Age of Ultron isn't as captivating as its predecessors, but serves as a satisfying continuation of the story lines already established in the MCU.

Rating: 8/10 (13 May 2015)

Age of Ultron picks up right after the mid-credits scene in The Winter Soldier - with the Avengers trying to reacquire Loki's staff from Hydra. Meanwhile, Tony Stark secretly tries to develop his Ultron program - a program that uses an artificial intelligence to protect the world. Of course, things go wrong and the team is brought back together to deal with Earth's newest threat.
Is this the best movie in the MCU? No - absolutely not.
But is Age of Ultron a good movie? ...Yes.
But there is a line - the movie has it fair-share of problems (a number of them being the fault of Marvel Studios), but I believe Whedon did what he could to meet the expectations set forth by his bosses and audiences. The movie is unbelievably overstuffed - with new characters, old rivalries, and the continuation of the Infinity Gauntlet storyline - it can be a lot to take in. Unfortunately, it's overstuffed storyline can be a turn-off for many people - with the exception of hardcore fans who care more about the overall universe set forth in the films.
The film's overstuffed storyline also detracts from many of the existing characters we know and love. Sure, they all get their fair share of screen time and action, but most of them don't receive any further character development (which I didn't mind too much since some of them have their own films). They all pretty much remain the same at the end of the film - with the exception of a couple of characters. Yes, many of them don't grow in soul or spirit in this film, but we can expect them to in their upcoming films.
When it comes to pacing, we can come to expect the old formula that Marvel has been using for their previous films. It's pretty predictable - but well balanced at the same time. The comedy is a aplenty; however, there are jokes that happen at inappropriate times. You might find yourself frowning instead of laughing in these moments.
One should also note that this instalment contains a lot more action than any of the previous films (especially the first Avengers film). While I'm personally glad there are several well-made action set pieces throughout the film (they are quite spectacular on the big screen), other viewers might suffer from fatigue and become bored of it all.
If there were one thing that truly stood out for me, it would be the conflicts that each Avenger has with their own team. Building on the first Avengers film, Whedon manages (although hastily) to elevate the tension that already exists within the super-powered team. It allows the viewer to wonder about the potential impacts that these characters will have on the team, and the future disasters that can occur as a result.
Age of Ultron may not live up to some of our higher expectations (it certainly doesn't work as a standalone film), but one cannot deny that it serves the ever-expanding MCU quite well.
VERDICT: Who am I kidding, of course you're going to see this film in theatres (unless you've already become sick of the whole superhero genre).