Faults aside, Avengers: Age of Ultron progresses the MCU series further with its impeccable cast and a worthy foe.

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2015)

Summer 2015 kicks off with the annual Marvel tentpole, now in the form of the summer's most anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron. It has been a roaring success for Marvel as they kicked off their "cinematic universe" with the release of 2008's Iron Man. And ever since its release, Marvel followed it up with outstanding follow-ups (Iron Man 3), successful stand-alones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), a space opera (Guardians of the Galaxy), small-screen extensions (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and, of course, a kick-ass crossover (Marvel's The Avengers) that breaks barriers in the superhero genre.
Now, it comes to this point if its follow-up can live up the standards of the original.
Plot-wise, the movie begins where The Winter Soldier left off as the Avengers raid HYDRA's secret base to retrieve Loki's scepter. As Iron Man/Tony Stark discovers an artificial intelligence concealed inside the scepter, he and Bruce Banner/Hulk extracts it, then, when left, possesses an Iron Man armor and forms into the entity known as Ultron. With Ultron programmed to achieve peace by eradicating humanity, the Avengers must put behind their differences and stop the invulnerable foe.
At this point on, this is where The Avengers plot line takes a new direction on progressing the series, for better or worse. But its mitigated flaws are salvaged by the most important element of Marvel's crossover, its cast and characters.
What made the first Avengers worked is its touch on built-up characters and have their arcs intertwine with others. Director Joss Whedon, whom I consider as the master of "team dynamics", still blends the best he could to make this superhero team a team. And the team cast really packs the best.
Still, the main leads Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Hemwsorth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America gave undeniable charm on their characters. Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton /Hawkeye provided more development at this stage. Add-ins Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch were very welcome. And supporting players from previous MCU movies, including Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine and Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, intersected with little but well-meshed parts.
But the best performances came from the A.I. characters. The main antagonist Ultron, played by a conniving James Spader, was a huge treat to watch. The character did not feel anything resembling a robot bad guy, just a Machiavellian victim. Another treat to watch is the new Avenger Vision, played by Paul Bettany. His character here is a calm presence to the withering superhero team, and a fine addition of cool- looking characters.
Overall, the cast were able to top the original on their team chemistry, since a lot of development must be pushed from there. And the story and script was able to mesh their arcs in a right amount of balance.
But what good the story and script provided does not always work for its execution. Aesthetic-wise, Age of Ultron had little to complain but it never tops the original's. The action pieces were a so-so. The sequences were commendable for having an edge-to-the-seat scale. The slo-mo was used to awesome effect. And the whole thing was never tiresome.
However, the aesthetics were not without its fault. The editing was slightly shoddy and abrupt. The camera-work almost landed on Michael Bay level with its frantic execution. The special effects were kind of blatant, especially on the Hulk. And the color palette was a bit dim; I kind of expected that to happen since the MCU series has to progress to a darker stage, but for a fun crossover, it needs to be brighter.
Out of all this, I can say that there is a little to complain about the sequel. It is just its existence makes it feel standard and obligatory, like we know what we are getting. For that, it rightfully falls short from what the predecessor provided and took a new direction, for the better.
Fortunately, fans and viewers alike will forgive this, for the Marvel superhero universe expands further with this movie. Throughout, there may not be that much Easter eggs, but there are sights of foreshadowing taking place in its sequences (remember the country Wakanda, or Hawkeye's near-to-death gags). And note, there is indeed an awesome post-credits scene.
With this, you can be able to guess that the forces of Marvel and Joss Whedon was able to craft another awesome superhero crossover adventure. Avengers: Age of Ultron achieved what it intended to achieve. It was an awesome follow-up to the hit predecessor, placing stakes high, molding a script and having it blended to the still exciting bunch of cast and characters, and punctuating them with breathtaking action sequences, wielded by an awesome villain.
However, it felt out of ambition that it falls to the pit of "obligatory" and "overstretched". From style and substance, there are truly faults that surfaced but it was salvaged by Whedon's buoyancy for the superhero team. As the opening blockbuster for the summer, it really boosted a lot of confidence, not just for Marvel but, for the upcoming summer.