Sure, this movie doesn't beat out the 2012 film but this is a very solid sequel.

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2015)

Even though I read comic books for a limited time with really little knowledge, The Avengers always stood out to me as a comic book that could be made as a film. So many superheroes and many villains for many people, and really as much as I hate to say it, it would seem like easy money for a studio. Once you got the first Avengers film in 2012, you were long overdue for another one but you couldn't take away what a great summer blockbuster it was. From directing from the always positive Joss Whedon, excellent casting, superb action, everything was running on cylinders. With what Avengers turned out to be and the money made, a sequel was bound to happen.
After Tony Stark tries to start a pacemaker program and eventually taps into artificial intelligence, Stark unleashes Altron (James Spader), a villain of mass destruction that only the Avengers are capable of stopping. This is a familiar formula for a superhero film and for Marvel in general.
I didn't go into this expecting to have issues with characters but this sequel seems to make even more light of them. Solid acting, writing to a script that supports them, chemistry between them and the biggest highlight is some of new elements to them. Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is trying to control his anger and really just can't. He finds a love interest in Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) which deals with the themes of being normal, how they have different powers and two very different identities. Where as I thought Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) was given nothing to do in the first movie, he was given a quality backstory that should make us look more forward to this character once the new installments come along. Hey, we even get new character in Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Scarlet Witch's cap taps into energy and a person's mind. Yes, it would seem like mind powers won't be special compared to what the Avengers cast can do but in a surprise, she brings some of the best moments to the screen. Her twin brother, Quicksilver known for impressive fast speeds is ultimately going to be remembered for how this character played out in the last act in a very memorable way.
After a while, I have come to expect that superheroes films plots are convoluted and are really meant at times for comic books fans. This plot is much of the same with so much depth to it and mostly dependent on the villain character. The character Ultron has really wonderful voice work by James Spader who proves he can be a menacing character. Ulton is still very silly and not a lot background was given to him. He dazzles though in his action scenes and really like any character in this movie, he doesn't drag in any act. Ultron A memorable villain but not without issues.
Moviegoers probably come to this movie for a lot of reasons and I would expect action is one of them. Being that the budget isn't an issue and Joss Whedon has a good track record of good action movies, you can expect high flying scenes in the first part and in the last act, the action really puts this movie on top. This is the type of action that is made in a way that really would be hard to get tired of.
With two Avengers films set after this,the future looks very high for this franchise. Sure, this movie doesn't beat out the 2012 film but this is a very solid sequel. This is one of the few franchises around that I don't mind that we are getting sequels as we keep on the same road that we are on now.