Grade: A

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2015)

For seven years now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the summer blockbuster season (wow! It's been seven years of this). After its culmination in the highly successful Avengers film, the general public has started to grow tired of superhero movies. They still pump out record-breaking numbers, yet reviews have been polarizing. I understand all that- it's a formulaic genre, there are so many films to keep up with- but Avengers: Age of Ultron reminds me why we continue to see these movies; they're just so much fun.
The Avengers sequel dives right into the action and introduces two new characters in the opening sequence. They are possibly the best new additions to the series- Hydra experiments Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. "He's fast, she's weird" Maria Hill remarks. It's a funny line, but they are so much more than that. Quicksilver's insane speeds allow him to change the dynamic of any situation he's in. He is played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is transformative in the role in every way. His twin sister, played with wonderful emotional complexity by Elizabeth Olsen, can use telekinesis and can also induce visions. Age of Ultron quickly gets abstract as we see her get into Tony Stark's head, and soon after, the other Avengers. Their goal? Tear the Avengers apart.
This is all under the command of Tony Stark's ambitious if misguided A.I. peacekeeping program, Ultron. Ultron is almost immediately self-aware, and because of how highly-functioning he is, he soaks up information within seconds, takes command of physical bodies (machines), and can be anywhere and everywhere at once. Ultron is practically limitless in his powers.
Ultron is played brilliantly by James Spader. With his menacing voice and sharp wit, you laugh at the things he say while still terrified of his power and total command of any situation he is put in. And with the aid of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, he is practically unstoppable. But not if the Avengers can help it.
Though Ultron wants to rip the Avengers apart, and talks about how discordant they are, they actually function much better as a unit in this one than in the film's predecessor. The only discord is between the two mad scientists, as they refer to themselves- Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. It is Tony's fault that he has unleashed this monster on the world, and he intends to fix it. Bruce Banner, on the other hand, is burdened by his powers, keeping his emotions tucked away, which proves to be a more formidable foe for him than anything else in the film. Mark Ruffalo gets a lot more time to shine in this one.
Hawkeye also gets a brand new treatment this one, and it's half the reason I enjoyed this new Avengers so much. Characters that were previously just there for the battles- Hawkeye, Hulk, and Black Widow- all are fleshed out further in character, while Thor and Captain America are a bit more on the sidelines. They get plenty of great fighting scenes in, but less development. That's what the solo movies are for.
I liked Age of Ultron even more than I enjoyed the first, though I can't say it's without its faults. The dialogue is very witty but also extremely on-the-nose at times. New chemistry between Banner and Black Widow is introduced, seemingly out of nowhere, and then rushed through for the sake of the bigger story. Some of the dialogue between them is cringe-worthy. And though the middle of the film takes us far away from the usual landscape to give the audience a breather and the characters a chance to do more interacting, the series is feeling rather tired in its landscape. Nearly all of the big battles take place in cities, the Avengers facility, Tony Stark's place, or somewhere in the blue skies. The action is exciting, but we've seen these landscapes before, and the lack of uniqueness will cause audiences to be confused as to which Avengers film they are watching when it is on TV in a few years.
Still, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great time at the movies. It boasts fantastic CGI and good camera work that puts the audience right in the action without dizzying us, and though the movie goes to much darker places, it never forgets to have a sense of humor about it. It's a comic book movie and doesn't pretend to be anything else.
Maybe you're tired of the superhero genre and maybe Hollywood could use more diversity in its tentpole films, but there is a reason they keep churning out these movies, and it's because they're so much fun. Avengers: Age of Ultron is proof of that. It's impossible to not enjoy.
Grade: A