Previous Post Quote: I am mostly afraid for SW and Vision caraterization. Glad to know Vision did ok (for Visionary sake too ). But the actress playing Wanda dosen´t look convincing to me (I have not watched the movie yet), hope she grows on me...and that she ends with a better outfit ;( I think you and Adam will be content with the way these two are characterised - and set up for a future relationship. First up, movie-Vision is created by an amalgam of circumstances and elements. There's even a red-hued hex in there (along with Ultron programming, Suzie Edo cybertech, Stark and Banner stuff, Jarvis - the computer program, still not confirmed to have been made from engrams of the butler - an infinity stone, and Asgardian lightning). The movie gives a little shot of Wanda's reaction as Vision first rises and speaks. She's definitely interested. It's not the only glance they exchange. And in the climax, as Wanda is about to be destroyed, it's the Vision who heads back into the maelstrom to grab her and fly her to safety. In terms of character, Vision is spot on. The only thing missing is yellow squared-off speech balloons. Wanda is a bit harder to read, but her key elements all seem there, including a closeness to her brother, an Eastern European cultural background, and a temper. She gets a nice character arc pushed forward by interactions with Cap and Hawkeye. Vision gets a couple of good conversations with Ultron, and a very dry sense of humour. When Ultron criticised Vision's naivete, Vision answers, "Well, I was born yesterday." I was slightly less convinced with the way Vision and Scarlet Witch's powers were portrayed. Vision doesn't do any density changing, except perhaps the hand-in-the-chest routine (but it's not quite clear if that's what he does a couple of times). His solar gem is actually the mind stone from Loki's sceptre, and he does project laser-like beams from it a couple of times. Wanda's hex power has grown even more nebulous now to a sort of general telekinesis, mind-reading, and the ability to waken people's deepest fears. I worry that it will give her even wider deus-et-machina powers than the comics version suffers from. She badly needs a tiara. However, its clear that in the movie universe the Vision-Witch game is ON!

I was honestly shocked that there wasn't a single shot of the Vision walking through a wall... I have to wonder if there was something like that left on the cutting room floor. It was surprising after reading various interviews about how bringing in the Vision offered them a different power set than the usual punching and such, and then he pretty much just seemed to punch and blast his way through things. I had to really look to see him do any "reach into an Ultron-bot" thing (seemed there was a green energy effect when he did so... not sure if that was a replacement for the old Kirby Dots or just something from inside the robots)... and as you say, it wasn't entirely clear he wasn't just strong enough to shove his hand into a bot and rip out it's heart.

I did quite like how he was portrayed, even if his costume was a little needlessly busy (Not sure why he needed exposed bands of red on the back of his head, for instance.) But that's a very minor quibble. His creation surely was a kitchen-sink affair (which, honestly, is true enough about his comic counterpart's origins)... you even left out the whole "vibranium" element from your run-down, which I assumed was going to be used to explain how he could phase-shift his density but again... never really explored. His introduction could have used a bit more easing into and a little more clarity, but I did enjoy the quick way the film demonstrated his trustworthiness.

Wanda was hard for me to really get a handle on... I think her next appearance will be very important in that regard. She is mostly in adversary mode here, after all. Her look doesn't really say "Scarlet Witch" to me, and her powers are a huge departure. I would have liked a better idea of whether she experiences the visions that she gives others, and if so, how that affects her own empathy for them. It seemed to hint at it, but wasn't really clear... and showing some growing remorse would have really sold it for me.

There are indeed nods to the characters' comic relationship, although I'm not convinced they will pursue that at all in the films. However, seeing as these two are generally perceived to be among the more intriguing characters in Avengers 2, I would think at least somebody over in the Marvel offices would be mulling over the possibility of a "Vision and the Scarlet Witch" film to more fully flesh them out... with or without any actual romance. Not going to happen with the busy schedule they've already announced though.

Overall, I though the movie was a lot of fun, and highly recommend it to anyone with interest. It seems very much an entry to people already invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to me, but I've heard a lot of anecdotes that it does play well to people who haven't seen many of the films before. One criticism that I've heard that I will agree with is that Ultron himself could (should) have been more intimidating. He's more another Loki in this film... a talker, who doesn't really seem very tough against the whole team. I think that the film probably used humor to defuse the tension in a few too many places where it would have been better to let the tension mount. The end result is a fun film, but not as gripping as it could have been.