A whirlwind of action that ties in all of the separate franchises, but a bit hectic

Rating: 8/10 (1 May 2015)

It began with a simple premise, conjured up in the mind of our favorite genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark: artificial intelligence. "Peace in our time", Tony says is the stated goal.
The end result is anything but.
Ultron is born out of good intentions, and so begins the Avengers' greatest challenge since, well, since the last movie. It is undeniable that this film is the best overall Marvel movie yet, as it successfully and not in an in- your-face manner, ties together all of the separate franchises and their characters (notably, Idris Ebla shows up as Heimdall and Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter makes an appearance as well).
However, before the tempest over throwing down the 'undeniable' word grows too strong, let's point out some of this films more prominent weaknesses. Some of the best action is in the very beginning, but you end up missing some of the best parts because the film dives into it from the very first frame and you have to play catch-up to figure out what's happening (however, regular Agents of SHIELD viewers will be able to transition much easier).
Also, for those who are not fluent, or even slightly versed in Marvel lore, there will be many segments where characters are introduced where you just say 'who?' Finally, for those who are fans of the other films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this film will bring in some of your favorite supporting characters and then relegate them to bit parts (Falcon gets it the worst, he's in one scene in the beginning and a virtual flash frame in the end. Really?)
However, if you go into this movie with the strengths and weaknesses in mind, you will be hard pressed to argue with the assertion that this is Summer 2015's can't-miss movie.