On a par with the original

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2015)

Tony Stark enlists Bruce Banner to create the ultimate AI to secure world peace. It does not end well. Or does it? The MCU keeps on providing top-notch material, and this movie is no exception. The previous installment on the Avengers franchise is a tough act to follow, even more now that we are used to see all the big guns together in the same movie. Taking this into account, I'd say this sequel is on a par with the original. Each scene segues seamlessly into the next and there's the perfect mixture of humor, drama and eye-popping adventure. We are not only treated with the usual top- quality eye candy (in this case, a peek inside the Avengers Mansion, the Hulkbuster armor and the Scarlet Witch-induced nightmares, just to name a few) but also great dialog and relationships. Yes, relationships are the core strength of this movie, as seen on the scene where they just relax sipping a drink and bet about who is worthy enough to lift Mjölnir, or when Cap gives love advice to Bruce. We even get a glimpse of Hawkeye's family life! The cast is excellent, but the highlights of this entry are the franchise newcomers: James Spader is spot-on as Ultron and Paul Bettany excels as the Vision. Joss Whedon's swan song is a real winner.