Movie Review: "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2015)

Lightning rarely strikes twice and that is the first thing you've got to understand about Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Avengers was one of those one of a kind movie-going experiences, and while I don't think Age of Ultron ever tops its predecessor, it is a really awesome movie in its own right. Filled with wall-to-wall action and more probing character exploration, Age of Ultron is what Serenity was to Firefly (pardon the Joss Whedon comparisons, but the guy did write and direct all of the aforementioned films and TV series). Age of Ultron is darker and more serious-minded than The Avengers, and yet there are enough one-liners and awesome comic book panel-worthy moments of mayhem that keep the film entertaining and a fitting kick-off to the Summer of 2015.
In Age of Ultron, Tony Stark creates an artificial intelligence known as Ultron in hopes of being able to establish a peacekeeper for Earth that would make the Avengers obsolete. Of course, as with just about everything Tony Stark seems to touch, things go awry and Ultron takes possession of a series of robotic bodies and believes that the only way to true peace is through evolution, which means the demise of all human life on Earth, especially those pesky Avengers. What follows is this ragtag team that we saw come together in the first film falls apart and then has to rebuild themselves all while duking it out with Ultron and a pair of superpowered twins from Eastern Europe, Quiksilver and Scarlet Witch, who have allied themselves with Ultron.
The greatest thing about Age of Ultron is it further cements the idea that these Marvel movies have really become like one really big TV series that you just have to wait every six months or so for each new episode. These things have very much become a machine with each entry being as impressively put together as the last, and when you couple that with the comfort of seeing characters you know and love reunited and bickering with one another, there is no way on Earth that you cannot enjoy the film.
Seriously, if you are reading this, you're not really wanting a full lowdown because you are already going to see the movie regardless, so what do you really need to know? All you need to know is that Avengers: Age of Ultron is worthy of the Marvel brand. It is entertainment of the highest order with a story that manages to further challenge our heroes and force them to really decide where their priorities lie. While majority of the Marvel heroes did not want to become heroes, they did rise to the challenge when called because of a sense of responsibility, and the way Age of Ultron ends effectively answers the internal question that each of our heroes face. So what are you waiting for, get to the theater and see this movie as many times as you know you're going to see it.