Fun but cluttered

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2015)

I really enjoyed the first Avengers movie and thought it was a good culmination of the other more character-driven solo movies. Great action and Loki was well-written and played extremely well. Even though I enjoyed almost all of them, I don't think any of the individual movies are spectacular but I thought the first team-up was a very satisfying payoff.
The sequel was really entertaining, though I think it showed some of the pitfalls of having this many characters on screen. It's not so much that we don't get to examine them more closely (we already know them well for the most part), it's that you're trying to give everyone screen time at the expense of perhaps fleshing out the plot a little more. You have large groups of people each expecting to see their favorite hero on the screen for X number of minutes. It's hard to satisfy everyone and cover everything that's going on in the story. While I think there are a couple elements that could've been better in and of themselves, I would say this problem is generally what holds the movie back a little bit.
Ultron's creation, evil plan, and demise are all given minimal screen time. Ultron himself is shown plenty enough, but anything ABOUT him is quickly mentioned and then on with the next scene. I think this is partly due to the fact that they don't want to patronize people too much, given that his whole "peace can only exist by eradicating humans" scheme isn't anything new. At the same time for many viewers it's not old hat, especially the younger ones. Plus even if it's not completely original that doesn't mean we don't want to understand the character more. I suppose they figured villains come and go but the heroes are what everyone wants to see. I don't necessarily agree but from a box office point of view I get it.
The movie also suffers from the dreaded "computer things happen" plot points. When Ultron is created, it's because computer things happen. When Tony locates Ultron's presence on the internet (whatever that means), he does it by performing computer things. When Jarvis is discovered to still be online or operational or whatever, it's because computers. This is a dangerous way to go with a script because as a viewer you feel detached from the weight of any catalysts in the plot. It basically boils down to "things are different now because a computer did......something". We don't know exactly what the nuts and bolts of all this is, just that it happened, and as a result we don't feel as invested or involved as we did before that type of scene. Tony's crazy futuristic infrastructure was relied on too heavily here in my opinion.
Some other mistakes that I think were made include how many jokes were made. This one was way too jokey. At least every other scene someone was making a wise crack, and the running joke with Cap felt forced from the beginning and should've been left out, especially since this movie has too much witty banter as it is. 90+ minutes and about 50 jokes into the movie I really wonder why it was necessary to have a random S.H.I.E.L.D. lackey provide comedic relief, but that's what I'm talking about. You don't need 'relief' in a movie that lacks tension in the first place.
Also for as fast as the film moves along, the plot hitches strangely at Hawkeye's farm. I'm still trying to piece together why that was included at all. It could've been devoted to something much more important. The same goes for the relationship between Banner and Black Widow. It just wasn't necessary. When I see elements like this that aren't done well that nobody wanted anyways, it makes me think that they're things the studio demanded. "The first Avengers was great but we need more of a human element this time around," or some such thing. Both plot lines seemed forced and unnecessary, and I haven't heard anyone say they couldn't do without them.
When the plot is moving though it's quite exhilarating. There's so much super hero prowess on the screen you can't help but enjoy yourself. I think everyone was represented well in terms of the action, and the Hulk vs. Tony in the Hulk Buster was the best scene in my opinion. These movies do need to be careful with the whole destruction element though. After the first movie especially, it's hard not to watch a scene like that at this point and not wonder about all the innocent people walking around in plain sight. Also, make no mistake: thousands died when Ultron uprooted the city and hoisted it into the air. It's fun to see stuff get destroyed while comic book characters beat the crap out of each other, but these movies don't suspend my disbelief enough to not make me think a little realistically about what's happening.
All the actors have been around the block with their characters so it's no surprise they were solid. Ruffalo in particular is great in these movies in my opinion. He plays the timid, tortured soul well and the contrast between his human form and the Hulk are great. James Spader's voice work for Ultron was very, very good as well. Despite some muddy Russian accents I thought Quiksilver and Scarlet Witch were represented well too, by the actors and likewise the script and effects.
This is a fun ride. A tight, well-thought out plot took a back seat this time around, but for the most part everything moves at a brisk pace and the action is as good as ever. It was more of a popcorn movie than I personally would have liked but it's a Marvel movie, where fun should be the most plentiful commodity, and this movie delivers in that respect.