An entertaining, if messy, Avenging adventure

Rating: 8/10 (15 May 2015)

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From the get-go the film throws its viewership straight into the action (where we remain for the most part), weaving through an intensely choreographed fight scene trying as it might to feature each of its heroes in equal measure. There's Captain America throwing his shield, Thor spinning his hammer, Hulk smashing, and so on, typically showing off the team 'on a good day' (climaxing at a particularly exciting slow motion shot of said team leaping into the fray). This high octane pace rarely slows, and though the action sequences often feel very crowded, they still manage to be enjoyable rather than overwhelming, even if it's more difficult to watch the individual heroes doing their thing as in the first Avengers film.
The film is, of course, centered around the titular character – Ultron, derived with some jiggery-pokery from Loki's staff (yep, that old thing), he is an AI gone wrong, unable to tell the difference between destroying humanity and saving it (peace either way, right?). But if you were expecting evil death robot #232 think again, this Ultron isn't so much doom and gloom as hitting off one liners at a similar rate to the protagonists, James Spader masterfully voicing him as another character rather than a malfunctioning droid. Of course, with this it can be argued that he loses much of his menace, being more of a comedy bad guy than a legitimate threat (not helped by the fact he gets bashed around by the protagonists constantly), but considering the amount of emotionless world- ending antagonists we get in robotic form, it's quite refreshing to have one with a personality.
Two other new characters are introduced in the film as well, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, played by Eizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson respectively. They are known more recognizably as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver ("He's fast and she's weird", as it was put in the film), who bring an interesting dynamic as two 'enhanced' (saying mutant is punishable by death, as made clear by multiple contracts between Fox and Marvel) people capable of fighting the Avengers with a more varied set of skills (as fun as a living Iron Man suit big bad robot is), Scarlet Witch using her 'mind control' power to induce a dream state on several of the protagonists, creating a very memorable sequence.
However, Age of Ultron is definitely not without its flaws, these mainly revolving around a somewhat messy and disjointed story. Though it can be felt in some of the more chaotic fight scenes, this lack of cogency is exemplified by a certain section wherein Thor flies off and does something almost totally irrelevant to the main plot, with little to no explanation, resulting in nothing more than sequel baiting while the rest of the film carried on. This contrasts deeply with the first Avengers film, which was focused and clear throughout, while this film feels very much like it has strings attached (whatever Ultron may have you believe), those being the various stories of the Marvel Universe and the overarching build up to the inevitable films that will follow. That said, the small momentum lost by such asides is not overly painful and they are quickly forgotten as soon as the main plot gets back on screen.
Interestingly for a movie that barely stops for breath, some of the slower and less action-packed parts are in fact the highlights, both very funny and offering character development which is usually a rarer find in superhero movies. Aside from the one-liners, Whedon manages to create some interesting character dynamics, be it Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo's "mad scientist" duo as Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, or perhaps more interestingly Banner and Black Widow's (Scarlett Johansson) romantic sub-plot, which at times touches on more mature themes than a Marvel film is used to. Yet despite all this, the star of the show in terms of character development may well be the much maligned Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner), who spent most of the first movie as a brainwashed zombie type fella, and was otherwise a seemingly superfluous member of the team picking off a few bad guys with a bow and arrow of all things. This time Hawkeye gets a fair bit of screen time and uses it well (even picking up on the absurdity of, not only the plot, but the fact he has a bow), and it seems likely he'll be a fan favourite from here on in.
All in all, Age of Ultron is a huge film. Unlike its predecessor it spans four continents, giving it a truly global feel, and is so jam packed with heroes and villains it almost splits at its seams (the planned extended home release suggests there is even more, if that can be believed). And though it might be 'a bit much' at times, it offers spectacle so far unmatched in Marvel's cinematic outings, and blow for blow probably exceeds the first Avengers film in terms of enjoyment – even if Marvel's future offerings only reach as high as this movie manages, we're still in for a treat.