Just so much fun

Rating: 9/10 (17 August 2015)

Before I continue, or even start this review, I would like to acknowledge my bias. I love Joss Whedon. He is my absolute idol. Everything he has touched in the past 20 years has been incredible (that Alien movie notwithstanding). Hopefully that will also add a certain weight when I say this is my favourite Joss Whedon movie yet. What I have come to love about Marvel and their amazing universe is that they know how to have fun with a movie. They understand that 'comic book adaptation' and 'gritty cinematic experience' are not necessarily synonymous. Granted, this has a place in the broad spectrum that is cinema, and I don't necessarily condemn DC for their approach. However, Marvel's characters are perfectly suited for a movie where laughing in the middle of a battle scene is encouraged, not a precursor to sadistic tendencies. Every line of dialogue is perfectly crafted, whether it be a humorous quip or a simple interaction, revolving around a similarly fantastic plot and a villain I am confident is the best of the Marvel lineup so far. On a list also featuring Loki and the Winter Soldier, that's quite an achievement. Ultron is hilarious and badass and hilariously badass, with more depth than some of the human characters. Yet the star of this show, a show filled with incredible characters who individually command the screen every time it stops on them, the one who absolutely steals it is The Vision. A stunning character, brilliantly portrayed by Paul Bettany, with an incredible introduction. Seriously. This is not hyperbole. I have never wanted to clap in a movie theatre before, but the first scene with Vision very nearly drove me to do just that. I won't go into specifics, because everybody who has seen the film knows exactly what I'm talking about and everybody who hasn't seen it needs to understand how special it is firsthand. In summary, truly an amazing movie, due in part for it's ability to not take itself too seriously. Almost all of the characters have remarkable depth, and their individual personalities manage to shine through a densely packed lineup. Intoxicating action scenes, some of the best dialogue from the best wordsmith in the business and all of this makes for some pretty simple maths; Watch this movie. You will enjoy it. And you will also no longer be the only person on the planet who hasn't.