Even Better Than the First

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2015)

With the cursory introduction period now behind us, the team is finally able to shift into what's made them so appealing to readers for so many years: their personal relationships, both on and off the battlefield. Of course, with more characters than ever it also runs the risk of overdoing it and crowding the screen, but that's not a problem at all: Joss Whedon manages to get everyone their moment in the sun in a simple, organic way. I was particularly impressed by the amount of time dedicated to Hawkeye and the Black Widow, not coincidentally the two members of the team without solo flicks of their own, and how effective they were at transforming the characters into essential human components of a squad so thoroughly populated by gods among men. Ultron is an intriguing foil, backed by a magnificent voice-over from James Spader, though his threat is often undermined by odd off-the-cuff remarks that, while amusing, make him seem more snarky than sinister. The screenplay is effortlessly cool and funny and rich, though, with staggeringly giant set pieces and no shortage of ballsy, CG-leaning action. A few plot threads could've used more exploration, particularly Thor's spirit quest in the second act, but with so many moving pieces I'm not sure how it could've been done in a reasonable amount of time. In short, The Age of Ultron is everything it advertised and more, an all-stops home run swing that made me giddy to be alive in an age where something so close to my heart could be translated so literally to living color on the big screen. My only reservation stepping out of the theater was that I'd have to wait years to catch the next.