Good Sequel but too focused on franchise building

Rating: 7/10 (9 July 2018)

Following the events of The Winter Soldier, the Avengers infiltrate a Hydra facility where they come across twins who have superhuman powers. It starts off big, loud and over-the-top, complete with a slow-mo money shot of the team. Big opening scenes like this are usually a risk as they can make the rest of the film feel underwhelming. Thankfully that isn't the case here because it's filled with relentless action sequences throughout. A few standout moments include a penthouse surprise attack, an enraged Hulk destroying a city and a chase scene in Korea. Some of the action scenes have choppy editing but the majority are well shot where we can see what is going on.
The plot centres around Tony Stark/Iron Man who creates AI robot Ultron. To disastrous results he becomes an evil version of Stark hellbent on destroying the world. Perhaps their hardest obstacle yet, he's intelligent and always one step ahead of them. He uses the super twins as his pawns whilst also using his own robotic army to wreak havoc on everyone else. James Spader steals the show, he is intimidating, creepy and often amusing.
It's a little more grounded this time as the Avengers try their best not to cause any civilian casualties as they know it will only have repercussions. It also has a darker palette which makes it look better than the previous film which was very colourful and bright. The dark tone isn't for everyone but it works well within the story. There are some grim moments including one scene where they all get warped visions of their past. It's full of exciting action set pieces which take us to other places in the world rather than just the US.
It's not without flaws though, there are a few new characters introduced which makes it feel overstuffed. It loses focus sometimes because there are so many subplots -Natasha suddenly has a crush on Bruce Banner, Clint/Hawkeye has a secret family and Stark learns nothing from his mistakes deciding to make another robot midway through. However one good thing about delving into Hawkeyes personal life (everyone's least favourite Avenger) isn't a bad move and makes us root for him. But there are just one too many character storylines which the film could have done without. The final showdown is great showing them working as a team to stop Ultron from destroying the world. But like most comic book films, it wraps things up too fast.