Avenging Always

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2015)

The second outing of Whedon's Avengers is bound to be compared to the first, but I cannot help but simply see this movie as a bridge between the first and the third that is yet to come. Don't get me wrong, I loved this movie, but as is inevitable with ongoing series the middle part is a lot of continuation and no resolve. The opening dives straight into the action without any prelude as to how the team have reassembled after the events of Iron Man 3, Cap 2 and Thor 2. The audience are left to assume that at some point between Iron Man 3 and this movie Tony Stark decided to rebuild the Avengers after Shield went down, thus donning his armour once more. With a few episodes of Angents of Shield still to air perhaps we will get a more thorough explanation but for now one can only conclude that Stark was the driving force of the idea and Cap the elected leader. The Maximoff twins are well executed away from the forbidden mutant element, the Avengers following Coulson's terminology of enhanced persons and dancing around the potential connection to the Inhumans that we may see in the future. Without giving too much away I'll briefly touch on the romantic entanglements portrayed, the main twist meaning that many a Barton/Romanov shipper are to be disappointed. I however found the development of Barton's character to be endearing and by the end of the movie was cheering on Hawkeye more than any other Avenger, now desperate for a solo outing for the character (TV series anyone?). As for Romanov, her romantic interest seems a bit forced and probably has more to do with the chemistry between the actors than the characters. There is a spark there no doubt but from a character standpoint it makes little sense and seems to just serve to pull at our heartstrings later on when the inevitable happens. It's a pleasure to see Paul Bettany on screen at long last, his JARVIS becoming a fully formed Vision and by films end becoming a New Avenger in his own right. The myriad of cameos are enjoyable and thankfully purposeful as the end of the movie sees the New Avengers forming out of this 'B-Team', hinting at the potential for Phase 4 of Marvel's plan as the current cast's contracts start to run out. In conclusion, this movie is a wonderful continued romp through the Marvel Cinematic Universe and leaves you desperate for the next instalment and doesn't drop the ball, which as the ninth movie in the series is an achievement in itself. Let the good times keep rolling!