Liked it more than the first one. Doesn't mean it's better though.

Rating: 6/10 (26 April 2015)

The first Avengers film was more of an cinematic accomplishment of bringing together different heroes who had their backstories and characters set up in their own movies, and pitting them against the threat of an alien attack led by the notorious, ever-entertaining Norse God of Mischief, Loki. However, it still had its moments. Hulk throwing Loki around, that epic moment when he says that he's 'always angry', Iron Man's unforgettable response to Captain America's 'just a man in a suit' remark, among many others. One of the complaints I have about this movie is that it lacks some of that. Sure, there are epic and funny moments throughout the film, it's just that they aren't as impactful, and are lesser in amount. I was also hoping to see Andy Serkis in mo-cap for this movie, but his Ulysses Klaw was a pretty wasted effort. Less screen time, and no impact whatsoever. Sure, he'll have a bigger role in the Black Panther movie, but it just seemed dumb to have him in this film.
However, barring that, I loved the rest of the movie, from a storytelling and visual standpoint. The Avengers are all back, and yes, to those of you who thought that Hawkeye wasn't done enough justice in the previous films, he is in this film and he is simply awesome. Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye is commendable, this is the best I've seen him act throughout the movies. The twins, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also a part of the movie, and I can definitely say for sure that I liked how they handled these two characters, especially Quicksilver. The Vision, also a new character, is a delight to see. He's like Marvel's version of an android Superman. In the midst of all these superheroes with very specific powers, it is definitely cool to see Vision kicking butt with little effort.
And this is where I think the film really succeeds: the tone, the direction, Ultron and Danny Elfman's score. The tone of the movie is darker than the first, yet Whedon doesn't go too far with this grim undertone, and sticks to what made the Avengers movies work: it being generally lighter, with an emphasis on the humor and the visuals. You'll notice how the trailers lean on showing Ultron as this evil, chaotic, humorless robot overlord, but this isn't the case, and it makes him all the more believable and appealing. James Spader as Ultron definitely knocked it out of the park. Without a doubt, Ultron is one of the greater villains to come out of the Marvel movies. Also, Danny Elfman took the score to the first movie and improved on it by miles. Him and Brian Tyler have definitely outdone the first movie music- wise.
Overall, Avengers: Age of Ultron is quite good. Maybe not quite better than the first movie, but I liked this one a little bit more. Sure, it doesn't reach the heights of Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy, at least for me, but it's still up there. This is more of a chapter forward in the Marvel Cinematic Universe than most of the other films, and it sets up quite a lot for things to come in this series. And for that, it's really good. It does a good job at introducing all these different, newer characters into the universe.
Also, if you are like me and just got a hangover of Marvel's seminal Daredevil series, please don't expect that from any of the movies. I doubt they will reach that kind of quality anytime soon cinematically. I do wonder how Daredevil and the Defenders might meet with all these Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. I guess we'll just have to see...