"But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger"

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2017)

Almost two years ago, when this was being released, I was the most excited Marvel fanboy you could imagine. The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe had grown on me immensely and had become a franchise that I went back to time and time again and this film was being released just as my inner nerd was evolving. The very first time I saw this I was disappointed, actually. It wasn't everything I had hoped it was, but I still enjoyed it very much. Then came the release of it's blu- ray and I picked it up day 1 to see if my thoughts had changed at all, and it turns out that I watched it three times in the same week and I just admired the film.
After my realization that this wasn't going to be as good as The Avengers is where, I think, I truly found my love for this. Every time I saw it on I would sit down and watch it, or every time I was bored I popped it in and it just was so re-watchable to me. You see the thing that made the first one so amazing was the fact that it had been what Marvel Studios' was trying to do since the beginning and felt like a true experience. Avengers: Age of Ultron kept that experience like feel, but somewhere deep down it didn't feel as "cinematic" as the first.
Returning to his rightful place, Joss Whedon once again sits in the directors chair for this outing and I actually think he did a better job here, in the direction aspect at least. In The Avengers, Whedon's writing ability is easily the best part; being able to have all these characters combine and he made all of them feel real. The writing in this, while fantastic, didn't have that charm of the first where it felt like a combining movie. He didn't have to set the chemistry up so I think that's why it's not as good. Anyways the direction though in Age of Ultron is better in my opinion.
With grand landscapes and gorgeous set pieces gracing the screen, the MCU hasn't looked this beautiful in awhile. Each thin shown or even referenced has a purpose and makes the film even more compelling. The action is some of the best and I think it doesn't get the love it deserves, in the action department, because Mad Max: Fury Road was released the same year. The entire first sequence is done to perfection and the final battle is a marvelous piece of filmmaking. Each part is shot beautifully and the close, but effective, editing makes for the 141 minute runtime fly by.
Like I said above, the way that Whedon wrote the Avengers themselves in the first one was phenomenally done. It's hard to balance all these characters and their individual arcs, but Whedon does it effectively and does it with such ease. Thanks to the actors though, they all combine to brings these characters to screen once again and I fanboy every time. Robert Downey Jr. being cocky as all hell, Chris Evans being a buff dude, Mark Ruffalo using a code green, and Jeremy Renner stealing the show from all of them with his jokes and inspiration, makes me smile and proves just how much I love these people. I always see complaints about Spader's Ultron, but to me he was perfect. He felt menacing, and the quick jokes just show how "human" he actually is.
Even after my 6th! viewing Joss Whedon's superhero extravaganza of a sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron, has become quite possibly the most under loved, and under appreciated film within the entire MCU. My initial reaction to the film was poor, but after so many thoughts and talks I've had about the deep love I have for, not just the film itself, but the entire franchise and how it all fits together, has made me admire Joss Whedon's sequel and everything it does. From Hawkeyes kickass speech to Hulk vs. Hulkbuster, Avengers: Age of Ultron marks as one of the best superhero films ever and one that makes me want to throw a fist in the air.