettes are a mixed bag.
Global Adventure and Making the Movie are brief overviews that are neat to see but don’t dig deep on any of the material. The making of the Hulkbuster vs. Hulk fight in particular feels shortchanged; being the most elaborate and memorable battle in the movie, a full featurette on that sequence alone would have been appreciated.
The Gag Reel is cute but won’t exactly have you in stitches — although, has any superhero gag reel ever topped Spider-Man running onto the set of X-Men?
The most enticing one is The Infinite Six, which names each of the four known Infinity Stones (aka Infinity Gems in the comics) and tells where we’ve seen them, what they can do, and who has them now. This is great mostly because we can all stop debating which one is which; the record has been set straight. Also, for general audiences who haven’t been keeping track of the overarching fabric binding all of the movies, it makes for a nice primer.
We want to hear it.
For those who love the Marvel One-Shots, you’ll be disappointed to hear there’s not one to be found. While Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has previously stated that they wouldn’t be doing anymore for now, that doesn’t make it sting any less. It was always cool to get an additional piece of MCU lore when you bought the Blu-ray.
There’s also no Director’s Cut, which is no surprise given that Whedon has stated that he never intends to do one. However, with so much extra footage gone unused, it’s not unthinkable that Disney will release a studio-driven Extended Edition that adds in some deleted scenes, which we’ll all be forced to pay for all over again. Such is life.
The true gem of the package is Whedon’s affable, dryly humorous audio commentary for the film. He’s honest as can be, admitting where he thought he didn’t do enough on a scene, pointing out where conflicts caused a change in his original story, and highlighting troubling elements of the production. But he also has several moments of genuine happiness as he recalls a funny story with the cast members, names the comic makers who influenced his vision for the movie, and spoke from the heart about how special the project was for him, production troubles or no. He also points out an Easter egg for Buffy the Vampire that you might not have caught in the theater.
We want to hear it.
The audio and visual quality of the movie are everything you’d expect from a blockbuster release of this caliber. The film is presented in 2.40:1, encoded in 1080p, so the action scenes dazzle with insane detail, from the opening assault on Strucker’s fortress to the Ultron smash-fest that closes things out. The score booms and the sound effects pop thanks to the mix in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The movie translates well to the home theater, and it’s excellent specs are primed for those with a Sweet Setup. Just be sure to warn the neighbors first.
Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron comes to Blu-ray with the high-quality audio and visual presentation you’d expect for such a big blockbuster release. You’ve already made up your opinion on the movie, no doubt, so with rating the whole package in mind, we’re pleased with the product but feel just a tad disappointed. Director Joss Whedon’s audio commentary is the highlight, and The Infinite Six featurette is sublime for nerds and Muggles alike, but with shallow offerings elsewhere, plus no dedicated featurette on the Hulkbuster vs. Hulk fight, we’re not as satisfied as we could be. Still, the Avengers sequel is a great movie and it’s Blu-ray delivers a top-notch home video experience.
- Whedon’s commentary
- The Infinite Six
- Great movie
- Excellent audio and visuals
- Shallow featurettes
- No One-Shot or Director’s Cut
