Another Splendid Score by Whedon

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2015)

Avengers: Age of Ultron casts a different mood from the first movie. Age of Ultron is significantly darker and grittier than 2012's Avengers, which has a funnier and lighter tone. The new enemy, Ultron, is actually a handiwork of Tony Stark. Ultron is a formidable machine with wicked dreams. To create a new and better world, Ultron believes human beings need to be sacrificed to give way to the birth of a new society. Age of Ultron sets movie goers on an emotional journey. The vulnerabilities of the valiant avengers were revealed in flashes and we get a better understanding of the characters' pasts and fears. We also see the avengers turning against each other in a moment of conflict and the strong bonds they formed on the verge of breaking. A particular avenger even thought of "running away" because he feels that he is a threat. Despite all the obstacles, they managed to put aside their differences and assemble as a team once again. In Cap's words, if they are going to defeat Ultron, they are going to do it "together".
Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner reprise their existing roles to perfection. Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, who is somewhat a mystery in the last film, enjoys extensive screen time and character development in Age of Ultron. There are many sweet "science bros" moments between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner that are fun to watch. The unexpected romance between Natasha and Bruce caught me by surprise because there is no indication at all in the first movie. Nevertheless, it adds a warm touch to the movie. Newcomers Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen are remarkable in their roles, playing Pietro (Quicksilver) and Wanda (Scarlet Witch), the Maximoff twins. Both of them share great chemistry as on-screen siblings. Wanda is an exciting character as she goes through so much regret and pain in this movie, and her powers is a force to be reckon with. James Spader totally nailed his performance as Ultron and Paul Bettany's role as Vision is outstanding as well. There are brief appearances by ex-boss Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Falcon, all doing their best to support the avengers team. As expected, there is no short of action, fight scenes and uber cool CGIs. The scene where the avengers stood in a circle and fought the enemies coming from all direction is pretty badass.
Age of Ultron has a few let downs. The movie sheds some funny tears, with sprinkle of one-liners and cheeky quips. The Thor hammer scenes and fight between The Hulk and the Hulkbuster Armor is hilarious. However, the humour appeal is certainly not on par as the latter. The first film is so effortlessly entertaining with its many comical moments (Loki vs Hulk, Hulk saves Iron Man) and priceless dialogues (Stark quoting Shakespeare, Loki's mewling quim). Sadly, Age of Ultron simply does not have the same effect as the first (One-liners aren't that funny). Character development is a tad lacking for the old characters besides Hawkeye. Too many characters perhaps? The ending also felt sort of anti-climatic.
Overall, Age of Ultron is a cinematic fest with a strong cast, decent storyline and loads of fancy action. It's still quite a good movie despite minor flaws. 7.8/10.