Joss explains why he changed Ultron's origin: [link]

It'd be nice if the Avengers of the MCU started with Hank and Janet as founding members, but since it didn't, I can understand why Joss felt it was necessary to change it.

I do wonder, based on the trailers, and on the fact the next Captain America film is Civil War, if by the end of the movie we'll be left with Cap's Kooky Quartet as the whole of the Avengers.

but I'm still right: it's a fun and gorgeous movie, it's a great movie for girls, and it's no stupider than Star Wars or Superman.

This! THIS!

I just got back from seeing Jupiter Ascending, and I really liked it. Yes, it was astonishingly pretty. But it was also a better movie than I expected. It had some nice twists on traditional female narrative roles/tropes (she doesn't get married, and she flat-out says the line "I'm not your mother") , and it was kind of a Regency romance turned into a space opera.

And to repeat, no stupider than any other Big Shiny Genre Movie, including Star Wars, The Fifth Element, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

high fives Jilli

Teenage girls (and other girls, too, I must assume) on Tumblr are going mad for J.A., and it's great. There's definitely a lot of swooning over Jupiter/Caine, and a lot of Jupiter/Balem (WTF, really?), and a lot of girls discovering their obedience kink*, but there's also a lot of serious examination of capitalism and class/gender issues and backstory worldbuilding, and that's all pretty cool.

*Look, Caine's basically a dog, canonically. He's utterly loyal, and when J. says roll over, he sighs and rolls over. The girls dig it.

I lost it at the "I like dogs" line.

"I've always loved dogs! Oh god did I really say that."

If you squint, the Age of Ultron poster lists among its cast members: Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) and Idris Elba (Heimdall) .

ooo that's interesting.

Nice!

where's Phil! Maybe an after credit scene or something.

"I've always loved dogs! Oh god did I really say that."

I chortled at that.

but there's also a lot of serious examination of capitalism and class/gender issues and backstory worldbuilding, and that's all pretty cool.

It is! Not to mention that it does not follow the standard Hero's Journey story beats that are, at this point, almost mandatory for fantasy/sf/superhero movies. Nope, it's a completely different type of narrative line, and I think that threw a lot of people. (Plus the knowingly over-the-top space opera parts.)

Also, I loved the fact (as you also pointed out) that Jupiter spends a lot of the time actively listening/paying attention to what is going on. Agreeing to marry Titus? Not a great idea, but he presented himself as supporting not harvesting the earth, which is the idea fighting for top space in Jupiter's brain. (The other idea being "Oh fuck this, I want to go home".) She chooses to sacrifice herself and her family, if it means that Balem can't stripmine the earth. And then when chaos and explosions happen, her primary focus is to rescue her family, THEN try and beat the crap out of Balem.

And the end, where she goes back to her earth life. Again, she chooses family, but she does it with no outward sense of resentment (no more "I hate my life" comments at the alarm), and she's setting up her secret life to learn about the other side of her existence. You get on those rocket rollerblades, girl! Zoom around the Chicago skyline with your wolfboy toy who will obey you.

So, I really liked it.