The most satisfying superhero movie experience in years

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2015)

I want to start off by asking this of everyone who thinks the first movie was superior: can you name one thing that Age of Ultron didn't improve on? Now this is certainly just one man's opinion, but I felt Whedon proved his ability once again to handle nearly a dozen superheroes on the screen together with ease. The fight sequences were thrilling and they showed us more of the Avengers working together despite their differences in methods and ideals. I laughed much more than I had anticipated ("Iron Man: Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep") and the moments of calm provided not only comic relief but some elements of well executed and genuine emotion. In fact, Hawkeye steals the show in multiple scenes, which was satisfying to watch after he was under-used in the first film. Of course, Age of Ultron is by no means flawless but so rarely does a movie come this close to perfection. I was slightly underwhelmed by the main villain Ultron who, while charismatic, never came across as being especially menacing. But this can be overlooked as all the heroes bring their collectively impressive acting talent and charm to every single scene. Even the brief mid-credits scene left me in awe because it reveals what is in store for the next two Avengers movies and what is in store for the future looks very exciting.