One of the best sequels ever made!

Rating: 9/10 (12 May 2015)

Most people went to the theaters to see The Avengers. I was one of the few people who waited for DVD. There was so much hype surrounding it, I wanted to wait a little while. It was one of the silliest things I've ever done, because the first movie lived up the hype in a big way. This time around, I didn't make the same mistake. I went to the theater and I'm so glad I did. Joss Whedon did a phenomenal job of getting everything to work almost perfectly in the first movie. How could you possibly top it? He had a daunting task on his hands to say the least. The biggest mistake you can do with a sequel is trying to make it bigger and badder. It often becomes overblown and disappointing. The best thing you can do is do what made the first one so successful and simplify it. This movie is darker than The Avengers. They have more to lose this time around. Their fears are exploited and I felt it made for some riveting storytelling. It's also filled with some wonderful humor that made me laugh out loud on several occasions. Last but not least, the mind-blowing action! I was blown away by the action scenes in the first movie, but I think they outdid themselves here. It provides countless thrills and even some sadness. The performances are top- notch. Downey Jr is fantastic as usual. His portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man was a lot of fun to watch. Hemsworth is tremendous as Thor. Chris Evans shines as Captain America. Jeremy Renner is a lot of fun. There is a nice twist to his character that added more drama and emotion to his character. Scarlett Johansson is very good. Her romance with Banner could have been awkward, but they make it work. Ruffalo is solid as The Hulk once again. James Spader is awesome as Ultron. His cynical outlook on life was not only frightening, but it had merit to it as well. Bettany's Vision character isn't explored enough for my liking. They did enough to keep me intrigued to see where his character will go next. The newcomers Taylor-Johnson & Olsen are fantastic. As much as I enjoyed Johnson, it was Olsen who made the biggest impression on me. Her skill is a terrifying one and seeing her transition from bad to good was very well done. It's hard not to fall in love with Scarlett Witch. Jackson doesn't have as much screen time here. He was entertaining though.
Age of Ultron is almost as good as The Avengers. Considering how much I detest a lot of sequels, that's a huge compliment. Everything flows together beautifully and I don't have many complaints. Prepare to be wowed!
9.8/10